Stress is an inevitable part of everyday life. Sometimes we manage it well. Other times, not so much. But understanding the role of stress in our overall health and wellness is essential to taking it head-on. It’s not just that stress can take over our thoughts; it can take over our bodies. From the flight or fight response to inflammation, from feeling anxious to feeling sick, it can deteriorate our bodies and our minds from the inside out. While many books promise tips on managing stress, this book takes it one step further to consider the science behind stress and how it affects our minds and bodies, offering evidence-based approaches to managing stress for optimum results. Amitava Dasgupta guides readers to a greater understanding of the mechanisms at work when stress is present and provides guidance for dealing with those physical and mental responses. While grounded in the science of stress, this work also helps readers employ those strategies that will best manage stress for better overall health.

Praise for Stress Management "The author is correct in saying that the stress management field is a ′soft′ one, lacking a strong theoretical foundation, and therefore lacking good studies of efficacy and long term outcome. Certainly any publication that would improve on this situation is to be welcomed. . . . Strengths are the systematic approach to the topic. The attempt to ground scientifically the issue of stress management will appeal greatly to the more discerning student of clinical psychology and applied health psychology. It will provide a sufficiently academic approach to the topic that it will find acceptance in courses on the topic." -William R. Lovallo, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center & Director, Behavioral Sciences Laboratory, VA Medical Centers, Oklahoma City Most of the literature on stress management describes and evaluates individual stress responses but lacks a critical view of the scientific foundation of stress. In order to truly comprehend stress management, there needs to be clear understanding on the phenomenon that is "to be managed." Stress Management: From Basic Science to Better Practice examines documented pathways between stress and health and develops the scientific foundations for sound interventions. The book begins with a broad review of the term ′stress′ and its importance for health. The text then provides a critical examination of the elements of the stress process, extracts supporting research for a rationale of stress management and describes various stress management techniques and their effectiveness. In Stress Management, author and renowned stress researcher Wolfgang Linden reviews the literature on intervention outcomes, noting weaknesses that include an overemphasis on individual rather than societal responsibility for stress and coping and disregard of the emerging field of positive psychology. The author concludes the text with a proposed distinction between psychotherapy and stress management, and he proposes the need for three distinguishable subtypes of stress management programs-a systematic-preventative approach; a broad-based stress vaccination and prevention type of protocol; and a reactive, problem-solving type of stress reduction intervention. Key Features Begins with a firm groundwork in defining stress and examining conceptual models of stress to set the stage for rational, science-based thinking on how to manage it Introduces a unique three-step process model for stress management Considers physiological and sociocultural influences on stress and health Offers an objective analysis of existing literature and includes extensive personal, clinical experiences of the author to make the science of stress come alive for the reader Includes coverage of positive psychology and how the creation of social support and positive emotional states can ease experiences with stress Stress Management is an excellent textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, such as Stress Management, Stress & Coping, Stress & Health, and Stress & Wellness, in the fields of Psychology and Health. The book is also a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians within the behavioral sciences interested in understanding and alleviating stress.

“A comprehensive examination of stress” from three prominent neuropsychiatrists (The Boston Globe). Jobs and families. Deluges of digital communication. The constant demands on our time and money. The screaming match of politics and the threat of terrorism and war. There’s no doubt we’re stressed out—but what exactly is it doing to us? Neuropsychiatrists Gregory L. Fricchione, Ana Ivkovic, and Albert Yeung gently remind us in this book that persistent stress is directly linked to chronic ailments like heart disease, diabetes, and depression, contributing to one of the biggest health challenges facing the world in the twenty-first century. As they show, alleviating stress is a task no one physician can accomplish. It’s not the sort of problem a surgeon can excise with a scalpel or an internist can eradicate with antibiotics. It requires everyone’s efforts—the healthy, the sick, doctors, nurses, psychologists, clergy, community leaders, and beyond—to pull together to address the stress-induced drivers in our world that undermine our health. Clearly and accessibly exploring the latest in modern neuroscience and immunology, the authors examine what those drivers are and how they reduce the body’s metabolic reserve, making us more vulnerable to illness. They then look at the antidote: enhanced resilience, something we can achieve by intelligently adjusting how we face the significant adversities that can spring up in so many facets of our lives. With innumerable insights on the personal and social causes of stress and its physiological effects, this book serves as an essential guide to properly taking care of ourselves.

The leading clinical reference and text on stress management has now been significantly revised with 60% new material reflecting key developments in the field. Foremost experts review the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of progressive relaxation, biofeedback, meditation, hypnosis, cognitive methods, and other therapies. Chapters describe each method's theoretical foundations, evidence base, procedures, applications, and contraindications. Assessment and implementation are illustrated with extensive case examples. The volume examines the effects of stress on both mind and body, from basic science to practical implications for everyday life and health care. New to This Edition *Greatly expanded evidence base--every method is now supported by controlled clinical research. *Advances in knowledge about stress and the brain are integrated throughout. *Chapter on children and adolescents. *Chapter on selecting the best methods for individual patients. *Chapter on hyperventilation and carbon dioxide biofeedback. *Chapter on neuroinflammation.

Easy strategies for dealing with the near-universal experience of stress. Stress has become a near-universal experience as well as a rising public health concern. According to many measures, people today are dealing with stressors that are greater in number and severity than in the past several decades, and this stress is taking a toll on our collective wellness. Bringing considerable content from her popular stress management Web site on About.com, Elizabeth Scott distills information about stress management into central ideas and strategies for consumers. These include learning to reduce the stress response and stressors, practicing long-term resilience habits, and putting positive psychology research into action. These various perspectives provide a multilayered framework for understanding stress and approaching stress management that is inspirational, action-oriented, and backed by foundational and recent knowledge in the field. The quick-to-read “8 keys” format of the book can be utilized on many levels so that busy readers can quickly find relief from stress.

Why do you feel the way you do? Emotions are the world's universal language. Understand them, and you understand yourself-and others. Packed with thought-provoking articles on mindfulness, on connecting emotionally with others, and on freeing your feelings, The Science of Emotions, a new Special Edition from the Editors of TIME draws from the trusted reporting of TIME magazine to help you get in touch with you. Three distinct sections - "Know Yourself," "Connect with Others," and "Free Your Feelings" help you unlock your emotional intelligence, tame social media envy, understand why we cry, learn how to read body language and more. You'll also discover the secrets to mental toughness, learn how to let go of guilt, discover the upside of a bad mood, and learn the eight easy ways to get happier. Filled with photos, infographics and illustrations, including a photo essay on joy, this empowering collection offers a full-circle view of feelings ranging from despair to elation, and reveals how to harness emotions to build a richer life.

Drawing from groundbreaking research, psychologist and award-winning teacher Kelly McGonigal, PhD, offers a surprising new view of stress—one that reveals the upside of stress, and shows us exactly how to capitalize on its benefits. You hear it all the time: stress causes heart disease; stress causes insomnia; stress is bad for you! But what if changing how you think about stress could make you happier, healthier, and better able to reach your goals? Combining exciting new research on resilience and mindset, Kelly McGonigal, PhD, proves that undergoing stress is not bad for you; it is undergoing stress while believing that stress is bad for you that makes it harmful. In fact, stress has many benefits, from giving us greater focus and energy, to strengthening our personal relationships. McGonigal shows readers how to cultivate a mindset that embraces stress, and activate the brain's natural ability to learn from challenging experiences. Both practical and life-changing, The Upside of Stress is not a guide to getting rid of stress, but a toolkit for getting better at it—by understanding, accepting, and leveraging it to your advantage.