Victim of Thought: Seeing Through the Illusion of Anxiety

First of all I came across this book randomly. I didn't know anything about Jill Whelan. It came as suggested book. Well the cover was original. But it wasn't neither the cover that has pushed me to choose the book. I read the preface of the book and I have got interested because Jill shared her ideas which I share too. The beauty of this book is in its simplicity . Jill explains her experience as a human not as a super woman or someone who tells you fairy tails. If you are someone like me who is going through confusion and feeling of being lost . Please pick this book up , you have nothing to lose. Just read with a open mind . You might share what you read or you might not and that's ok. Because at some point in your life you might have that whaaaahah insight that Jill had it too. As humans we are amazing creatures with a big innate gift which is our own intelligence or call it wisdom if you want to. Wisdom is not a skill, is not a person, is not a label , it just is . You don't buy it , you don't train it . It is in you and that's so beautiful. No matter how many times in our life we are so caught up or frustrated , we will always come back to our wisdom which is our wellbeing, our inner peace. Seeing,that sometimes we are just caught up in our thinking is a relief. I didn't have a clue where my emotions came from . I was clueless in managing my emotions and I might still be. But knowing that what we feel is just thoughts in the moment is just another story. The missing link is that you don't have to believe in what your mind says all the time. And whatever emotions you experience is ok. We go from pain to joy. This is our human experience. Pain is an emotion like happiness. But the moment we label it and think that we shouldn't experience it is the moment when we add more suffering to this experience. I am not saying is easy , I have got my struggling moments to. But the more you start seeing, the less judgemental you will be towards yourself. Laugh because is not personal. Embrace the intelligence of your mind. When you experience anger, pain appreciate your mind because is a sign that you need to step back and relax or don't make a decision in that moment. Therefore give yourself time and space, don't beat yourself up and chill.

Excellent first time book from Jill Whalen. Everyone suffering from anxiety should read this clear explanation of how the mind really works to create a simple misunderstanding of how we create our experience of life.

Thank you Jill ! What a fantastic book Easy to read especially when you have trouble focusing on things for too long. I enjoyed reading and will read again. This book was recommended as at the time I was having a hard time with my thoughts .... I honestly think this book opened my eyes to seeing things in a new light ! Would recommend this book to anyone.

Nah....Didn't relate to it in the way it was written.

This book helped me to look at Anxiety issues in an entirely different way and I can only speak for myself but found it really helpful. I can relate to the authors honest and conversational writing style, well worth reading.

This book popped up as a suggestion on amazon. I thought I'd give it a go, another in a long line of self help books I've purchased. It is a cliche to say it has changed my mindset but I honestly feel this to be true. No exercises, no diary to complete analysing your thinking, just be open to Jill's experiences and you too could change the way you view your anxiety. I have struggled to cope with anxiety for over 30 years and was resigned to just getting through life the best I could, rather than finding joy in living. I finished the book 2 days ago and already I feel like my viewpoint has changed. I feel calmer and able to spot the signs that I'm disappearing down the rabbit hole of anxiety before it takes hold. Please try this book, what have you got to lose.

Great book. I'm fairly new to this understanding and am yet to incorporate it into my life. Thank you Jill

Jill has written a simple to understand book that explains clearly how thoughts and minds work and how to simply observe them and not react It's a bit like if people bully you and you react in whatever way it gets worse for you as they do it more but then if you didn't react and just observed the bullies they would stop bothering you Simple!

In this book the writer shares her journey of liberation via a deep resonance with a simple but profound insight - our thoughts create our feelings. She acquired this understanding from several modern spiritual teachers, but it is very similar to the ancient Buddhist teachings. The writing is very clear and engaging, with a style that resembles a salesperson! I think this is a great way to present a ‘spiritual’ teaching, keeping the reader grounded and engaged. The book is only 85 pages, some of which is autobiographical, so it’s not padded out with superfluous words that distract one from the core, life-changing message - our thoughts create our feelings/anxieties. (Rather than external factors).

So grateful for this short, sweet and simple book that can help point my clients to the answer of their suffering with anxiety!

I don't really write reviews and I don't say this lightly, but this book (along with Jill's blog--What did You Do With Jill?) has changed my life so much for the better. I have suffered from years of anxiety and bouts of depression. I have tried all these different ways to "fix" myself. Sometimes these techniques would work for a little while, but then I'd be right back to square one before long. Jill's book explained to me why this kept happening, and in fact, that there really isn't anything wrong with me. I'm just feeling my thinking. I know this seems simple, but this insight has transformed my anxiety. I am much more present in life and am generally a much happier and calmer person. I really wish I would have had the information that Jill conveys in this book when I was a teenager and saved myself years of suffering. This book is written in a conversational manner and is highly readable. One last note--Jill is exceedingly kind. I wrote to her after reading her book and she was happy to answer a nagging question I had been struggling with.

Good

It makes me feel good that I'm not the only one. Especially coming from someone I had met in person already. I had no idea Jill had these problems. Mine is overthinking. I read this book at just the right time.