On the other hand there is advice that has already been of great value to me. For example, Dr. Carlson suggests that AFTER you have an emotional episode, you should look back until you find the trigger, which was probably long before you flew off the handle or had a breakdown. I could figure out the how-to on this one; every evening as part of my bedtime routine I can look backwards at my day and write down any triggers I come up with.

There are nearly 40 ideas of small ways to change. The key here is the definition of small. I went into this thinking that they could all be beneficial to me, and maybe at some point they can be. Some of them are just too big for me right now. I expected inspiration and came out with frustration because I couldn't figure out how to make some of the suggestions that I thought were probably the key to my change. I apparently need more direction than to be told to just think differently.

I wondered if the format, an audio book, is what got in my way. Instead of being able to read a chapter, set it aside and resolve the ideas; the words flowed on and on adding new layers before I processed what I had just heard, giving me a form of audio-indigestion. Maybe if I had read the book and used the audio tracks for a refresher, I would have been less overwhelmed.