The Complete Idiot's Guide to Managing Stress

by Jeff Davidson

Book Overview

Youre no idiot, of course. You know that stress is a leading factor behind all sorts of physical and mental-health problems. But when it comes to detoxifying your nerves, mind and body, you feel like... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028629558
• ISBN13: 9780028629551
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam
• Length: 371 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A unique approach to an old problem

Jeff Davidson presents a unique and very helpful approach to dealing with everyday stress. A well-written and easy to follow guide.Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D., author of "Stress Management for Over-Achievers" docwifford@msn.com

Helpful

Although I would have liked to have seen more on the topic of burnout and maybe something on the stress of raising an unruly teenager there was a lot in here on stress that I hadn't considered before. There were also some approaches to managing stress that were new to me, and of course that's always appreciated. The little boxes on every page like what a concept, etched in stone, and warning were kind clever

A Welcomed Approach

This book is not like others on the topic of stress and in many ways, I think, superior. The author takes a very methodical approach, i.e., first explaining what stress is, the various sources of stress into our lives, and then what you can do about it. A lot of his suggestions like mastering your environment, perfecting the strategic pause, and asking the 'magic question' are new to me and I think yield a lot of potential., I haven't seen these kinds of approaches in other books. I bought his earlier book on managing your time which was pretty good, but I think this one is a gem.

Great for a Hectic Workplace

There are two basic reasons I like this book: One, the chapter on whipping work place distractions was worth the total price of the book in and of itself. I didn't realize until reading this chapter just how disruptive a day is by virtue of the fact that I work in an office. Number two was the chapter on short-changing your sleep. For many years, I have lived with the mistaken assumption that I could get by on five or six hours a night, but this book has convinced me that there are serious ramifications for chronically getting less sleep than you need. On top of those, I thought the most other chapters were pretty good although sometimes the author goes too long on explanation of the problem at hand, before getting to the actual tips to get into control. But overall I can strongly recommend this book if work related stress is putting a dent in your day.

From the Foreword: A Valuable Tool for M anaging Stress

All around us we see more people leading hectic lives, getting ever stronger pre scriptions, popping more pills, while hoping to get through the day with their sanity in tact. With all the changes that have already occurred in society in the last decade, and an ever increasing array of changes that is on the way, it is no wonder that so many are searching for an offramp to the rat race. In fact, more and more people are taking the time to reassess how they run their lives and searching for ways to renew their sense of balance and purpose. But is it possible to handle all that you handle and still get through the day will relative grace and ease? I believe it is, and fortified by this marvel ous book by Jeff Davidson, I think your chances just improved dramatically. Jeff Davidson is a dynamic speaker, mega-author of 22 books, and an accom plished career achiever. Yet, on his way to understanding how to keep stress in place, he overcame an extraordinary number of hurdles. Over the last two decades, Jeff has honed and refined his observations about life and work so that he could present a book to you on managing your stress that gets to the heart of what's plaguing all of us and what's likely to be plaguing you in particular. The observations and witticisms that he provides a unique window to how you can make changes that will work for you. The tips and recommendations he offers are meat y. They are strategies you can use immediately to make a change in your life. Jeff crafted this book with the express purpose of enabling you to have highly practi cal hands-on solutions to the daily stress related problems that you encounter. The entire book is presented in an illuminating, entertaining, and honest manner. Once you get on the wavelength of Jeff's humor, you'll find the ride to be as fun as it is enlighten ing. This book mixes age-old truths with new world realities in chapter after chapter. Throughout the book, through all 22 chapters, Jeff presents compelling reasons why that simply being alive in our society today will all but guarantee that you experience high levels of stress if you're not skilled in the ways of keeping stress in check. It con cludes with the observation that stressed or not, you're probably going to live far longer than you think and that by understanding the origin and nature of the stresses you ex perience, and keeping them under control, one at a time, you have the best long-term chance to live the remaining days of your life with a quality of life few consider possible. The last section of each chapter is entitled, "The Least You Need to Know." This is a convention used in all of the Complete Idiot Guide Books. It is an effective way to remind yourself of the few things from the chapter that are worth pursuing or worth re membering, if you do nothing else. This is a book that offers principles on which you can rely for a lifetime. Whether you're the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-level manager, or