The New Rulebook

Rebecca Whitehead: In an era when psychologists waiting lists are months long, navigating mental health can be overwhelming. The New Rulebook by psychologist Chris Cheers is a godsend for those of us who need a new paradigm of self-care, especially in a post-lockdown world. Cheerss book speaks not only to self-care, but also to the world of emotions, love, work and the body, with just as much insight. Each section provides easy-to-use advice and knowledge. The book is practical, cutting through psychological jargon to re-think self-care in terms of not just the self but also the community and intersectionality. Cheers, a well-known presence on Instagram, wanted to write a book that allowed him to share his extensive knowledge with an even broader base, and readers will be glad that he did. The New Rulebook is a welcome personal account backed up by the latest in health science. On top of everything else, the book is beautiful to look at and spend time with. The prose is broken up with easy-to-scan bullet-point lists whenever a key concept is introduced: for example, how to process stress; words to use to describe emotions. This book is not intimidating, and Cheerss voice is personal, almost to the point of intimacy. A delightful and accessible modern guide to mental health, The New Rulebook might appeal to readers of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Julie Smith. Rebecca Whitehead is a freelance writer from Melbourne. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Chris Cheers is a psychologist and educator with a focus on elevating mental health in the arts and LGBTIQA+ communities. Chris is a university lecturer, an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist, a member of the Australian Professional Association for Transgender Health (AusPATH) and the Australian Association of Psychologists Incorporated (AAPi), and a published academic. He is currently completing a PhD at the Centre for Alcohol and Policy Research at La Trobe University. Chris is a regular contributor in the media and has appeared on the 7am Podcast, ABC News and Reputation Rehab (ABC TV). His writing has been published in Archer Magazine, and he has featured in articles for The Guardian, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. Chris has also provided workshops and mental health consultation to arts organisations, theatre productions, universities and companies across Australia.