COVID-19 and Mental Health: The Skills We've Been Taught Aren't Helping Us When Times Are Tough
The Californer/10155169

SAN FRANCISCO - Californer -- Covid-19, Afghanistan, climate change - we are facing an existential crisis, and people everywhere are struggling. Are the skills we've been told to cultivate making things any easier? The straight A's, the prestigious university, and the athletic performances are not providing enough of the support we need when things seem to be crumbling all around us. Over the next 10 years we will continue to face new challenges, and will the things we have been taught to value be enough to avoid a catastrophic mental health crisis?

Evan Sutter, a leading Australian happiness expert, and his new book Awake will equip us all with useful skills so we can still thrive among the chaos and confusion. His unique approach to creating a book which is also a journal, a guide, a retreat, and a friend, is full of thought-provoking philosophies and actionable practices to forge a shift in what we think is important for us to live a good life. What will be the skills we need in order to not only survive but flourish in the unpredictable future? Will the coding skills our tech savvy society adore really help us feel healthier, happier, and more fulfilled?

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"COVID-19 has made people all over the world realize that maybe they will need some better tools to cope with change, loss, stress, boredom, and loneliness other than Netflix, alcohol, Tinder, and a nice car," says author, and reformed hedonist, Sutter, who lived in a hut in the forest learning ways to step outside the pleasure trap.

A skillful blend of modalities like positive psychology, mindfulness, resilience, self-compassion, kindness, and emotional intelligence provide a holistic and multi-dimensional focus to help engage readers to enjoy taking steps that make their lives easier. With over 20 practices, 12 guided meditations and body scan exercises, gratitude, how am I writing meditations, stretching yourself prompts,  the curiosity challenge, sharing and communication practices, cut-out thank you cards, mindset tips, good deed challenges, the investigations, mindfulness coloring and more - "Awake is the evidence-based, easy to navigate, well-being tool we all need right now," says Jennifer Moss, Author of the Burnout Epidemic.

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"Evan Sutter truly understands that positive change is possible, and yet not easy, and he provides a rich exploration of topics that we in the field of positive psychology and resilience know matter deeply," says Maria Sirois, Psy.D., author of A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (and Other Dark, Difficult Times).

Awake, Schiffer Publishing, is out now at all good bookstores throughout North America, the UK, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Interviews and more information at https://www.evansutter.com