University is a time when you can experience great changes and do all sorts of amazing things.

Sometimes you need a bit of focus and direction to make the most of what’s available.

So as I was going through my Google Reader, I noticed a promotion for a new book, “7 Ways to Feelbetter“. Written by the team behind the website FeelGooder, I thought I’d give the book a read and review it for you.

As the title suggests, “7 Ways to Feelbetter” focuses on seven themes to help people feel and be better:

• Exercise
• Save
• Connect
• Eat
• Act
• Play
• Think

Sounds pretty straightforward, huh? As with most things, though, it requires a leap on our part to make it something big.

“7 Ways to Feelbetter” gets you started in making that leap and thinking ‘big’.

Although the book is a quick read, it is meant to be read and actioned over seven days. If you interact with the book (i.e. work on your own actions and complete the exercises) the week long digest will help you take on board the ethos of the book, as well as your own focus.

The book “isn’t about giving you all the answers – rather it’s a springboard into the next week to help you more intentionally explore 7 ways to feel — and be — better”.

Each short chapter contains:

• a set of questions about yourself;
• an introduction to getting started;
• simple tips to inspire you;
• resources;
• motivational quotes;
• space to expand upon your plans going forward.

As you can see, you’re given a platform to help you focus on improvement. That requires dedication and a sense of responsibility, but that’s how it should be.

Take anything seriously and you do assume a certain amount of responsibility. The book offers up advice on how you could start, but the main thrust is that you can find a course of action to suit your individual circumstances. I definitely prefer something that lets you call the shots.

By making your own choices — perhaps with a bit of help from the inspiration — you can make each step as big as you like. Prefer small baby steps? Fine. Want to take a huge leap? Go ahead.

Much of the advice given in the book is to help you start forming new habits and practices. The aim is to get a new view of the world and return to past views that you once valued but thought were lost.

This doesn’t automatically require hard work or a lot of planning. For example, chapter 6, ‘Play’, helps you open up in fun ways. Sometimes you just have to do something unusual or something you haven’t done for a long time:

“Tap into the solitary play you used to enjoy as a child.
Haven’t drawn a picture in years? Give it a try. Remember your old train set? Get it out! That cute miniature barnyard? Set it up!”

The final chapter, ‘Think’, somehow manages to focus a lot on relaxing, letting go, and removing all the noise from everyday life. By doing this, you’ll hopefully be able to hear yourself think!

The chapter states, “Meditation and philosophy are just two studies that have resulted from the human need to make sense of your own thoughts”.

The final page of the book closes with a social/community feel. The hashtag #FeelGooder7 is used for readers to share their experiences and personal tips through blog posts and tweets. Since the FeelGooder team are set to share the best tips at their website, it’s a good hook to get more people in on the brand.

If you’re feeling reflective and want a boost of inspiration for life, give this a whirl. The book is written with a wide audience in mind, so not everything relates to students. Nevertheless, there’s plenty you can do and a lot of scope to find stuff to suit your lifestyle.

At the time of writing, some copies are still available for $4.99 (around £3.00) and the usual price is $9.99 (around £6.00). I may ask Darren Rowse if I can give away a copy or two on here…

Darren is the main name behind FeelGooder and is best known online for ProBlogger. Darren offers a full money-back guarantee on the book, so you don’t need to worry even if the content doesn’t fit for you.

In summary:

Pros

• Easy to read;
• Quick bursts of inspiration to get you thinking and acting fast;
• Nicely presented;
• Focus is on *you* and the way *you* want to do things.

Cons

• Requires some responsibility on your part. Simply reading it won’t change you;
• Web links aren’t all relevant to UK. Mostly fine though.

This isn’t a sponsored review and I’m not an affiliate for the product. I just wanted to bring “7 Ways to Feelbetter” to your attention as a tool to help you focus on making the most of being you.

You are special and unique. So is everyone else. Work with this book and let those unique qualities shine even brighter.