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Although the sheer size of this dense workbook might cause initial hyperventilation--280 full-size sheets of text--take
heart (and a deep breath!): the many self-assessment tools and calming techniques presented in this fifth edition can help
overcome anxiety and promote physical and emotional well-being. First introduced in 1980, the book received praise for presenting
a comprehensive look at stress, its physical manifestations, and the multiple ways it can be managed. Twenty years later,
its well-organized chapters on breathing, relaxation, meditation, thought stopping, and body awareness still guide the reader
through copious self-help techniques to try and, eventually, master. Other chapters, including job stress management, goal
setting and time management, and assertiveness training, focus on daily scenarios people often find distressing. Lessons in
identifying key elements that trigger unpleasant responses and in reacting differently to these elements are designed to defuse
perceived conflicts. For this edition, coauthors Martha Davis (psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry of Kaiser Permanente
Medical Center, Santa Clara, CA), Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman (licensed clinical social worker with Kaiser Permanente Online),
and Matthew McKay (clinical director of Haight-Ashbury Psychological Services, San Francisco, CA) have added topics on worry
control, anger management, and eye-movement therapy. New diagrams and a more reader-friendly format should appeal to readers,
despite a few typos and graphical mishaps. This is a valuable tool for therapists, their patients, and the stressed-at-large.
--Liane Thomas
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p.1 Stress is an everyday fact of life. You can't avoid it. Stress results from any change you must
adapt to... day-to-day living confronts even the most well-managed life with a continuous stream of potentially stressful
experiences... it is how you respond to these events that determines the impact that stress will have on your life.
p.2 Stress researchers Lazarus and Folkman (1984) have argued that stress begins with your appraisal
of a situation. You first ask how dangerous or difficult the situation is and what resources you have to
help you cope with it.
p.3 Chronic or persistent stress can occur when life stressors are unrelenting... Chronic stress
also takes place when small stressors accumulate and you are unable to recuperate from any one of them.
p.12 Distress or negative stress occurs when you perceive that the challenge facing you is dangerous, difficult,
painful, or unfair, and you are concerned that you may lack the resources to cope with it... Stress management involves finding
the right types and amounts of stress... so that you can maximize your performance and satisfaction.
p.19 Your body registers stress long before your conscious mind does.
p.219 Real-Life Coping
Although you can't schedule real-life practice with provocations, you can be ready for them... you
can stay alert for early warning signs... The sooner you intervene... the more likely you are to maintain control...
it's always helpful to plan your best coping behaviors.
p.281 What are your specific work stressors and how do you respond to them?
p.285 Now that you've identified your patterns of stress in your workplace, you can begin to formulate
a more effective plan for responding to those stressors you can anticipate... The name of the game is taking more control.
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