From the hosts of the popular Minding Your Mind podcast comes an empowering book that examines the key moments in our mental health journey - from the first search for identity and belonging, through to our most important relationships, our hopes and ambitions, and inevitable times of crisis. The result is a practical guide that will put you on a path to deeper happiness, better relationships and a life of greater meaning.
We've all heard advice for physical longevity - the steps we can take with our nutrition, exercise and lifestyle choices to maximise our number of years on earth. But what about our mental longevity? How do we fill those years with a better understanding of who we are and how our mind works? How do we achieve deeper happiness, better relationships and a life lived according to our values?
Drawing from the wide array of topics covered in their popular mental health podcast Minding Your Mind, psychiatrist Ian Hickie and broadcaster and author James O'Loghlin bring their signature compassion and curiosity, intelligence and humour, to this practical 'user's guide' to our evolving mind and selves.
It takes an empowering, holistic approach to mental health, acknowledging that every season of life brings its own ups and downs, unique challenges and breakthroughs. Feelings of anxiety, stress, self-doubt, loss, longing and stagnation are inevitable, but those times are also opportunities to find out what works for us, so that we not only 'get by' but actually flourish.
Whether you're looking for a wealth of practical tools to carry with you through the tough times, or want to develop an overall strategy for lasting mental wellbeing, A User's Guide to the Mind meets you wherever you are along life's journey.
Topics include-
- The search for identity, purpose, self-worth and belonging
- Identifying personal values and boundaries
- Navigating and nurturing our essential relationships- family, friends, partners and community
- The role of meaningful work and value-led goals
- Balancing desire and dreams with life's increasingly complicated demands
- Embracing challenges and new opportunities
- Dealing with stress, conflict and burn-out, and finding your own unique path to peace and contentment
- The importance of novelty and moving on from old mental habits
- The enduring value of legacy and what it means to live a wise life.
About the Authors
Professor Ian Hickie is a psychiatrist and Co-Director of Health and Policy at The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre. He is one of Australia’s leading advocates for, and commentators on, mental health. He was the first CEO of Beyond Blue, the national depression initiative, and an inaugural Commissioner on Australia’s National Mental Health Commission. Ian is also an internationally renowned researcher in psychiatry, and is currently writing a book on depression, The Devil You Knew, which will be published by Penguin Random House Australia in 2023.
James O’Loghlin is an author, television and radio host, conference keynote speaker and MC, and comedian. James hosted radio shows on ABC Local Radio for 15 years, and television shows for 11 years, most notably the much-loved The New Inventors on ABC-TV for 8 years. He has written 10 books, including 4 non-fiction, and 6 novels for children.
