Stress Management For Dummies

About the Author
Contents at a Glance
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Conventions Used in This Book
	What You’re Not to Read
	Foolish Assumptions
	How This Book Is Organized
	Icons Used in This Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part I: Getting Started with Stress Management
	Chapter 1: Stressed Out? Welcome to the Club!
		Experiencing a Stress Epidemic?
		Understanding Where All This Stress Is Coming From
		Looking at the Signs and Symptoms of Stress
		Understanding How Stress Can Make You Sick
		Stressing Out Your Family
		Stress Can Be Good?
	Chapter 2: Stress Explained (In Surprisingly Few Pages)
		So What Is Stress Anyhow?
		How This Whole Stress Thing Got Started
		Understanding the Signs of Stress
		Understanding Stress Is as Simple as ABC
		Managing Stress: A Three-Pronged Approach
		Tuning Your Strings: Finding the Right Balance
	Chapter 3: Getting Started: Gathering Your Tools
		How Stressed Are You? Finding Ways to Measure Your Stress Level
		Monitoring Your Stress with a Stress Journal
		Facing Roadblocks
Part II: Mastering the Basics
	Chapter 4: Relaxing Your Body
		Stress Can Be a Pain in the Neck (And That’s Just for Starters)
		Breathing Away Your Tension
		Tensing Your Way to Relaxation
		Mind over Body: Using the Power of Suggestion
		Stretching Away Your Stress
		Massage? Ah, There’s the Rub!
		Taking a Three-Minute Energy Burst
		More Ways to Relax
	Chapter 5: Quieting Your Mind
		Where Do All These Thoughts Come From!?
		Turning Off Your Mind
		Distracting Yourself
		Using Your Imagination
		Making Things Move
		What, Me Worry?
		Do Nothing: Meditation Is Good for You
		Hypnotize Yourself
		Want Some Feedback? Go the High-Tech Route
	Chapter 6: Cultivating Mindfulness
		Understanding Mindfulness
		Recognizing Mindlessness
		Understanding How Mindfulness Can Help Reduce Your Stress
		Developing the Skills of Mindfulness
		Cultivating Mindful Acceptance
	Chapter 7: Stress-Reducing Organizational Skills
		Figuring Out Why Your Life Is So Disorganized
		Clearing Away the Clutter
		Organizing Your Space
		Organizing Information
		Keeping Your Life Organized
	Chapter 8: Finding More Time
		Determining Whether You Struggle with Time Management
		Being Mindful of Your Time
		Becoming a List Maker
		Minimizing your Distractions and Interruptions
		Getting around Psychological Roadblocks to Time Management
		Letting Go: Discovering the Joys of Delegating
		Buying Time
	Chapter 9: Eating, Exercising, and Getting Your Zzzs
		Stress-Effective Eating
		Stress-Reducing Exercise and Activity
		Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Part III: The Secrets of Stress-Effective Thinking
	Chapter 10: Understanding How Your Thinking Stresses You Out
		Believe It or Not, Most of Your Stress Is Self-Created
		Remembering Your ABCs
		Separating Thoughts from Feelings
		Understanding Your Stress-Producing Thinking
		Your Thinking Errors
		Using Your Coping Self-talk
	Chapter 11: Stress-Resilient Values, Goals, and Attitudes
		Recognizing the Value of Your Values
		Clarifying Your Values and Goals
		Actualizing Your Values, Reaching Your Goals
		Expressing Gratitude
		Cultivating Optimism
		Laughing Your Way to Stress Reduction
		Doing Something Good for Someone Else
		Adding a Spiritual Dimension
		Gathering a Little Wisdom
Part IV: Managing Your Stress in Real Life
	Chapter 12: Overcoming Your Anger
		Figuring Out Just How Mad You Really Are
		The Pros and Cons of Anger
		Tempering Your Temper
		Becoming Mindful of Your Anger
		Modifying Your Mindset
	Chapter 13: Worrying Less
		Do You Worry Too Much?
		Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Yeah, Right!
		Identifying Your Worries
		Understanding Your Worries
		Controlling and Stopping Your Worrying
		Thinking Straighter, Worrying Less
		Correcting Your Thinking Errors
		Escaping Your Worries
	Chapter 14: Reducing Interpersonal Stress
		Developing Stress-Reducing Communication
		Discovering What It Means to Be Assertive
		Becoming More Assertive
		Coping with Difficult People
	Chapter 15: De-Stress at Work (And Still Keep Your Job)
		Reading the Signs of Workplace Stress
		Knowing What’s Triggering Your Work Stress
		Making Positive Changes to Control Your Workplace Stress
		Taking Advantage of Company Perks
		Coming Home More Relaxed (And Staying That Way)
	Chapter 16: Maintaining a Stress-Resilient Lifestyle
		Making Stress Management a Habit
		Remembering Your Ps (Prompts) and Cues
		Finding Your Oasis (Sand Optional)
		Accentuating the Positive(s) with Stress Buffers
		Connecting with Others
		Doing Something, Anything
		Regrouping and Getting a Grip
		Living Mindfully in the Present
		Taking Your Fun Seriously
Part V: The Part of Tens
	Chapter 17: Ten Habits of Highly Effective Stress Managers
		Knowing How to Relax
		Eating Right and Exercising Often
		Getting Enough Sleep
		Not Worrying about the Unimportant Stuff
		Not Getting Angry Often
		Being Organized
		Managing Time Efficiently
		Having a Strong Support System
		Living According to One’s Values
		Having a Good Sense of Humor
	Chapter 18: Ten Events That Trigger Stress
		Losing a Loved One
		Experiencing a Major Illness or Injury
		Divorcing or Separating
		Having Serious Financial Difficulties
		Losing a Job
		Getting Married
		Moving to a New Place
		Fighting with a Close Friend
		Having a Child
		Retiring
Index