Better

Boost Your Mental Fitness

Non-Fiction - Self Help
236 Pages
Reviewed on 07/20/2026
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Better by Aran Dadswell introduces mental fitness as a practical way to train the mind in daily life. The book begins with a central idea: feeling better is not the same as chasing happiness. Dadswell shows how depletion can be noticed before burnout takes over, because inner pressure often has information about what a person needs. The Better Mental Fitness Framework treats the mind as something shaped through ordinary decisions that become practice. Each exercise turns thought into action, so the reader is not left with ideas alone. The author gives readers a method for conserving energy and returning to steadier footing when life knocks them down in the middle of ordinary pressure. Its aim is contentment that can last beyond a passing mood over time.

Aran Dadswell’s Better is serious self-help. A guide like this is so important right now, when we have all been trained to expect instant results. There's no question that most of us can relate to the discussion on same-day delivery, and how modern conveniences can teach the mind to scan for what has not yet arrived. The writing is straightforward and accessible, and readers are provided with applications that can be implemented comfortably. The book is heavily researched and has a wide range of evidence behind it, paired with established models that complement lived coaching practice. Adults who find their days shaped by work pressure would benefit, as well as students building a sound routine around study. This is also an excellent fit for those interested in applied psychology through the Booster format, with each practice giving a usable next step. Very highly recommended.

Liz Konkel

Better by Aran Dadswell is a unique resource that focuses on overcoming burnout and stress and reaching for a more energetic you. The goal of this guide is to build more confidence by helping you navigate stress and pressure in daily life through mental fitness exercises. These include practices that focus on areas of coping, thriving, and more, by using a blend of real experience, an assortment of practical tools, and science. Dadswell gives you helpful reflections and tools for taking that first step in overcoming burnout and putting your mental well-being first. This resource will allow you to create your own journey by giving you exercises and activities that can help you focus on the areas you need most. Whether you want to be more energized or take time each day to breathe, Aran Dadswell uses real experience mixed with scientific approaches to help you get what you need out of the book. By the end, you’ll feel steadier and ready to move forward.

The resources provided include the five cornerstones, which focus on meaning, resourcefulness, resilience, togetherness, and well-being. These are areas that strive for positivity and are drawn from extensive research, which shows vividly in the writing and tools selected. For example, you’ll find contemplative traditions, contemporary cognitive science, and more in the chapters. The practical Mental Fitness Boosters are a thorough framework that takes you through each step with ease and does so through genuine insight. The writing has a philosophical tone that gives the book a self-help structure and keeps you effectively engaged from the first chapter. Better by Aran Dadswell is a positive self-focused guidebook that gives you a set of tools to navigate burnout and stress.

Ibrahim Aslan

Aran Dadswell’s Better: Boost Your Mental Fitness gives you a realistic roadmap to strengthen your mind while embracing the normal ups and downs of daily life. She teaches you to gently pull back and examine your own thought loops, which is great for fixing that uncomfortable feeling you get when your habits do not align with who you want to be. The book is packed with smart ways to find meaning and community, like mapping your values with the 10K-Day Plan or turning your negative inner thoughts into a Mind Opera so a nicer, wiser voice can take over. She breaks down Roy Baumeister’s four elements of meaning, purpose, efficacy, self-worth, and value, while sharing several emotional granularity tips, like the "What It Says on the Tin" booster to use exact words for feelings. The book also includes a ten-stage self-study map that guides you through attitude shifts, distraction categorization, and baseline resets.

Aran Dadswell’s Better is an informative self-help manual that stands out because it encourages self-compassion, not perfectionism. An amazing feature of this book is how the author reframes issues like office burnout, showing that it is an official workplace condition recognized by the World Health Organization, not a personal failure on your part. I love how these exercises give you a practical way to keep up good habits when you’re stressed, using simple "What if?" questions to break up those repetitive, bad mental loops. The author's willingness to share these tools and promote self-acceptance is a huge comfort for anyone who feels overwhelmed by their job and chronic stress. She keeps things down to earth, like telling you to look through your old phone photos for a quick mood lift with her savoring exercise. Between easy acronyms and custom action plans, she gives you a great roadmap to change your tired, drained mindset into a much healthier way of living. I think it’s the perfect book for anyone tired of fake positivity and who simply wants real, doable ways to feel better. Very highly recommended.

Pikasho Deka

Burnout and mental fatigue have a habit of slowly sapping your energy and fortitude one moment at a time. Being mentally fit is necessary to navigate the rigors of everyday life. Aran Dadswell is a mental fitness coach and speaker. According to Aran, mental fitness embodies five cornerstones of the human experience: togetherness, meaning, resourcefulness, resilience, and well-being. In Better, Aran offers practical tools/"boosters" and exercises to help readers reinvigorate themselves and enhance their mental fitness. The author delves into how mental fitness correlates to happiness and motivation and introduces the concept of "bounce." With this book, you will learn to deal with your inner voices, forge deeper and meaningful connections, be resourceful, choose mindfulness over mindlessness, regulate your emotions, find clarity and cultivate resilience, identify your attitude and aptitude, nurture self-compassion, and more.

Aran Dadswell draws on her expertise as a mental fitness coach to present a comprehensive guide you can rely on to maintain your overall mental well-being. This is like a practical home gym manual but for your mental health. I really appreciate Aran's pragmatic approach to mental fitness. Each exercise and activity introduced in Better is applicable in real life for all people, regardless of background. I also liked the way Aran thoroughly explores every concept associated with mental fitness. She explains these concepts in detail and cites references and examples to ensure readers fully understand them. It makes the book easy to follow and accessible to a wide range of readers. All in all, I found this to be a very engaging and informative guide. Highly recommended.

Leonard Smuts

Mental fitness is often overlooked, but is an essential part of our overall well-being. Aran Dadswell provides a framework for exploration with Better: Boost Your Mental Fitness. The author has adopted an individualized approach that ignores stereotypes, as she reflects that life is not a perfect process, that we are not all alike, and that context is vital. Mental fitness is the ability to navigate through life. It is more than just being happy and includes harmony, balance, mindfulness, finding meaning, and developing resourcefulness. Humans have evolved from the basic instincts of fear and love to something more complex, striving to find purpose and recognition. We have learned resilience. The book explains how to achieve wellbeing, deal with emotions, and clarify your mission. The first step is to evaluate your current state of mental fitness. Tools include 42 mental fitness boosters, plus 10 rocket boosters. What they do, how to use them, how they work, and how long each step takes are fully covered, while further exploration tips are added. Other topics include burnout and stress management, forming relationships and belonging, and remembering that being alone is not necessarily being lonely.

Aran Dadswell is a mental fitness coach and speaker. She draws heavily on her own experience as well as that of numerous experts to give guidance and sound practical advice. While the book provides structure, flexibility is built in to allow the reader freedom to choose the most relevant topics, as well as the timing best suited to their needs. Better provides guidelines for readers to keep their lives on track, cope with adversity, and find clarity. This involves more than setting objectives and monitoring progress, and the structure lends itself to revisiting a particular aspect of life that remains troublesome. The test to calculate your bounce score is both unusual and useful. The writing is concise, conversational, and filled with anecdotes that illustrate the points being made. A list of references completes this innovative guide to mental fitness that will resonate with readers across a wide spectrum.