★ Traditional Chinese rights sold!
★ Immediately topped the bestseller charts upon publication, achieving an impressive 878% year-over-year increase in bookstore pre-orders—this is the debut official book by the founder of the popular mental wellness app “Distance.”
★ Author Hong Seung-ju is a psychotherapist and graduate of Seoul National University’s medical school. His approach has been jointly endorsed by 130 psychiatrists and proven effective by over 3 million app users. On average, after just seven weeks, users reported a 34% reduction in depression, a 40% reduction in anxiety, and a 23% reduction in stress!
★ This book directly addresses the modern psychological struggles of “repeated self-sabotage, spiraling into hopelessness, and being trapped in negative emotions despite knowing they’re harmful,” introducing the groundbreaking “Distancing” therapy. It teaches you not to fight negative thoughts head-on, but to create emotional distance.
★ Packed with 30 scientifically grounded psychological principles and 20 practical exercises you can apply right away, this guide takes you from understanding how your mind works to integrating these techniques into daily life, helping you break free from the vicious cycle of “the more you force yourself to be optimistic, the more depressed you become” and rebuild a stable inner equilibrium.

A Scientific Guide to Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Negative Thinking and Living Well Today!

“The reason you’re once again trapped by anxiety is that you haven’t kept a proper distance from your thoughts.”

“Finding this book has brought clarity to my life.”
“This is the best cognitive therapy I’ve ever received.”
“I want to buy a physical copy to treasure forever and read it over and over.”
— “I Decided Not to Believe Everything My Mind Tells Me” was published after receiving countless requests from readers on social media. The book compiles 30 psychological principles and 20 mental exercises to help you avoid getting stuck in negative thinking and safeguard your inner well-being.

Thoughts are very easily distorted.
We feel anxious for no apparent reason and excessively blame ourselves for even minor mistakes. To regain control over our wavering minds, we try various methods—from reading and meditation to counseling—but still suffer from a barrage of thoughts. This isn’t because we’re not trying hard enough; it may simply be that we’re using the wrong approach.

Have you ever tried to “force yourself to stop” the thoughts that pop into your head, or to replace them with “better” or overly positive ones? This book points out that such attempts are impossible from the start. It fundamentally shifts the way we view our thoughts—not by “cutting off” them, but by “distancing” ourselves from them.

Distancing means keeping a healthy distance from your own thoughts, and it’s not a brand-new concept. For thousands of years, from meditation practices aimed at enlightenment and the teachings of Shakyamuni in Buddhist philosophy, to the psychoanalysis of Freud, Jung, and Adler, and to modern therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—all efforts to master the mind have, in essence, been about practicing distancing.

The author, a medical school graduate who has been developing digital mental health programs, conveys a clear message through the practice of distancing: “Thoughts are not ‘me.’” Those who fail to grasp this will continue to spiral in a vicious cycle of ruminating on their thoughts; those who do understand it can take charge of their lives, even when negative thoughts arise.

Based on the latest psychology and mental health theories, this book scientifically explains the principle of distancing, yet it is far from being an obscure academic text or a dry psychological treatise. Instead, it focuses solely on practical, actionable methods that readers can put into practice right away.

The techniques in this book have been clinically validated with over 30,000 users. Rather than forcibly suppressing depression, anxiety, self-blame, or compulsions, it teaches you how to coexist with them wisely and live a happier, more fulfilling life today—a revolutionary approach to mental training.

Will you let the various thoughts that briefly surface in your mind come and go, or allow them to torment you endlessly? That depends on how you use this book.

Hong Seung-joo
A licensed physician and a graduate of Seoul National University’s College of Medicine, Hong is also the founder of Orwell Health, a mental health technology company, and its online psychotherapy service, Distance. Through social media platforms and his YouTube channel, “Hong Seung-du’s Distance,” he has long been committed to raising public awareness about mental health, using scientific, accessible approaches to help people address emotional challenges such as depression, stress, ADHD, and burnout.
This book is a practical guide written by Dr. Hong, drawing on his professional expertise and personal experience, centered on the core theme of “how to create psychological distance from one’s thoughts and build an inner order guided by one’s values.” It is aimed at ordinary individuals who wish to take proactive control of their mental well-being. Rather than delving into complex academic theories, the book focuses on actionable, everyday practices that help readers gradually overcome emotional difficulties and regain a sense of agency and direction in life.

