How We Break

<b>Vincent Deary</b> is professor of applied health psychology at Northumbria University where his research focuses on the development of new psychosocial interventions for people with a variety of health complaints including cancer survivors and fear of falling in older adults. As a clinician he works in the UK's first trans-diagnostic Fatigue Clinic to help people for whom fatigue is a disabling symptom. He is the author of <i>How We Are</i>.<b><i></i></b> Drawing on a wide range of sources about the human experience Vincent Deary has written a warm and compassionate book about how we hurt and how we heal. A rich and humane work From a deep mine of science philosophy art and personal experience Vincent Deary has produced a treasure of a book. Every page of <i>How We Break</i> gleams with wisdom and insight. Nobody could fail to be enriched by it<b> </b> Exhilarating... a lyrical consoling exploration... It takes guts to recognise that change is called for and more to follow it through. This book - so long as you don't read it on autopilot - should help Fascinating profound wonderfully well-observed... [<i>How We Are</i>] could change lives This is a book that gets your mind whizzing off in lots of directions... It's crammed with ideas. It makes your head spin in a good way An extraordinary book... There are so many insights and moments of poetry along the way... The book is all the more useful because it is uncomfortable and disturbing; it makes you re-examine your priorities and habits <p><b>An expert empathetic guide to the science psychology and physiology of breaking from the acclaimed author of <i>How We Are</i></b><br><br>What happens when our minds and bodies are pushed beyond their limits? Vincent Deary is a health psychologist who has spent years helping his patients cope with whatever life has thrown at them. In<i> How We Break</i> he has written a book for all of us who sometimes feel we have reached our breaking point. <br><br> Drawing on clinical case studies cutting-edge scientific research intimate personal stories and references from philosophy literature and film <i>How We Break </i>offers a consoling new vision of everyday human struggle. The big traumas in life Deary points out are relatively rare. More common is when too many things go wrong at once or we are exposed to prolonged periods of difficulty or precarity. When the world shrinks to nothing but our daily coping we become unhappy worried hopeless exhausted. In other words we break. Breaking he shows us happens when the same systems that enable us to navigate through life become dysregulated. But if we understand <i>how</i> the wear and tear of life affects us then we have a better chance of navigating through times of burnout stress fatigue and despair. <br><br> By equipping us with a better understanding of what happens to us when we're struggling to cope and making a bold case for the power of rest and recuperation <i>How We Break</i> helps chart a path through difficult times. <br></p> <p><b>An expert empathetic guide to the science psychology and physiology of breaking from the acclaimed author of <i>How We Are</i></b><br><br>Vincent Deary is a practising health psychologist who helps people cope with whatever life has thrown at them. In<i> How We Break</i> he examines with great empathy what happens to our minds and bodies when we are pushed to and beyond our limits.<br><br>Drawing on clinical case studies trail-blazing scientific research intimate personal stories and references from philosophy literature and film <i>How We Break </i>offers us a map through the challenging terrain of everyday human suffering. The big traumas in life Deary points out are relatively rare. Much more common is when too many things go wrong at once or when we are exposed to prolonged periods of difficulty or precarity. In these scenarios he shows us our breaking is embodied as our physical and mental distress are linked and happens when the same systems that enable us to navigate through life become dysregulated. Moreover we break where we live: stress and pressure interact with our individual genetics life experiences and circumstances in entirely unique and personal ways. Ultimately anyone can be laid low in the right conditions no matter how stoic: the research reveals that it's a clinical falsehood to assume we can weather life's storms through force of will alone.<br><br>In these anxious times Vincent Deary's voice is a reassuring hand on the shoulder. By equipping us with a better understanding of what happens to us when we're struggling to cope Deary charts a path through the suffering helping us find compassion for ourselves and for those around us.</p>