Willpower Instinct

I just finished reading The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal for the BlogHer Book Club - interesting discussion material found here.  (Requisite comment that I was compensated for this review found here.)

The author teaches a class on willpower in the psych department at Stanford.  She seems like she'd be an interesting person to take class from and it seems as though she really tries her best to take feedback from her students and apply it to how she presents her material.

Anyhow, I suppose this book falls into the 'self help' category, which I don't read from very often, so it's hard to compare how it stacks up to other books in its genre.  It read pretty quickly and was easy to understand, even when she got into explaining the scientific studies.  I may have zoned out a little during some portions when she was explaining which parts of the brain control what, but otherwise, she wholly kept my attention.  I was very reminiscent of books I had to read for various psych classes back in college, which I admittedly enjoyed.

The two main takeaway points I found most beneficial in this book:

1)  Don't beat yourself up for a slip-up - it is counter-productive.  It's kind of a knee-jerk reaction when one is trying to lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, etc. - when one indulges, she then starts hating on herself, but that just leaves one feeling bad about herself and seeking more comfort (perhaps from one of our vices).  Makes perfect sense but it isn't easy.  It makes me think of a quote I heard earlier this week - When you vow to live in forgiveness, don't forget to begin with yourself.  

2)  When one feels a craving - instead of trying to fight it, instead of beating yourself up for feeling said way (see above), just accept that these will come from time to time, allow yourself to feel what you're feeling, and imagine you're 'riding the wave' (like a surfer) of craving, imaging it will eventually crash, regardless of whether or not it is fed.  Interesting to think about.

All in all, I would recommend this book - it was an interesting and quick read.  It would be especially helpful to someone trying to make some positive changes in her life, which, I imagine, might be a lot of people at this time of the year.