Opening Remarks: Begin by Maintaining Appropriate Distance
Preface: Why Do We Suffer So Much?
Chapter 1: [Thoughts] – Keeping Distance from Your Ideas
Rule 1: “The Thinking Self” Is an Illusion
Rule 2: Thoughts Arise Automatically
Rule 3: Thoughts Have Symbolic Effects
Rule 4: Being Too Close to Your Thoughts Creates Problems
Rule 5: Thoughts Tend to Appear in “Groups”
Appropriate Distance Training 1: Separating Yourself from Thoughts
Rule 6: Pay Attention to the Intention Behind “Me”
Appropriate Distance Training 2: Regaining Your Focus
Rule 7: Thoughts Are Psychological Events
Appropriate Distance Training 3: Becoming Aware of Your Thoughts
Rule 8: Thoughts Are Often Inaccurate
Appropriate Distance Training 4: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Insufficient Evidence
Rule 9: Thoughts Tend to Be Negative
Appropriate Distance Training 5: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Negativity Bias
Rule 10: Thoughts Are Ego-Centered
Appropriate Distance Training 6: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Over-Attribution
Chapter 2: [Emotions] – Experiencing Wholeheartedly
Rule 11: The More You Avoid, the Stronger They Become
Rule 12: Pain Is Inevitable, But Suffering Is a Choice
Rule 13: When You Experience Emotions Wholeheartedly, They No Longer Cause Pain
Rule 14: Ruminating Sets Off a Vicious Cycle
Appropriate Distance Training 7: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Rumination
Rule 15: Emotions Are Neither Good Nor Bad in Themselves
Appropriate Distance Training 8: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Judgment
Rule 16: Feelings Are Psychological Events
Appropriate Distance Training 9: Learning Vocabulary for Feelings
Appropriate Distance Training 10: Noticing Feelings – Nonverbal Body Cues, Body Scanning, Muscle Relaxation, Grounding Exercises
Rule 17: Emotions Are Psychological Events
Appropriate Distance Training 11: Learning Emotional Vocabulary
Appropriate Distance Training 12: Becoming Aware of Emotions
Rule 18: My Story Is Not Equal to “Me”
Appropriate Distance Training 13: Dealing with Cognitive Traps – Conceptualization
Rule 19: Beliefs Are Just Another Type of Thought
Rule 20: “I” Is an Illusion
Appropriate Distance Training 14: Becoming Aware of “I”
Chapter 3: [Action] – Moving Toward Values
Rule 21: Freedom Is the Ability to Choose
Rule 22: Avoidance of Experience Creates a Vicious Cycle
Appropriate Distance Training 15: Analyzing the Vicious Cycle
Rule 23: The Focus Should Be on Values, Not Thoughts
Rule 24: Values Are the Direction I Choose at Every Moment
Rule 25: Avoidance and Endurance Are Not Values
Appropriate Distance Training 16: Clarifying Your Values
Appropriate Distance Training 17: Affirming Your Values
Rule 26: Values Create a Virtuous Cycle
Appropriate Distance Training 18: Analyzing the Virtuous Cycle
Rule 27: Actions Are Taken by “Me,” Not by Thoughts
Rule 28: Actions Need to Be Gradually Reinforced
Appropriate Distance Training 19: Setting Stage-by-Stage Goals
Rule 29: Values Are Not About Striving, But About Fully Engaging
Appropriate Distance Training 20: Setting Stage-by-Stage Goals
Rule 30: Life Exists in Every Moment
Closing Remarks: Keep Distance from Your Thoughts, Move Toward Your Values