The Self-Esteem Guided Journal: A 10-Week Program

Since its publication in 1987, Self-Esteem by Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning has set the standard for self-help books that seek to improve self-esteem. With more than 600,000 copies sold through its three editions, Self-Esteem has helped hundreds of thousands of readers learn to think more positively about themselves, bringing them greater happiness, success, and peace of mind. But Self-Esteem is more than just one book. The Self-Esteem Companion, published in 1999, distilled the best techniques of the original book into sixty simple exercises that readers could learn and use when and wherever they went.

Now, the people who brought you Self-Esteem and The Self-Esteem Companion have once again adapted the inspiring techniques from the original book into a new and exciting project. This book uses a technique known as guided journaling to help readers teach themselves to vocalize their feelings, conquer self-doubt, discover their strengths-and generally change the way they think and feel about themselves for the better.

The Self-Esteem Guided Journal offers you a ten-week program of writing exercises that will help you shift your focus from the things wrong with your life to the things that are right. The book begins with a week of journaling about non-judgment regarding everything from people in the news to your own behavior. Weeks two and three guide you to discover your strengths and redefine your weaknesses. The exercises in weeks five and six help you review your past to see how formative events have affected your self-esteem. Week seven focuses on the impact of thoughts, while week eight works to help you learn how to hold to your own truths and stand up for yourself. In week nine, you'll directly explore your experiences with your own self-esteem Achilles heel, and finally, week ten helps you create daily opportunities to experience your personal worth and serves as a launching pad for future journaling activities.

Matthew McKay, Ph.D., is the codirector of Families in Transition and the Haight Ashbury Psychological Services in San Francisco. He is coauthor of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Thoughts and Feelings, Messages, The Divorce Book, and Self-Esteem. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and serves on the faculty of the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. In private practice, he specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety, anger, and depression.

Catharine Sutker is a freelance writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the coauthor of The Self-Esteem Companion and The Self-Nourishment Companion.