As part of my 30-day challenge to conquer every aspect of my life (because apparently I woke up one day and decided to be that person), I made the bold decision to fall in love with reading again.
But of course, I couldn’t make it easy on myself. Nope. No romance novels to whisk me away into love triangle drama. No thrillers to keep me clutching the book at 1am, whispering, “just one more chapter.” Not even a cozy little fiction story to slowly ease me back in. I banned all of that. Painful? Yes. Necessary? Questionable. But here we are.
So, I picked up Stop Believing Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen, a non-fiction book that’s been floating around the self-help corners of the internet for a while now.
First impressions? It’s approachable. Like, you don’t need a psychology degree to understand it. Nguyen’s writing is straightforward, no jargon, no fluff, which I actually appreciated. The concepts are deep, but they’re delivered in a way that makes you feel like you’re having a calm conversation with a really grounded friend. He gently but firmly reminds you: your thoughts aren’t facts, and maybe (just maybe) you’re not as trapped in your head as you think.
It dives into self-awareness, mindfulness, and how your thoughts don’t always represent reality, which sounds obvious until you realize just how much you actually believe every passing thought. It’s one of those books that doesn't try to be deep and poetic; it just tells you straight: your brain is lying to you sometimes, and you don’t have to listen.
When you really sit with the book, like actually sit with it and try to understand what it's teaching, you start to realize just how much your thoughts dictate your entire experience. Your mood, your actions, even whether you snap at someone for no reason, are all connected to what’s going on upstairs. And most of the time? We’re not even aware it’s happening.
While I wouldn’t say I’ve had some major, movie-montage-style transformation, I do think I’m at least 1% better. And honestly? I’ll take that. That’s a win. In a world where everything feels like it needs to be an overnight glow-up, there’s something quietly powerful about slow, grounded progress. One calmer reaction at a time.
That said, and I’m going to be honest here, it wasn’t the easiest read for me. Not because it was complex, quite the opposite, but because I’m still getting back into the reading groove, and this book didn’t exactly grab me by the collar and pull me in. It was more of a slow drip of insight. The kind of book you highlight a sentence in, nod thoughtfully, and then… need a break.
I was ready to give it a solid 4/5 because, yes, it helped me pause and question some pretty automatic (and unhelpful) thought patterns. But I’m docking half a point because, even though the language was simple and the ideas were sound, it didn’t hook me. You know what I mean? It didn’t make me want to keep turning the page. I had to pace myself 15, maybe 20 minutes at a time max. And that’s fine, but it’s not exactly love at first read.
Final rating? 3.5/5
Would I recommend it? Sure, especially if you’re new to mindfulness or looking for a gentle intro to shifting your mindset. Just don’t expect literary fireworks. Expect calm, grounded, practical advice that (if you let it) might actually change how you relate to your inner dialogue. Which, honestly, is kind of groundbreaking in its own way.
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