Stress Buster

About the Author......Page 4
Other books and DVDs by Geoff Thompson......Page 5
Contents......Page 9
Introduction......Page 11
The Cortisol Connection......Page 17
Understanding the Enemy......Page 22
The Fear Pyramid......Page 24
Road Rage......Page 29
A Solution......Page 37
The Inverted U Hypothesis......Page 39
Borrowing Energy......Page 43
Making Positive Decisions......Page 45
The Sixty Per Cent Rule......Page 51
Being Proactive......Page 53
We Always Hurt The Ones We Love......Page 60
Stress Can be a Gift......Page 62
Layering of Stress......Page 66
Telltale Signs of Imminent Displacement......Page 68
Let Them In On It......Page 71
Put a Stop-loss on the Hurt......Page 72
Alcohol and Drugs......Page 78
What Causes Stress?......Page 82
Why Criticism and Insult Can be a Gift......Page 83
Conflict......Page 88
Make a Decision......Page 90
Comfort Zone......Page 93
Who is Prone to Stress?......Page 95
Less is Sometimes Better......Page 97
Implications to Health for the Type ‘A’......Page 101
Hardiness......Page 103
Immediate Reactions to Stress......Page 106
Aggression......Page 107
The General Adaptation Syndrome......Page 109
Direct Aggression......Page 113
Displaced Aggression......Page 116
Societal Displacement......Page 120
Learned Helplessness......Page 121
Fantasy......Page 125
Anxiety......Page 128
Physical Reactions to Stress......Page 130
The Fear of Fear Itself......Page 132
Anticipatory Adrenalin......Page 133
Adrenal Dump......Page 135
Secondary Adrenalin......Page 136
Peripheral Adrenalin......Page 137
Anticipation of Consequence......Page 138
Post-fi ght Anticipation......Page 139
What to Do......Page 142
Pre-fi ght Shakes......Page 143
Voice Quiver......Page 144
Tunnel Vision......Page 145
Relaxed Bowels or Bladder......Page 146
Total Acquiescence......Page 147
Time Distortion......Page 148
Death by Fright......Page 149
Increased Cigarette Smoking......Page 151
Salt......Page 152
Loss of Appetite and Anorexia......Page 153
Increased Caffeine Consumption......Page 154
Suppressed Anger......Page 155
Permanent State of Stress......Page 156
Problems with Decision-making......Page 157
Losing the Plot (Psychosis)......Page 160
Avoidance......Page 164
Humour......Page 165
Concentration......Page 166
Paranoia......Page 167
Feeling Unable to Cope......Page 169
Inability to Complete Things......Page 171
Lack of Hobbies......Page 174
Constant Tiredness and Exhaustion......Page 175
Low, Decreased or No Libido (Sex Drive)......Page 179
Physical Symptoms and Conditions of Stress......Page 182
Direct Coping......Page 188
Sublimation......Page 212
Displacement......Page 207
Repression......Page 205
Self-fulfi lling Prophecy......Page 204
Undoing......Page 202
Reaction Formation......Page 200
Projection......Page 198
Inverted Depersonalisation......Page 196
Compensation......Page 194
Nostalgia......Page 193
Rationalisation......Page 192
Defensive Coping......Page 189
Logical Analysis Instead of Rationalisation......Page 214
Empathy Instead of Projection......Page 215
Playfulness Instead of Regression......Page 216
Suppression Instead of Repression......Page 219
The Buck Stops Here: The Safe Surrogate Release (SSR)......Page 221
The Immune System......Page 227
The Id, the Ego and the Superego......Page 229
Ending the Conflict......Page 241
The Id, the Ego and the Superego......Page 237
Attack the Roots......Page 235
Forgiveness......Page 230
Relief From Stress......Page 243
Internal Dialogue......Page 244
Thought Stopping......Page 249
Be Assertive......Page 255
Write it Down......Page 256
Problems are Opportunities......Page 257
Replace Anger with Laughter......Page 258
Realism is a Must......Page 259
Circles of Infl uence......Page 260
Listen and Learn......Page 261
Relax and Have a Laugh......Page 262
Have a Break......Page 263
Food......Page 264
Regular Exercise......Page 265
Professional Help......Page 267
Epilogue: A Room at the Inn......Page 269
The Inn......Page 270
External Allies......Page 271
Where Are You Going?......Page 272
Be Grateful for Every Opportunity......Page 273
Bibliography......Page 274