Matthew McKay Quotes

#1. People who struggle with overwhelming emotions often feel vulnerable. At any point, the smallest trigger can lead to a tidal wave of emotions that leaves them feeling confused, angry, alone, hopeless, and in pain.

Matthew McKay

#2. You hope friends and family will be sensitive or clairvoyant enough to know what you want. "If you loved me, you'd know what's wrong" is a common assumption.

Matthew McKay

#3. Remember, sometimes pain can't be avoided, but many times suffering can. Take,

Matthew McKay

#4. Criticizing yourself all the time or being overly judgmental of a situation is like wearing dark sunglasses indoors.

Matthew McKay

#5. When a person is in emotional pain, it's hard to be rational and to think of a good solution. Nevertheless, many of the coping strategies used by people with overwhelming emotions only serve to make their problems worse.

Matthew McKay

#6. Strong self-esteem depends on two things. The first is what most of this book has been about: learning to think in healthy ways about yourself. The second key to self-esteem is the ability to make things happen, to see what you want and go for it: literally to create your own life.

Matthew McKay

#7. However, do not confuse distraction with avoidance. When you avoid a distressing situation, you choose not to deal with it. But when you distract yourself from a distressing situation, you still intend to deal with it in the future, when your emotions have calmed down to a tolerable level. The

Matthew McKay