Chapter One
Statistics tell us, in that heartless way they have, that at the present time approximately half of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. As you read this, think how that impacts on you. Possibly you have already been through your own divorce or watched your parents do so, or your children. The same statistics inform us that approximately one in three adults will seek psychological counseling for personal distress, and that one in eight will spend time in residential hospitals or homes. Wherever you are, look around. If you are in a public building, a school or library, just try and imagine every eighth person in a psychiatric ward. How many people live in your building? How many are in your family? Which one of your friends is going to suffer? It's pretty sobering.
On the other side of the discussion is the fact that the U.S. currently has just over a million citizens in "Correctional Supervision" - which translates as "prison". The prison population is going up, and the rehabilitation programs are being cut, so most of these convicts will emerge (and 97% of them do hit the streets again) largely unchanged. Or, at least, unchanged for the better. Recidivism - the rate at which convicts are reincarcerated - seems to run at over 70%. One could conclude that our society, the envy of the free world, is extremely successful at producing criminals and mental distress. Certainly we produce more of them than people with doctoral degrees.
And that is why you need this book. This one, yes, and others like it, too. We are living in very stressful times and my aim is to share with you tactics that can help in preserving your sanity. Now please don't read that as a guarantee. There can be no guarantees here simply because it is not up to me to keep you sane. It is up to you. With the help of these pages, however, I can tell you that you can begin a process that will certainly lead to a better understanding of yourself. Consider this a handbook for dealing with the problems and challenges the world will hurl at you, the sorts of things that might otherwise throw you hopelessly off balance.
Download and read the rest of Chapter One (PDF).
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