The new book from Professor Steve Peters, author of the million copy bestseller, The Chimp Paradox.
During our childhood we learn to manage emotions and thinking by developing coping strategies. These strategies, whether helpful or unhelpful, often progress into habits for life. Helpful habits can give many advantages in life. Unhelpful habits that persist into adult life usually bring stress and can be detrimental to our day-to-day functioning, psychological health and relationships.
This book has two themes:
• To help adults to consider and understand where some of their unhealthy or destructive habits might have come from, and then offer ways to replace them with healthy and constructive habits.
• To offer ideas and support to parents, teachers or carers that could help children to form healthy or constructive habits and prevent unhealthy or destructive habits from developing.
The book explores the neuroscience and psychological aspects of habit formation and related topics in an easy to understand way. It then offers practical ideas and thoughts for the reader to reflect on.
Examples of unhelpful habits that can be changed include:
• Being overly self-critical
• Fear of failure and unforgiving perfectionism
• Worrying excessively or overreacting to situations
• Living with low self-esteem
Examples of helpful habits include:
• Having a positive outlook
• Managing negative emotions
• The ability to get over mistakes
• Stopping procrastination