In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist Paula Freedman offers a clear path to help you move beyond toxic striving-the relentless pursuit of perfection, societal ideals, and external validation at the expense of your physical, mental, and emotional health-and instead turn inward for guidance. Using a combination of evidence-based tools and strategies grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and intuitive eating, you'll gain the insight needed to reconnect with your true values, reclaim your physical and mental health, develop unwavering self-compassion and confidence, and live by your own rules.

You'll also find profound and practical guidance to:
·Identify how and when you stopped trusting your own mind, body, and emotions-and started living according to society's standards
·Set goals that align with your personal values-instead of society's expectations ·Develop skills to defuse from restrictive and self-punishing thoughts, so you can be kinder to yourself
·Learn how to be an observer of your emotions-rather than letting them control you ·Stop beating yourself up for gaining weight, and view yourself and your body as more than just the perfect selfie
·Set effective boundaries with anyone who makes you feel ashamed of yourself for how you look, how much you get done in your day, or anything else!

This book covers all the areas in life where one could be striving, work, home, health, relationships etc. A thought provoking read. One of my favourite parts was the section on self talk. Specifically, how one can be rule-based or compassionate in the way they talk to themselves.. It’s an interesting way to label and take control of self talk.

I would like to thank NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications for the ARC of Toxic Striving.

Hustle culture, toxic positivity and boundaries have become buzzwords but there is a reason for that. Everyday there are new influencers or wellness gurus that pop up and tell you exactly what you are doing wrong. I had not heard of acceptance and commitment therapy before this book, and now I am wanting to learn more. The journal exercises really make you think and are a great addition.

I would recommend this book to anyone that feels burnt out or is starting to feel burnt out.

As a recovering pathological people pleaser, as well as a therapist supporting clients who struggle with perfectionism and burnout, this book was fantastic. I loved that the book touches on several areas that someone engaged in toxic striving and self-judgment may struggle with. This seems like a particularly useful tool for those who struggle with over-control behaviors and disordered eating. I appreciated that Dr. Freedman-Diamond emphasized movement towards values-driven actions and highlighted the ways that hustle culture and larger systems, like capitalism, influence our behaviors and beliefs about how we should be living. I appreciate the guided exercises and will definitely recommend this as a resource to clients.

I really liked this and it was super accurate in its advice however I didn't feel like the title was at all relevant? it felt very food based, like Emmeline Clines Dead Weight

Toxic Striving was just the book that myself and many other millenial women need! Dr. Paula Freedman gives an interesting perspective on wellness culture, hustle culture, and also the lack of boundaries many women set. I found the information given in this book to be easily digestible for everyone. If you have never been inside a therapist's office you will learn SO much without being overwhelmed or feeling like it's all clinical jargon. As someone who has been in therapy for 10+ years, I still learned new things. I particularly enjoyed the chapters discussing setting boundaries and how wellness culture is a multi billion dollar industry made to keep women stuck is a subset of very rigid "rules" on how to look to be considered good and attractive. It really opened my eyes to the business side of it all. I highly recommend this book for any woman or man who feels social media really affects how they view themselves and wants to learn to find out what truly fuels them and how to live up to our own standards not society's. Thanks to NetGalley and New Harbinger Publications, Inc. for this eARC.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author of this book for the ARC. I know I requested it and I'm really obliged to read it. Honestly, this one's the third book I read under this category. I dropped it because I read too much with the same context and the previous ones were too lengthy.

I rated it 4 stars because I wanted to rate it higher but I don't want to give it 5 stars because I find it a bit like textbook or a case study. I know that the author wants to show readers like me the basis of the book entries but for someone like me who have her personal struggles, I usually opt for an easy read that feels like a friend talking to me and sharing some advice that might help my situation.

Still, I like the effort and I know this book will be valuable to some people and it just happen that it doesn't fit my needs at the moment.

This book gives a great explanation for toxic striving and explores how most women are raised in our current society to reflect toxic striving. I really appreciated the author's deep dive analysis and thoughts about how we can take back some of our time and energy.

This is a wonderfully informative resource about the intersections between wellness culture and productivity culture and how both dominant narratives harm us. Lots of good things to try to break out of this toxic cycle.

In Toxic Thriving, Paula Freedman goes after two of my greatest nemeses : wellness culture and productivity culture which I didn’t even realize are actually two sides of the same coin. Making yourself feel guilty for something you have very little control over and « selling » you a solution that is not sustainable in the long run. It’s everywhere on social media and very difficult to escape. If you are already struggling with anxiety, depression and a general feeling of low self esteem this is downright dangerous.
In this book the authors tried to entangled the myths both industries are forcing down our throats and I’m sorry to say that escaping those might take work. This book uses ACT therapy but I feel like you can take just a few pointers if that’s not something you like.
One thing I really appreciated was that she had advice for neurodivergent folks, the whole listen to your body and yourself doesn’t really work for some of us.
A really good read.

This book was incredibly insightful and helpful. This self-help book really stands out because it not only offers valuable advice and perspectives but also includes journaling exercises that I found extremely beneficial.

The journaling exercises were a game-changer for me. They prompted me to reflect deeply on my thoughts and feelings, something I hadn't done in a long time. I gained clarity on various aspects of my life, and they genuinely made me think in ways I hadn't before.

The examples in the book were wonderful and made me feel incredibly relatable. Seeing my own experiences reflected in the stories shared helped me realize I wasn't alone in my struggles.

Overall, Toxic Striving truly helped me. It provided practical tools and a fresh outlook that have already made a difference in my daily life. While I’m not sure how to rate it exactly, I can confidently say that it was a transformative read and I highly recommend it to everyone.

What a powerful title and an important book to read. I'm fully aware of the toxicity that wellness and hustle cultures bring to a person. I was happy to have Paula's advice on how to deal with these cycles. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.