Handpicked books / Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
David D. Burns, M.D.
- Always low
- Can't see a way ahead
- Lost my job
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
by David D. Burns, M.D., 1980
Your mood follows your thoughts. This book teaches you to check them.
Over four million copies sold in the US; studied as “bibliotherapy” in clinical research.
Opens Amazon India. Outside India? Amazon.com
- No Kindle device needed — read on the free Kindle app
- Free sample before you pay
- Delivered to your phone in seconds
Does this sound like you?
- “A voice in your head keeps saying “I’m a failure” — and it sounds like the truth.”
- “One bad thing happens and suddenly your whole life feels ruined.”
- “You put things off, then hate yourself for putting them off.”
- “You can’t afford therapy right now, but you can’t keep feeling like this either.”
If even one of these is true, this book was written for someone exactly where you are.
The book in 60 seconds
The book that brought cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to ordinary readers. Burns shows how a handful of thinking traps — all-or-nothing thinking, jumping to conclusions, labelling yourself — keep depression and guilt going, and gives simple written exercises to catch and answer them. Practical, warm and backed by research.
After reading, you’ll be able to…
- Recognise the ten thinking traps the moment they show up
- Talk back to the “I’m useless” voice with something fairer and truer
- Get moving again when low mood makes everything feel pointless
- Handle criticism, guilt and anger without spiralling
How this book helps
From where you may be now, to where it can take you.
-
Where you are
Heavy mood that won’t lift
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Step 1
Spot the thinking traps behind it
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Step 2
Write down and answer those thoughts
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Where you can be
A lighter, more realistic mind
Try this tonight — free
The triple-column technique
A small exercise from the book. Five minutes, a pen, and some quiet.
- 1 Draw three columns on a page.
- 2 Column 1: write the exact thought that is hurting, e.g. “I lost my job, I’m a total failure.”
- 3 Column 2: name the trap. (Here: all-or-nothing thinking and labelling.)
- 4 Column 3: write a fairer answer, e.g. “I lost one job. I have skills, and many people find work again after this.”
This is the book’s core exercise. Notice how your mood shifts, even a little, after column 3.
That’s one exercise. The book has the full method.
Get it on KindleWhat’s inside
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Understanding depression
Why your thoughts, not events, drive your feelings — and a simple test to measure your mood over time.
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The ten thinking traps
Each cognitive distortion explained with everyday examples, so you can spot them in your own head.
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Practical applications
Building self-esteem, beating “do-nothingism” and procrastination, handling criticism, anger and guilt.
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Realistic antidotes
Tackling the need for approval, perfectionism and the fear of failure.
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Prevention and growth
How to keep the gains and stop depression from creeping back.
Big ideas you’ll take away
- 1
Thoughts create moods
It is often not the event but how you read it that sinks you.
- 2
Ten thinking traps
Named patterns like overgeneralising and mind-reading, so you can recognise them.
- 3
Act before you feel like it
Small actions often come before motivation, not after.
The book’s approach
- CBT
- Workbook-style
- Research-backed
- Practical tools5/5
- Science & research4/5
- Stories & feeling2/5
- Reading effort
- Moderate
Is this book right for you?
Read it if…
- Your mind keeps saying “I am a failure” or “nothing will change”
- You like clear tools you can use on a bad day
- You want an approach therapists actually use
Maybe not, if…
- You want a short read — it is long and best used a chapter at a time
- You are in severe depression; use it alongside a doctor or therapist, not instead
What others say
Rated the number one self-help book for depression who evaluated 1,000 self-help books
Quotes from the publisher’s page or published reviews. Read reader reviews on Amazon
About the author
Dr. David D. Burns is a psychiatrist and Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He helped make cognitive behavioural therapy known outside the clinic.
A month from now
A month from now, a bad day might still come. But when the voice says “you’ve ruined everything”, you’ll recognise it — “that’s all-or-nothing thinking” — and the thought will lose some of its grip. That small gap is where things start to change.
Get it on KindleQuestions people ask before buying
Does self-help for depression actually work?
Studies on this book found it helped many people with mild to moderate depression, especially with a little outside support. It is not a replacement for treatment when depression is severe.
It was written in 1980 — is it out of date?
Some examples feel old-fashioned, but the method (CBT) is still one of the most widely used and studied therapies today.
Do I have to read all of it?
No. Read the chapters on thinking traps first and use the rest when a specific problem — guilt, anger, procrastination — comes up.
Do I need a Kindle device?
No. Download the free Kindle app on your Android phone, iPhone or computer and read there. Your book appears in the app right after you buy.
Can I try before I buy?
Yes. Amazon lets you send a free sample — usually the first chapters — to your Kindle app. Look for “Read sample” on the book’s page.
What if I buy it by mistake?
Amazon has a return policy for Kindle books bought by mistake, usually within 7 days. Check the current terms on Amazon under Your Orders.
Worth knowing before you buy
Written in 1980, so some examples feel dated. Research suggests self-help books like this work best with a little outside support.
How to read it if you’re hurting
Skip ahead to the chapters on the thinking traps first, and keep a notebook beside you. Doing one exercise beats reading five chapters.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
David D. Burns, M.D.
Your next step can be small.
Read the free sample on Amazon. If it speaks to you, keep going.
In this book:
- ✓Recognise the ten thinking traps the moment they show up
- ✓Talk back to the “I’m useless” voice with something fairer and truer
- ✓Get moving again when low mood makes everything feel pointless
- ✓Handle criticism, guilt and anger without spiralling
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If your childhood taught you to always be on guard, this book explains the rest of your life.
If you are in crisis right now, please talk to someone. In India, call Tele-MANAS free, 24 hours: 14416
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Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
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