When the Body Says No
by Gabor Maté
Maté on the connection between chronic stress, suppressed emotion and illness: the people-pleasing, boundary-less patterns he observed in patients with autoimmune disease, cancer and ALS. The evidence is suggestive rather than proven and the book is clear about that; its practical lesson, that saying no is a health behavior, is sound.
Read it if…
you cannot say no and you are tired and unwell.
Skip it if…
you want strong causal evidence; the science is correlational.
Three things you will actually use
- Chronic self-suppression stresses the body.
- Boundaries are health behaviors.
- Negative thinking, honestly done, is healthier than forced positivity.
Do this first
Say no to one request this week that you would normally accept and resent.
Our verdict
Suggestive and practically useful.
Compare with other Health books
Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts
Sally M. Winston and Martin N. Seif · Health
Precise and liberating.
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