About the Author

My first review of "Bouncing Back from Difficult Times".  Thank you to D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review.

When psychologist and self-improvement workshop organizer, Dr. Mary Ann V. Mercer began working with a wide range people, she discovered common threads in their recovery processes and the patterns linked to how they handled adversity in life.

This led to the strategies presented in Bouncing Back From Difficult Times, a survey of the habits and shared traits which led resilience to some while keeping others from blossoming and growing.

The process involves identifying and changing the habits and patterns which reduce resiliency and lead to self-defeating coping attempts. Readers can employ a variety of perceptions, positive mind reconditioning techniques, and better choices to change their responses and approaches to life's slings and arrows.

More importantly, a wider-ranging life vision for cultivating more positive, achievable goals is promoted that gives readers a set of step-by-step, specific guidelines for better living: "For example, turn your Victim Story, “Why does this always happen to me?” into a Victor Story. A Victor Story says, “This may be a difficult situation, however it is a chance for me to do things in a new and different way.” After you identify your story – create a new story about your situation and life."

Self-help readers in the process of revising and rebuilding life after any type of crisis will find the specific tools offered in Bouncing Back From Difficult Times a key to lifelong success.  

Whether it's grief, abandonment, other forms of loss, or struggles with social adjustments / pandemics, these tools can help and are presented with case history examples that leave nothing to wonder about.

Dr. Mercer's focus on the elements of success will encourage and inspire those who felt such objectives were too often lacking or elusive in their lives: "The finest way to develop strong ambition is for you to think about your goals, ambitions and things you want many times each day. Again, think about what you want and specifically what you need to do to get it. This is like adding logs to a burning fire. Your intense dwelling on what you want builds incredibly strong ambition in you." 

Self-help, psychology, and inspirational thinking readers will find Bouncing Back From Difficult Times just the ticket for a better life based on adjusting one's reactions to all kinds of challenging situations.