Sweet Distress

Book excerpt: Cutting its way through the media frenzy, Sweet Distress: How our love affair with feelings has fuelled the current mental health crisis (and what we can do about it) puts emotional wellbeing and resilience centre stage. Using an approach rooted in no-nonsense logic, author and psycholinguistic consultant Gillian Bridge delves into a range of problems which seem to be most frequently cited as sources of mental distress. These include stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, body image, eating disorders, social media, substance abuse, behavioural disorders, academic pressures and bullying. The author explores how these issues have led to seemingly insurmountable emotional problems and takes a few potshots at some of the things that have contributed to turning life events that may, at other times or in other places, have been little more than nuisances or inconveniences into sources of genuine psychic pain. Packed with realistic and effective takeaway strategies for parents and educators, Sweet Distress challenges under-researched but over-promoted ideology and shares evidence-based help and advice for anyone wanting to improve the mental health of those they care about. The book focuses on offering that help in a practical way, so at the end of chapters 5 to 10, which deal with specific issues, there are sections of particular value to parents, would-be parents, teachers and those in the business of young people's mental health, such as counsellors and therapists. Likewise, towards the end of the book Gillian has gathered together some selected material into 'a call to action' which will reiterate and reinforce some of the most practical and achievable lifestyle advice contained throughout. Suitable for parents, educators, counsellors and therapists. Gillian looks at how these issues have led to apparently insurmountable emotional problems, and takes a few potshots at some of the things that have contributed to turning life events that may, at other times or in other places (perhaps more resilient ones?), have been little more than nuisances or inconveniences into sources of genuine psychic pain. Packed with realistic and effective takeaway strategies for parents and educators, Sweet Distress challenges under-researched but over-promoted ideology and provides real, evidence-based help and advice for anyone wanting to improve the mental health of those they care about. Suitable for parents, educators, counsellors and therapists.