When I got into self-help books, I had two problems I wanted to solve: how to become likable and how to solve an addiction I'd had since I was 13-years-old. The books were able to help with the first, but nothing I tried worked with the addiction. That was until I started seeing a psychologist trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

After our first session, I got instant results. Over the weekend that followed I had many changes to indulge my addiction and I had the desire, but I was able to use ACT to make values-based choices. At that point, my knowledge of the principles of ACT was rudimentary.

My psychologist loaned me his copy of this book and I read it swiftly picking up a number of tools that strengthened my practice of ACT. With a gift voucher for Christmas, I bought my own copy.

What is ACT? The acronym also stands for the process Accept your internal experience; Choose a values-based direction; Take action! It has proven effective with depression and addiction.

The book explores a number of tools you can use to accept your experience of those things and make choices that will make you feel good long-term.

It's a groundbreaking book that's simple to understand and easy to apply. If you're having problems in life because of negative feelings or self-talk, this book would be my first recommendation.