The Stress Less Workbook: Simple Strategies to Relieve Pressure, Manage Commitments, and Minimize Conflicts

by Jonathan S. Abramowitz PhD

Overview

You may not be able to change the things that are stressing you out, but what if you could respond differently? How would it feel to let go of chronic worry and tension, manage your time more effectively, be less irritable and exhausted, and tackle everyday hassles with confidence? Now you can find out for yourself. Weaving together proven self-help strategies, prominent clinician-researcher Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz helps you accomplish more—and stress less. Easy-to-use worksheets, forms, and numerous examples show you step by step how to create a personalized anti-stress action plan. You'll learn where stress comes from, when it can actually be beneficial, and how it gets out of control. Dr. Abramowitz provides the guidance, specific instructions, and encouragement you need to:

*Break free of all-or-nothing thinking and other mental traps.
*Get more out of each hour in the day.
*Resolve conflicts with your partner or kids.
*Cope with work problems and financial strains.
*Use meditation to attain a sense of well-being.
*Set achievable goals for healthy eating and exercise.
*Meet your deadlines—without running yourself into the ground.
*Reduce stress-related pain and other health concerns.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609184711
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	07/13/2012
Series:	The Guilford Self-Help Workbook Series
Pages:	326
Sales rank:	1,091,471
Product dimensions:	10.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jonathan S. Abramowitz, PhD, is Professor and Associate Chair of Psychology, Research Professor of Psychiatry, and Director of the Anxiety and Stress Disorders Clinic at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An award-winning expert on anxiety and stress-related disorders, Dr. Abramowitz is the author or editor of numerous books, including Getting Over OCD. He lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and two daughters.

Table of Contents

Introduction
I. Stress: Familiar to Us All but Understood by Few
1. How Stressed Out Are You?
2. What Is Stress Doing to You?
3. What’s Stressing You Out?
4. What Can You Do about the Stress in Your Life?
II. Reducing Your Stress
5. Solving the Problems in Your Life
6. Communicating Effectively
7. Time Management
8. Changing Your Stressful Thinking
9. Relaxing Your Body and Clearing Your Mind
10. Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
III. Making Stress Management Techniques Work in Your Daily Life
11. Managing Stress at Work
12. Managing Relationship and Family Stress
13. Managing a Crisis
14. Living a Stress-Less LifestyleResources

Interviews

Readers seeking tools to manage stress and tension; also of interest to mental health professionals and students.

Editorial Reviews

Provides a good overview of stress and related CBT techniques. It offers a combination of both information and practical exercises/techniques to try. Throughout the book, the author normalizes stress….This book could be recommended to clients with a range of difficulties, for use alone or used alongside CBT sessions….It may also be a useful resource for psychological wellbeing practitioners.

Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy

"If I were going to recommend a self-help book for managing stress to a friend or client, this would be the one....[Abramowitz] brings his considerable expertise to bear in helping readers understand, control, and cope with stress in its many manifestations....In addition to covering stress and anxiety A-Z, Abramowitz writes clearly, with humor, and in an engaging style that should appeal to most readers. The workbook is ideal for people wanting to learn more about the stress in their lives and how to deal with it but additionally, as a supplement to working with a mental health professional....Unlike many self-help tomes on the market, there is nothing in this workbook that deviates from research supported practices or slips into unchartered territory. Accordingly, this is a valuable resource for individuals concerned about personal stress and what they should do to successfully change their lives."

Metrapsychology Online Reviews

"Though I approached the book thinking that it couldn't be as useful as in-person therapy, I found Abramowitz's text to be pleasantly surprising: it truly helped....The worksheets in part II were truly life-changing. With Abramowitz's detailed descriptions and questionnaires, I was able to identify thinking patterns and behaviors that I was so accustomed to, I didn't realize they were creating stress in my life. I found myself able to apply new techniques in a variety of situations....I also found myself better able to move through day-to-day stressors by using time-management techniquesas well as through much bigger stressors, by using the techniques for changing thinking patters and relaxing the body and mind."

PsychCentral

"This extremely helpful, easy-to-read book provides a clear understanding of stress and how to manage it in your own life. Dr. Abramowitz is an internationally respected researcher and clinician who understands real people and how to help them. If I were asked to recommend one book for dealing with stress in relationships, at work, or in times of crisis, this would be it."—Donald H. Baucom, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina

"Dr. Abramowitz will help you reduce stress of all kinds—with benefits for your mind, body, and relationships. The recommendations in this clear, powerful guide can help you get more out of life."—Robert L. Leahy, PhD, author of The Worry Cure

From the Publisher