10 Minutes to Boost Your Mood: A Step-By Step Guide for Teens Using CBT and Mindfulness

What can you really do in 10 minutes? You could call a friend, read the news, eat a bowl of cereal, or doomscroll on social media - and now, with this book, you can improve your mental health.
No matter how busy or stressful your day, with 10-minute steps and quick exercises, you can better understand and manage your experiences with depression and low mood. This book includes sections to read, questions to reflect on and things to try out in your everyday life. It covers everything from recognising low mood, dealing with risky thoughts of harm or suicide, working on healthy lifestyle factors like sleep and physical activity, and how to get yourself into the ’zone’ where you feel focused and engaged with important and fun activities.

Using evidence-based therapies such as CBT and ACT, this book will help you take a problem-solving approach to negative thoughts and feelings, identify activities that bring you joy, treat yourself kindly, and get the best out of life (and not get stuck in the Doom Swamp).

Lee David is a GP and CBT therapist and the author of Managing Anxiety Disorders in Primary Care. She is the founder and director of the organisation 10 Minute CBT, which provides education and training for health professionals working in adult and adolescent mental health. She has authored multiple books surrounding CBT and regularly gives conference presentations and workshops providing training for practitioners.

Debbie Brewin is a CBT therapist, trainer, supervisor and occupational therapist with a special interest in personal growth and confidence in young people. She has developed courses for an employment support charity and has written several therapist manuals for behaviour change research programmes focussed on mental health and physical activity. Debbie has trained GPs and health professionals in the UK, Norway and Iceland and continues to work freelance.