Stress Management for Dummies

by Allen Elkin

"This book gives you many action-oriented ways of coping with your anxiety about anxiety."
--Albert Ellis, PhD, President, Albert Ellis Institute Is your job tying your stomach in knots? Do you toss and turn in bed at night? Are your ulcers having ulcers? Face it--you've got too much stress in your life, and it's time to give yourself a break. The consequences of not dealing with stress range from poor health and broken marriages to premature death: not a very cheerful outlook. Thankfully, all kinds of stress reduction approaches are available today: from breathing and posture to imagery and meditation. These new ideas have taken the world by storm--and taken the pressure cooker off the fire for millions of chilled-out people around the world.

Whether it's love, work, family, or something else that's got your anxiety in the red zone, here's an easy way to improve your outlook. Stress Management For Dummies will help you identify the stress triggers in your life and cut them down to size quickly, with tips on how to:


Determine your stress level Relieve tension at work and at home Deal with difficult people Combat stress with diet and exercise Soothe your anger and worry Certified stress manager Allen Elkin, PhD takes the guesswork (and the added stress!) out of finding the stress relief system that's right for you. After determining your stress level with a few simple tests, you'll get step-by-step guidance on finding and eliminating sources of stress, in both your mind and body. Inside are hassle-free techniques, helpful advice, self-evaluation quizzes, and fascinating information on:


Letting go of tension through breathing, stretching, massage, and more Clearing the clutter in your life--and in your mind Managing your time--setting priorities, delegating, and conquering procrastination Eating, exercising, and sleeping right Stress-resistant thinking Reducing interpersonal stress Personal relaxation techniques The top ten stresses in life The ten most stressful jobs With a wide but manageable array of stress-management techniques, strategies, and tactics, this is your own personal toolbox for stress relief. So relax, take a deep breath, and start reading!

Genres: Self Help, Psychology, Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Personal Development

289 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 1999

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for giving a clear and con use overview about various reasons for stress and ways that stress can be managed. I really enjoyed it and found it to be a helpful read.

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Stress Management For Dummies which is an excellent which I read on the safari books online website at
http://safaribooksonline.com
This book is about stress and why it's becoming more prevalent and what can be done to try and manage it. Despite improvements in living standards, stress is on the increase. The world is forever changing and many people feel vulnerable in their jobs and change over a short period is the number 1 cause of stress. Some people thrive on stress and are addicted to the adrenalin produced and to these people the worst situation they can face is having nothing to do. They are a minority and most people get stressed by things like deadlines in a negative way. Some things that can help are meditation, mindfulness and biofeedback. Mindfulness is concentrating on the moment and is often done when you are eating when you can focus on the texture, taste and smell of what you are eating. You also chew your food properly that aids digestion. Biofeedback machines are expensive but there are alternatives like taking your pulse over a minute and trying to relax and slow your heart. Hypnosis is very effective and self hypnosis is becoming popular. I really enjoyed reading this book and it's very interesting. Stress can lead to strokes and heart attacks which are major killers in older people. Often people worry about things that are unlikely to happen and the things they should be concerned about don't cross their mind. Also often their thoughts get out of control. Exercise like going to the gym or going for a brisk walk is also good for alleviating stress.

[Philasande · Rating 1 out of 5]

i think that I will be so much happier if you let me read the book....like right now

[Helynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I know these "Dummies" books tend to oversimplify their topics and state the obvious (hence, the name). Neverthless, I thought this book had a lot of good tips in all sorts of areas for coping with the stress that inevitably invades all of our lives. Dr. Elkin begins with some tips for helping people relax and get rid of physical tension. One sentence that really made me chuckle was his suggestion of of putting a hot, wet towel over one's face. He describes the wetting, squeezing and placement process, then comments, "Ah, nirvana" (67). And he is right! A chapter entitled "Quieting the Mind" includes a few more tips about yoga, meditation, relaxing baths, aromatherapy, simple self-hynosis, etc., then he goes on to discuss the importance of stress-reducing organizational skills, time management, "stress-resistence thinking," and overcoming anger and fear. His chapter called "Worrying Less," was both helpful and fun. For example, he says that if you simply must worry, "build worrying into your day," by setting aside 20 mintues during which do nothing but worry yourself silly. "This approach allows you to feel more comfortable about not worrying for (or at least worrying less) the rest of your day" (180). Elkin also discusses the importance of assertiveness in daily life (without being too rude about it), building good values in one's life, and recognizing what triggers stress so one can take steps to reduce it in its early stages. He notes that many of us begin worrying before a stressful event even occurs. For example, "Sunday night stress" gets a lot of us who are irrationally dreading Monday morning. Elkin suggests a calming routine on Sunday night that includes simple activities one can look forward to instead of focusing on fear. Another helpful chapter entitled "Maintining a Stress-Resilient Lifestyle," has a lot of suggestions of ongoing calming of the mind and spirit. Some of my favorites includes Elkin's list of "the little things" that give us calming pleasure such as getting out of the house for a movie or play, and allowing ourselves regular mini-vacations such as a day or weekend at a hotel, spa or country inn. He stresses the importance of being near water--lakes, streams, etc.,-- for relaxation, as well as gardens, parks and vinyards. (Gardens and/or gardening seem to have an uncanny ability to defuse stress). Finally, Elkin recommends allowing ourselves simply to do nothing every now and then. "It may seem sinful and decadent, and you may feel your guilt level rising just thinking about it, but taking time to do nothing really is an important part of your stress managements program. . . . It means building in play time and time for yourself with nothing to do" (261). The last few chapters contain several top-ten lists of the most and least stressful jobs, the most stressful life's events, etc., Some of the results will suprise you.

[Dymphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stress voor Dummies is een boek dat behandeld hoe je het beste stress te lijf kan gaan. Het boek bestaat uit vijf delen. Het eerste deel beschrijft stress en waar het vandaan komt. Het tweede deel behandeld de basisprincipes om stress onder de knie te krijgen, zoals rusten en je tijd organiseren. Deel drie bevat "het betere werk" zoals minder piekeren en intermenselijke stress, terwijl deel vier stress in het echte leven behandeld. Als laatste is er het deel van de tientallen, met onder andere tien gewoonten van stressvrije mensen.

Dit is echt een dummies boek: de inhoud is simpel en simpel geschreven. Het leest daardoor vlot weg. De taal heeft wat weg van spreektaal.

De ideeen in dit boek zijn ook een beetje simpel. De meeste van die ideeen kom je na een korte google-sessie tegen, en zorgen vaak voor een "waar heb ik dit eerder gelezen?" De kracht van dit boek zit hem vooral in om een verzameling van tips, handvaten en oefeningen te bieden om stress te lijf te gaan. Ook is het een prima boek om bepaalde items terug te lezen, zoals piekeren.

Al met al, een redelijk dummies boek om eens door te nemen als je stress ervaart in je leven.

[Ruheem Abde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find laughing is the most powerful distresses ever.
and to illustrate it I am going to remind you of Christopher Reeve, everyone remember in 1995 he wanted to die because he had fallen off his horse and was paralyzed, until a doctor walked into Reeve's hospital room and yelled "Turn over!" The surprised Reeve uttered "What?" — he was paralyzed, and clearly couldn't turn over. But again the doctor repeated, "Turn over!"
Reeve was about to call a nurse, when he realized that this was no doctor. This was Robin Williams — his old friend from Juilliard.
And at that moment, Reeve started to laugh. He later told Walters, "I knew then: if I could laugh, I could live."

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarà ironia della sorte che nel libro dedicato allo stress, sentivo che non mi rispondesse esattamente a quello di cui avevo bisogno, ma ho percepito un certo scollamento. Ho notato approfondimenti/ripetitività/logorroicità in temi per me non importanti o da concludersi subito, e rimanevo col groppone in gola per quelli invece su cui avrei avuto bisogno di maggior supporto e consigli.

[Celia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good basic book on stress management. I have read other books on stress management so I am somewhat familiar with many of the concepts but I did get some new ideas.

For women it does gives some good ideas about where women's stress is coming from.

[Johnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite helpful in my journey to ease some of the stress in my life.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good. Read it in case having a kid drives me crazy.

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a stress disorder, and I don't want to take medication for it, so I'm giving this book a try. Hopefully it works!

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some very helpful suggestions and ideas.

[Lauren Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Good book

I haven't read very many for dummies books but so far so good. it seems legit and I feel like I learned some things.

[Steph T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I particularly liked the chapter on work stess and not making things personal. It's a great point of reference for type A personalities like me!