Drive Your Own Darn Bus!: How to Get Mentally Strong and into the Driver's Seat of Your Life

by Julia Kristina

A practical self-help book on mental strength and emotional toughness by a clinical counsellor, researcher, coach and online content creator with a big YouTube following and genuine star quality.

This book is the ultimate guide to getting emotionally strong, guiding you in taking responsibility for your own wellbeing and not letting others control your thoughts and emotions. Written in the trademark down-to-earth, direct, humorous and warm style that has made counsellor Julia Kristina so popular online, this book arms its readers with the skills to take over the steering wheel in their own lives, no matter what challenges they face.

Julia takes you through the thoughts, emotions and behaviours that hold us back, from perfectionism and fear of failure, to anxiety and guilt, to people pleasing, self-sabotage and taking things too personally. In each case she provides easy-to-use and super effective tools for emotional self-mastery that she has road tested in her coaching and counselling, and in her own life. For example, use the Thought Ladder to disrupt your negative thoughts and beliefs. Instead of telling yourself to stop thinking "I am totally crap" and just think "I am great", Julia shows you how to incrementally challenge and undo the original negative thought and reframe it through a series of steps - like rungs of a ladder. Another example is the STOPP a 5-step method that allows you to identify, separate from and process/take positive action on a difficult emotion that is occurring.

Always rooted in real life, highly achievable and based in the author's understanding of human psychology, Julia's tools and techniques really will help you break through whatever it is you think is holding you back.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2022

Reviews

[Manuel Devall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn this was a good one. Well written, simple and captivating. A simple guide based on science, how to manage your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. The book also explains how your brain works and how to implement these new skills. A book everyone should read imho.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ this book took me forever to finish because my own mental health stopped me from finishing this book about mental health🤣 I really liked the journal prompts given at the end of each chapter (did I always do them no) but I think they're a good resource for the future

[Olivia Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I found out Julia Kristina had written a book, I downloaded the audiobook straight away and instantly wanted to give it 5 stars, even before I started playing it. I was not disappointed!

I've been watching Julia Kristina's self-development YouTube videos for a couple of years now and found them so useful. I love how she explains things and she really goes in depth about how our brains work, making the negative feelings they produce somehow less scary. Once you understand it, you don't fear it as much.

This book takes everything I love about her videos and bundles it into a friendly read, almost as if you're having a pep talk from a buddy. I've got so much out of it and want everyone to read it, as it's packed of useful take-aways on how to shift your mindset and get unstuck in life.

[Emily Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who suffers quite badly with mental health, I am always eager to try new self-help books in an attempt to change my mindset. I found that several of the exercises and journalling prompts genuinely did make me take stock of my emotions and thought processes.

While I still have a long way to go in overcoming my anxiety, I really liked the no-nonsense yet lighthearted approach that the author took to challenging your emotions, thoughts and beliefs.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Watkins Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

[Marisol Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Chapter 4 was the information I needed to change my life. How powerful our thoughts are. I have been able to take more control of what I want. This has also helped me to see what is more important to me. I’m new to self help books and I most definitely recommend.

[Brravin Raja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good and concise mental health book . It covers many topics such as setting boundaries and what not to do when worried or under social tension.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually found this book really helpful and have already started to implement changes for myself.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Daisy Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Working in mental health, I'm always looking for self-help books that are accessible for clients. This is by far, one of the best guides to taking responsibility for your own life with plenty of tips and exercises to focus the mind on helpful ways of thinking, feeling and behaving to get yourself back in the driving seat of your own life.

Written in a friendly and down to earth way, I have no doubt it will help many, many people, myself included.

With enough theory on how our brains work, without ever getting bogged down with jargon or too much science, I really enjoyed the writing style and it certainly gave me a deeper insight into the ways our brains keep us stuck in unhelpful patterns of behaviour and defeatist thoughts. They are only trying to keep us safe after all. But we have the power to soothe our anxious brains one step at a time. Which can lead to feeling better, and living better.

I can't recommend this enough to anyone feeling stuck, anxious, stressed and defeated. It will change your life if you follow the advice.

[Rea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes readers on a journey to gain a better understanding of their emotions, the processes behind them, and how get a handle on their lives.

I really appreciated how accessible and entertaining the writing was while still being helpful. The exercises Julia proposes are very appropriate for people who are just beginning to learn about these topics, and the "Takeaways" sections at the end of each chapter make the book easy to follow and review quickly. The journal prompts were also an excellent touch, and if you don't keep a journal I think these are the perfect way to start one to get more in touch with yourself. The only problem I had was that at some points it felt a bit too oversimplified, but I suppose it makes sense considering the public this book is meant for.

