How to make good things happen to you
How to make good things happen to you is a personal development book written by the Spanish psychiatrist and author Marian Rojas-Estapé. The work was published by the Espasa publishing house, a label belonging to Grupo Planeta. Its launch took place on October 1, 2018. Since then, it has not stopped receiving praise from readers.
In his book, Rojas-Estapé reveals its knowledge and experience in psychiatry, science and human relations. Through these disciplines, he tries to explain a series of topics, such as the reason for the unhappiness of today's society, the reason for the increase in anxiety and depression, and how to learn to manage emotions to achieve a state of greater stability.
Synopsis of How to make good things happen to you
Uniting the scientific, psychological and human point of view
Unlike material produced by sugar-coated internet gurus, the work of Marian Rojas offers an in-depth analysis of human emotions: what are they, what are the areas of the brain that are activated every time one of them appears, how they affect social and affective activity, how to manage them to obtain a better quality of life, among other topics. All this, through a direct and accessible language for the understanding of any reader.
This book is not based on the personal perception of its author., but in his experiences as a therapist and collaborator of various psychiatric aid associations and practicing physician. How to make good things happen to you It is not a compendium of empty advice, or a manual of happiness and toxic positivism, quite the opposite. It is a theoretical and practical guide that aims to expose concepts such as stress, self-esteem, happiness and suffering.
A text that contains many themes
Maybe One of the shortcomings of this title is that its author moves through multiple topics without delving into all of them. and each one of them. There are topics that are better addressed than others, such as the origin of stress and the function of cortisol. Marian Rojas jumps from one topic to another very naturally, but not all readers have the ability to keep up with that pace, especially if they are interested in delving a little deeper into a specific section.
How to make good things happen to you it could be a positive way to delve into the basic knowledge of human emotions. Even so, it is an attractive book, which proposes an unusual point of view in the field of personal development. That is to say: the feelings expressed from the vision of science and medicine, beyond the precepts of the enlightened assumptions of the web.
Good things need a plan
The goal main part of Marian Rojas-Estapé's title is show people how they can apply their own skills to achieve a happy existence. With this intention begins the first part of the book, which, to a large extent, emphasizes that happiness lies in healthy contact with the present, having overcome the past to receive the future with enthusiasm. This section talks about trauma, resilience and a spiritual void currently in force.
Most people try to fill this void with external stimuli, such as television, drugs, or unhealthy food intake. In the later chapter, the writer proceeds to tell the reader what is, for herself, the real antidote to suffering: love. Marian Rojas talks about this feeling in a general way, referring to all its types, such as love for a person, love for others, love for ideals and beliefs, and love for memories.
The protagonists of How to make good things happen to you
Marian Rojas talks extensively about dopamine and exotoxin, hormones that human beings secrete when surrounded by good company and loved ones. She explains in detail how these brain chemicals produce feelings of happiness and well-being.
On the other hand, the author also explains who the main protagonist of her book is, the biggest cause of disease and restlessness in today's society: cortisol. This is known as the stress hormone. Marian Rojas-Estapé investigates it on several occasions, explaining how it works and how it affects people on a psychological, physical and behavioral level.
In the sections referring to cortisol, the psychiatrist addresses the relationship between stress and inflammatory processes. He also talks about how the latter are associated with diseases such as depression or even cancer, and can be caused by a poor diet. In the corresponding sections with the stress hormone, the writer helps to understand what happens in the mind and the organism in the face of fear or constant alertness.
The past represents depression, and the future, anxiety
According to Marian Rojas-Estapé, the past and the future are those two states that prevent the human being from reaching the full state of happiness that she talks about in her book. In this sense, people who remain stuck in the past tend to suffer from depression, meanwhile, those who feel anguish about the future are affected by anxiety.
Happiness is not what happens to us, but how we interpret what happens to us
By Marian Rojas's standards, this interpretation depends on three factors: the belief system, the state of mind and, lastly, the RAAS, which means: ascending activating reticular system.
The latter is a mental mechanism that is responsible for filtering what is of interest to the individual. In addition, the author provides several methods to learn to enjoy the present before delving into the longest chapter of the book: Emotions and their impact on health.
About the author, Marian Rojas Estapé
Marian Rojas-Estape
Marian Rojas Estapé was born in 1983, in Madrid, Spain. From a very young age she was surrounded by psychiatry and the academic world, since her grandfather was a psychiatrist, like her father, while her mother works as a university professor. The author studied part of her medical degree at the Complutense University of Madrid. Later, he finished his studies at the University of Navarra. When he finished his degree, she decided to specialize in psychiatry.
After completing the specialization, Rojas Estapé collaborated in a solidarity project in Cambodia. The writer assures that this experience changed her life forever. Likewise, she has participated in several NGOs, such as the Somaly Mam Foundation, AFESIP and Por el sonrisa de un niño. Her work as an author has become a sales phenomenon in Spain and other states, such as Japan.
A curious fact about How to make good things happen to you is that remained at the top of sales in 2019, and has been translated into more than forty languages.
Other books by Marian Rojas-Estapé
- Find your vitamin person (2021)