Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen is one of those self-help books that you secretly want to be the answer to your prayers, yet somehow you know deep down that it could never be. Nguyen’s thesis is simple and the approach he advocates very pragmatic: (Over)thinking and rumination are bad, and when stopped effectively, using the array of practical techniques that he promotes (e.g., the PAUSE technique), can lead to a life of enduring happiness and fulfilment. He draws heavily from his lifelong struggle with overthinking, which plagued him until he discovered these coping strategies after years of trying a myriad of approaches.
My main bone of contention with Don’t Believe Everything You Think is that Nguyen paints a very black and white picture when it comes to (over)thinking. According to him, all (over)thinking is bad, and not thinking is good. He offers this “truth” in a dogmatic way, while providing only scant anecdotal justification for this assertion. Thus, I found myself at times viscerally rejecting his message. It seems to me that there is more nuance to this subject. Besides that, many of the practical approaches that he promotoes for managing overthinking are quite well-known. So in short, I would say I do not regret reading this book, however, I feel as if it has had overall only a limited impact on me perspective on the topic of (over)thinking.
Thank you as always for stopping by! Please feel free to share your thoughts or reactions in a comment below. Also, if you would like to receive more updates about my writing please consider joining my newsletter mailing list by subscribing below.