All in all, I think I might come back to this at some point in the future, as I feel the things Julia talks about are useful at any age. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for mental health, but this seems like a good starting point for anyone who may be feeling lost or out of control.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly thank you to the publisher for a review copy of this book. I am quite fond of the self help genre so thought that this would make for interesting reading and it most certainly didn't disappoint. Perhaps I could have used my highlighter more! But there are plenty of exercises to get you breaking down your thoughts and reflecting on aspects of your life. Highly enjoyable and well worth reading.

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising read. This book has way more useful advice than all of Brene's Dare-something books put together. It is heavily focused on CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), but it adds bits of advice for other things that are related to it. I found it to be to the point, and not at all repetitive (which is a common trait for poorly written self-help books).
I also liked her CBT journaling suggestions at the end of each chapter. The only book of this kind I have given 5 stars to was Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.
At first I was a bit worried that it would be a bit too dense, but it was written really well - so easy to read, easy to understand, and with a touch of humour. (Any book on mental health that doesn't have an element of comedy or humour goes down like a lead ballon for me!)
This book is inspiring, and I definitely feel like I would reread this book again at a later date, and get more from it.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is easily digestible and is packed with practical exercises that helped me to manage my thoughts that were holding me back. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to live better.

I had the honor of speaking to Julia on my Soulful Series podcast. You can catch the chat here:

https://youtu.be/6hZpu6tIqy4

[Steven Pector · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book and I enjoyed it more than I expected. I have read several “self help” books previously. I’m a family physician who has experienced imposter syndrome, issues with self esteem and inability to set boundaries. I loved the way Julia presented issues with pragmatic, compassionate, and actual ways that I felt I could connect with and attempt to put into action. Most importantly, the entire time I spent reading this book, I could sense the passion and feeling that Julia truly cared and connected with the reader. It’s obvious that she truly wants to provide loving advise. I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels, as I do, that we’re all just trying to figure it out, and Julia has some really helpful ideas to push forward to help us find our way.

[Norah Davex · Rating 5 out of 5]

It taught me a lot about how our brains are wired to process events and associate emotions with those events. The author uses personal examples from her life as a psychologist to help readers understand how those events can trigger negative or disruptive emotions. She gives a few solid examples of how to change our thoughts and explains the process of how it can be done. I could relate to many of her personal life examples, minus being a mother. I can definitely understand why our brain is biased to think negatively of bad triggering events or things not going our way and now with the tools given to me from this book I have learned how to rearrange my thoughts for better mental strength.

[Ema Erovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

this one was very good! although at moments, i was thinking that the CBT model that Julia based this book on is definitely not enough and helpful for everyone. nevertheless, i was sold on the author’s language, honesty and wittiness. there are lots of journal prompts and exercises, even though i have never done exercises in books like these before, i want to do exercises in this one. i think it’s the right time for me to do so. anyways, big recommendation for anyone who wants to get in the driver’s seat of their life, it will be difficult if you’re not even in the passenger seat but rather somewhere in the trunk, but making the effort is worth it, you got only one short precious life

[Mabrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad overall. You know when someone says something that is so simple that you almost slap yourself in the forehead in a "duh" moment? This book is like that. Most of it is so simple, that you might kick yourself for not making the connections before. My tip on this is to do the work. The journal prompts, the exercises, all of it. There is no point in reading books like this if you aren't going to take it seriously. if you don't then you might just be reading it to let people see you reading it, and that is a whole different problem in a whole different book! Give it a chance and give it your effort and attention. Even if you walk away with one thing that can help you be better than the you of yesterday, then it was worth it.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could give this 2.5 ⭐️ I would.

I thought this book was just a regurgitation of a bunch of other personal development books that I’ve read. There wasn’t any new insight and I honestly felt like some sections were nearly identical to other books I’ve read.

I personally wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Helmi Rebai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow Julia on YouTube and it was exciting to know she released her first book. The book is very well written and well explained, interesting topics about emotions, thoughts, and how the brain functions. It felt like doing a whole therapy reading it. Totally recommend it.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good

Read it. Highlighted. Took notes on the highlighting. Well written and edited. Smart. Actionable. This is the book I’ve been looking for in my long self development books reading history. I am using it to break my internal glass ceiling and live my life brave and courageous. Thank you, Julia and team.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading a second time because there are so many nuggets of wisdom in here, and I needed time to process them thoroughly. Compassion was my main takeaway.

[Shelley Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful, informative and jargon-free.

Covering everything from people pleasing, behaviours, boundaries and unhelpful thoughts, the author has really delved into how harness your emotions and behaviours for your own greater good.

I found the exercises and prompts helpful to take stock, and I particularly enjoyed the explanations of why the brain works and responds how it does.

This book is a really valuable tool in improving mental health.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Atefeh Ghasemzadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I assumed this book as my mental strength training workout plan .Read a few pages every morning drinking my coffee. So far so good. I will update later