It's Not Always Depression, The Courage To Be Disliked 2 Books Collection Set

It’s Not Always Depression and The Courage To Be Disliked are brought together in this two-book collection, pairing modern psychotherapy with a discussion-led approach to personal change. The set explores how emotions, choices and boundaries can shape the way we live, offering perspectives on psychological suffering and the possibility of lasting happiness.

In It’s Not Always Depression, psychotherapist Hilary Jacobs Hendel presents a theory of listening to the body and reconnecting with an authentic self, introducing core emotions, defences and inhibitory emotions such as anxiety, shame and guilt. The Courage To Be Disliked is framed as a conversation between a philosopher and a student, setting out a way of thinking that encourages the courage to change, resist people-pleasing and decide how to live.

Included titles

• It’s Not Always Depression: A New Theory of Listening to Your Body, Discovering Core Emotions and Reconnecting with Your Authentic Self
• The Courage To Be Disliked: A single book can change your life

Key details

• Two-book collection set
• It’s Not Always Depression by Hilary Jacobs Hendel
• It’s Not Always Depression won the American Book Fest Best Health Book (Mental Health & Psychology) Award (2018)
• It’s Not Always Depression won Nautilus Silver for Personal Growth Books (2019)
• The Courage To Be Disliked described as a 10 million copy bestseller

Synopses

It’s Not Always Depression: A New Theory of Listening to Your Body, Discovering Core Emotions and Reconnecting with Your Authentic Self

This book argues that emotions shape thoughts, and that experiencing emotions is central to understanding ourselves. It introduces techniques intended to help people reconnect with feelings they may deny, drawing on stories from the author’s practice.

It explains core emotions such as joy, sadness and fear, alongside defences and inhibitory emotions including anxiety, shame and guilt. The approach is presented as accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy, focused on emotional experience in the present.

The Courage To Be Disliked: A single book can change your life

Presented as a dialogue between a philosopher and a student, this book sets out a way of thinking described as liberating. It suggests that developing the courage to change, set healthy boundaries and resist the urge to please others can lead to genuine and lasting happiness.

It also emphasises personal choice, stating that life is something you choose for yourself and that you decide how you live.