10 Steps to Mastering Stress

In recent years health professionals have come to realize just how important controlling stress is for our wellbeing. Stress can interfere with many parts of our lives—it increases work absenteeism, can lead to relationship difficulties and interpersonal strain, and can increase the risk of turning to artificial relaxation such as drugs and alcohol. Chronic stress also increases the risk of developing certain serious physical illnesses.This updated edition of 10 Steps to Mastering Stress: A Lifestyle Approach is a step-by-step program that will help you identify what is causing your stress, teach you proven calming techniques, and most importantly, show you how to think more realistically in ways that will reduce, rather than increase, your stressful reactions to daily events in your life. This program is based on nearly two decades of research, during which the authors have learned more about stress than was everknown before—and how to control it. While there are many stress books out there, this program differs from most for several reasons:*It has been scientifically developed and tested to ensure that it is the most effective way to master stress. Many other books are based simply on the authors' ideas and opinions.*Rather than simply listing random tips, this book describes a systematic program which lays out how to learn and integrate relevant techniques into your life in a step-by-step fashion.*Most importantly, the authors do not claim that the program will magically lift away your stress. Rather, the program reinforces the importance of making these techniques a part of daily life, making it a true lifestyle approach.Readers will learn valuable new skills—new ways of thinking, acting, and organizing their lives to reduce stress to a manageable level.

"The authors, renowned medical specialists in the area of emotional health and psychology, present a systematic approach to help readers learn and integrate relevant tension-reduction techniques into their lives. Their ten-step system involves keeping a daily stress record, practicing deep muscle relaxation, learning to think realistically, and managing time effectively. As readers adopt the methods they can chart their progress and follow along with four case studies who suffer from an array of stress-related problems. Offering more than a variety of tips for random usage, this book will be appreciated by readers for providing structure within which transformation can take place." -Library Journal"This book provides an easy-to-implement, step-by-step approach for managing stress that is backed by years of science. It's an exceptional guide from world-renowned researchers who bring the best available evidence to those in need." -Michelle G. Craske, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Psychology, UCLA"This is an excellent, concise, and right-on-target guide to coping with your daily stress. With clear self-help tools, forms that you can use immediately, and helpful practical tips, readers will find this to be a good guide to dealing with stress. Highly recommended." -Robert L. Leahy, PhD, Director, American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, and Clinical Professor of Psychology, Weill-Cornell University Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital"10 Steps to Mastering Stress provides a refreshing and unique approach to helping those who tend to react to unpleasant events with worry, tension, and anxiety. It is head and shoulders above any other self-help book in a number of ways-- it is based on years of research with respect to the techniques it promotes, and it provides guidance on how to integrate and apply the techniques within your lifestyle." -Michelle G. Newman, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, The Pennsylvania State University"Written by world leaders in the field of anxiety, this is an accessible, engaging, and practical guide for transforming one's lifestyle and increasing one's well-being." -Richard J. McNally, PhD, Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, and Author, What is Mental Illness?"10 Steps to Mastering Stress offers a systematic, effective, and highly pragmatic program that will dramatically change how you deal with the stresses and pressures of 21st-century living. If you could read only one book on stress management, this would be it!"-David A. Clark, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Canada

David H. Barlow, PhD, is Professor and Founder and Director Emeritus of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. He has published over 500 articles and chapters and over 60 books, and his research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for 40 years. Ronald M. Rapee, PhD, is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Macquarie University, Sydney and Director of the Centre for Emotional Health. Professor Rapee's primary research focuses on the understanding and management of anxiety and related disorders across the lifespan. He has established a number of internationally used treatment programs and was recently awarded the Order of Australia for his contributions to clinical psychology. Sarah Perini, MA, is Director of the Emotional Health Clinic at Macquarie University in Australia, where she teaches post-graduate psychology students how to conduct effective treatment. She is an experienced clinical psychologist who has treated hundreds of stressed and anxious patients. She has also worked in a range of clinics and hospitals and has published several academic articles.