I enjoyed this one. There maybe wasn't a lot that was really new but it was good to have everything collected together in one place. It helped me recall things that I have been advised to do but maybe don't put into practice and I really liked the detailed tips for journaling. It made me start that again and I feel like I will stick with it this time.

Some of the more unusual methods may not be for everyone, some certainly weren't for me, but I liked how the author just set out everything that had helped him in case it would be useful for someone else. Since he is not a doctor or mental health professional I appreciated that he kept stressing the need for professional help, including the signs that a person needs emergency medical treatment.

It's important to note that this book is geared towards helping you recover from depression, which for depressed people feels like a very big ask, and I do question how realistic it is. The case studies were on people who seemed to get better on a simple change or two, and severe depression caused by deep seated issues is probably too complex to be altered so easily. However, I felt like a lot of the techniques, such as journaling, practicing gratitude and reframing negative thoughts, would really help with coping with it. I personally have experienced some relief while working on those things with the help of this book.

I also liked the pages of references at the back, many of which include links for more information. I intend to check some of these.

Overall this is worth a read if you have depression, maybe don't expect too much but I found it very helpful. I have read various books on depression and so far this was the most practical as it's also very accessible.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I don't know.... there's nothing new here, nothing profound. This book would be good for someone who has never experienced depression before. I came to this book as someone who has lived severe depression with no reprieve for 25 years straight, so I have heard every option, treatment, advice. This book is basically just a retelling of what is already widely known about depression and small tools to manage it day to day. There is nothing super deep or life changing. But if you never experienced depression before at all, it would be a good overview.

Stop Pushing was ok. It did have a lot of useful tips in it, and I think could be very helpful for depression in conjunction with therapy. However, for me personally, I found it a little too gimmicky, and I didn't find the writing style very engaging. It was kind of a slog to get through. I think it could be really great for some people, just wasn't for me.

I was expecting more from this book in terms of it being able to be used therapeutically for someone who is unable to access support. This book is not a resource for therapy itself it is more of an aid to help someone who is accessing therapy. It will support people who are already on their recovery path. I would not recommend this book to someone to solely rely on. This being said I think this is definitely something worth reading if you have depression or if you know someone who has and would like to gain some incite into what they are going through and an idea of how you can support them. The fact this is written by an Author who has depression can help give people the sense that they are not alone and it makes the book more relatable.

A book about novel techniques to fight depression from an author with live depression.

First of all, this is timely, needed and much appreciated.

The book comprises techniques to overcome depression, tips, advice and case studies.

The novel techniques summarised include shrooms, VR, floating therapy etc.

The author’s style is engaging and friendly.

Though, I expected more. More novelty, an in-depth analysis, fewer case studies (this is a matter of personal taste and personal reading history) and interesting insights. Overall, little was novel to me.

This book is a a) quick introduction to therapy and mindfulness techniques, b) a guide that has a great structure and flow, and can be referred to when needed, to remind oneself of techniques and habits around caring for one’s mental well-being, c) a great summary of these good practices.

The writer did an excellent research, consulting resources that are up-to-date, relevant and some of which are scientific. However, I hope any reader who reads similar books are reaching them as collections of reminders rather than the sole resource for their diagnosis, condition, treatment, growth, etc.