The Feel Good Effect

While certainly not a cure-all, this has some very reasonable approaches to overload and achievement stress. The author also nicely clarifies thinking like perfectionism vs comparison, and others. The book is meant to be very practical, and it is. Readers will find some helpful approaches here.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

I found Robyn's podcast a few months ago and eagerly devoured almost all of them within a matter of weeks. I was cautiously excited for her book, as I was unsure of how her practical episodes would translate to a longer format.

Expectations met! The book was grounding and practical. I appreciated her setting the stage for her method and lengthy discussion of the dangers of perfectionism and the importance of self compassion. I wasn't surprised to see a decent chunk of the book dedicated to mindset, and I think that laid the stage for her practical method of how to FEEL GOOD.

I received an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

"You have only one life, it is only so long. I hope you'll spend it feeling good."

Sometimes a book comes at just the right time and is exactly what you need to hear.

I don't know Robyn and do not listen to her podcasts (I clearly should!) I took an online class with her and Ali Edwards. And while the class was good, I took it at a time when it didn't resonate with me as much as I wish it had. So I am not sure what drew me to this book. But I opened it up on Saturday morning just to read a few words and I ended up not moving from my chair until I'd finished it.

Robyn's voice and her ability to break down concepts resonated 100% with me. This book is chock-full of information but it's explained in an incredibly accessible way. The book has three parts: mindset, method, and life. Mindset is about ways of thinking and why it's crucial to reframe your mindset where she explains the Feel Good Mindset. Method is where she talks about the four strategies and habits that help you get lasting results. And finally Life is where you take action and incorporate it all into your life.

For me, this book was like a good friend who is also very smart and kind explaining to me why all the ways in which my striving and my all-or-nothing thinking are not here to serve me in creating change in a lasting way. Robyn explains a lot of what I knew in a practical, consumable way and the best thing about this book is that it makes sense at my core and it gives me small, tangible ways to work towards a way to practice having the kind of life I want for myself.

Robyn's book really resonated with me and satisfice might become one of my new favorite words.

with gratitude to netgalley and Crown Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Run, don't walk and grab yourself a copy of this book! Don't forget to have a notebook handy while you are reading it. Robyn doesn't just walk you through the different kinds of mindsets she gives you actionable strategies and exercises at the end of each chapter to help you make a shift. Reading and doing the exercises makes you stop and think about what how you can find your "Feel Good Effect".

Quick book with inspirational and beautiful words of wisdom and quotes. Basically I cannot wait until this book goes on the market I need it in my life and the only reason I am disappointed is that I cannot fill it with all the journal prompts and ideas NOW and I have to wait. This books is AMAZING. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book provides a fresh approach for wellness, self care and goal setting. Easy to read with lots of practical advice and examples backed by research.

In THE FEEL GOOD EFFECT, Robyn Conley Downs shares hard-won wisdom that she earned the hard way, by living the prevailing stories of striving, pushing and shoving yourself around to create and maintain the illusion of effortless perfection. Her excellent book and gentle suggestions to align, integrate, and rethink the way you live felt like a long conversation with a wise, kind friend over a cup of tea. By the end of the book, I was stronger, wiser, more clear about what I value and what I genuinely want to accomplish. This clear, well-crafted guide to change is one of the best books I've read in a very, very long time. My deepest appreciation to Downs, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me the chance to read an advance reader copy of Downs' book in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Feel Good Effect by Robyn Conley Downs is a self-help book written to help the reader simplify all the current research and practices that improve wellness and life and provides a framework for that research. The author opens with her background and breaks down many of the myths and unhelpful approaches to wellness, which was so simple but is frequently ignored in other books. I appreciate the author understands the reader will not follow each aspect perfectly all the time and instead encourages the reader to "take what you need and leave the rest". The writing is easy to read and the infographics included in the chapter were visually attractive yet easy to read. As a researcher, I can tell she is well-read and knows how to make helpful figures. I also appreciate the author includes a challenge at the end with a guide that provides a structure for a book club for those interested. Overall, I enjoyed and recommend this book!

Many thanks to the publisher Ten Speed Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.