In the book Been There, Done That? DO THIS!
author Sam Obitz  states, "Fewer and fewer of us are being
raised in supportive families that prepare us to thrive and be happy once we
leave them."  This illustrates the troubling existence that millions of
Americans are ensnared within.  Many carry around a psychological ball &
chain of perpetual despair with no means to correct the problem. Their minds
are like conveyer belts of negative thoughts, most of which were unwittingly
developed during their childhood and most do not realize that there is another
way.

 What I liked about this book
was not just that it teaches you tools to help alleviate that damage, but that
it communicates its wisdom in such a down-to-earth almost conversational tone
that makes it easy to comprehend and relate to. As Dr. John Piacentini, director
of the UCLA Child Anxiety Disorder Program, states "Sam takes clinically
proven techniques and makes them easily accessible to the millions of
individuals who are suffering from anxiety and related problems."

  Some of the chapter titles
give an indication to how the book succeeds:  "Changing your Future",
"Learning to Fish", "Putting things back into Perspective"
and "Helping Yourself."  The author comes across like a friend, but I
like how he puts the onus upon the reader to improve their life.  In the middle
of the book, a formula is given for identifying the error-prone patterns of
thinking that most of us engage in.  Then exercises are provided to counter
these self-sabotaging thoughts, by replacing them with new ways of thinking. 

 For me the genius of this
book was in its simplicity and for that I would give it the highest rating of
any book I have read in the Motivational/Self-Help category. I also like how
the author used real examples from his life that were easy to identify with to
illustrate many of his points. This is a book that I feel all teenagers and
young adults could greatly benefit from.

© 2003 Judith Carlson

Note that this book is not available from Amazon.com.  It
is available through the author’s website http://tao3.com/index.html

Judith Carlson writes about herself:

I’m a junior in high school and
will be turning 17 in March of 2004. I’m on the soccer team at my school and
take several honors courses. I have lived with my foster family since I turned
nine. I plan on attending a good college after I graduate and would love to
continue playing soccer in college (but I need to improve some more first). I
have battled anxiety since I was very young and did not even realize it for a
couple of years but I think I have it under control now. Everyone thinks I’m
shy but I think I’m just naturally quiet.

Categories: ChildhoodDisorders, Anxiety, SelfHelp