Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness

I went on a self-help binge a few weeks back and checked out several books from the library, signed up with an Enneagram coach, and started French lessons online. Two of the 3 books I checked out were quite worthwhile and this was one of them. By Rick Hanson, also author of Buddha's Brain, Hardwiring Happiness and other popular neuropsychology based books, this offers ways to build up the parts of the brain that will give you stronger resources to deal with everything from daily slights from a co-worker to profound loss. I consumed this book in small doses and appreciated that he jumps right in with a chapter on Compassion--for oneself. The following chapters address Mindfulness, Learning, Grit, Gratitude, Confidence, Calm, Motivation, Intimacy, Courage, Aspiration, and Generosity. I took lots of notes. This is a wonderful book for those of us who are hard on ourselves, as most of us are to some degree. He talks about the evolutionary tendency of the brain to focus on the negative aspects of our experience and offers a strategy to balance that out and even shift the balance to more positive evaluations of self and others. He talks about how to set appropriate boundaries in our relationships while at the same time opening ourselves to closeness and having empathy for their struggles. I'm tempted to buy it so I can highlight all the good things he has to say!