Discover simple, science-based strategies for beating stress at its own game When’s the best time to exercise – and how much is too much? Which foods fortify the brain, and which do the opposite? How can we use music, movement, and motivation to boost our rational brain and keep our cool no matter what life throws our way? Short bursts of stress are an inevitable part of modern life. But how much is too much? Research is uncovering the delicate balance that can turn a brief stressful episode into systemic overload, eventually leading to inflammation, anxiety, depression, and other chronic health issues. This practical and groundbreaking guide reveals seven paths to fighting the effects of stress--to strengthen our natural defenses so that our minds remain sharp, and our bodies resilient, no matter what life throws at us. Each chapter examines a common stress agent—including inflammation, an out-of-sync body clock, cortisol levels, and emotional triggers—and presents simple ways to minimize its harmful effects with changes in diet, exercise, and other daily habits—including surprising hacks involving music, eye movements, body temperature, daily routine, and more. Translating cutting-edge scientific findings into clear and simple advice, Stress-Proof is the ultimate user’s guide for body, mind and well-being. **Winner, Best Stress Management Books of All Time, BookAuthority**

“For people suffering from stress, this book is a godsend.” —Kristin Neff, PhD, author of Self-Compassion "Highly recommended for mental health professionals and consumer health readers looking to manage stress." —Library Journal (starred review) Modern times are stressful—and it’s killing us. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the things that stress us out, but we can change how we respond to them. In this breakthrough book, a clinical psychologist and neuroscience expert offers an original approach to help readers harness the power of positive emotions and overcome stress for good. Stress is, unfortunately, a natural part of life—especially in our busy and hectic modern times. But you don’t have to let it get in the way of your health and happiness. Studies show that the key to coping with stress is simpler than you think—it’s all about how you respond to the situations and things that stress you out or threaten to overwhelm you. The Stress-Proof Brain offers powerful, comprehensive tools based in mindfulness, neuroscience, and positive psychology to help you put a stop to unhealthy responses to stress—such as avoidance, tunnel vision, negative thinking, self-criticism, fixed mindset, and fear. Instead, you’ll discover unique exercises that provide a recipe for resilience, empowering you to master your emotional responses, overcome negative thinking, and create a more tolerant, stress-proof brain. This book will help you develop an original and effective program for mastering your emotional brain’s response to stress by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity. By creating a more stress tolerant, resilient brain, you’ll learn to shrug off the small stuff, deal with the big stuff, and live a happier, healthier life.

Stress is NOT the problem - it's tension. Stress isn't the destroyer of health and wellbeing we all assume it to be. The problem is physical tension which comes partly from stress. You can feel relaxed, be in a non stressful situation and still be holding onto a huge amount of tension. This book shows that, by making some fundamental changes to things like your posture, breathing and the way you move, you can learn not to hold onto tension, to cope with stress with far greater ease, to have more energy and to feel much better about yourself. This is a truly ground-breaking book that teaches solid principles and exercises rarely seen in the West that will help you reduce the straightjacket of tension that you carry around with you every day. Your tension drains you of energy, prematurely ages you and creates conflicts inside you that lead to pain and emotional turmoil. "Stress Proof Your Body" is essentially a users manual for your body. Learn how to release your tension and so use your body in the most efficient way, to get the most out of it and to prolong its useful life.

Is stress hurting your heart? Do you want to live longer, feel better, and protect your health? A stress-proof heart is immune to the physical impact of unrelenting stress. Diet and exercise play an important role in preventing heart disease, but the most insidious, under-addressed risk factor of all is the one that many of us find the hardest to manage—stress. We can’t alleviate all stress, and we wouldn’t want to even if we could. Some stress is natural and necessary; it is what gives us the zing of energy to get things done. Trouble comes when that zing becomes a constant thrum, continually triggering the stress hormone cortisol to pump into the body rather than allowing it to ebb and flow as we need it. This book provides tools to power a fulfilling life by efficiently processing cortisol out of the body and nurturing a heart resilient enough to withstand high stress, change, crisis—and to bounce back from illness. Author Eliz Greene knows that protecting your heart from stress isn’t a “nice-to-have.” The strategies in this book are essential, life-or-death skills. When she was 35 years old and 7 months pregnant with twins, Eliz survived a massive heart attack, causing her heart to stop for 10 minutes. To reduce her heightened risk of having another heart attack, she’s spent the last 17 years honing practical and implementable strategies to manage stress for herself and the thousands of audience members and readers she reaches each year. Stress-Proof Your Heart contains these strategies and the fruits of her international research study on job stress. Engaging assessments and actionable principles and tools will enable you to evaluate the physical impact of your stress and then offset that impact to protect your heart. Find out how to: Protect your heart from the stress hormone cortisol and avoid countless other unpleasant symptoms such as weight gain (especially in the belly and face), insomnia, muscle weakness, mood swings, and reduced cognitive function. Use everyday activities to help your body efficiently process cortisol of your system, so you can to feel better and function at a higher physical and mental level. Motivate yourself to commit to a healthier life. Includes bonus content to address emotional stress from Eliz’s book Stress-Proof Your Life.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death throughout the world. Chronic negative emotions such as depression and anxiety place cardiac patients at greater risk for death and recurrence of cardiovascular disease. In 2008 the editor published a book related to this topic, titled Psychotherapy with Cardiac Patients: Behavioral Cardiology in Practice (American Psychological Association). Aside from that book, there are very few resources specifically written for clinicians who treat psychologically distressed cardiac patients. Unlike other medical specialty areas such as oncology, the field of cardiology has been slow to integrate behavioral treatments into the delivery of service. Perhaps because the field has been largely defined and dominated by researchers, mental health clinicians are only starting to recognize behavioral cardiology as a viable arena in which to practice. There is a large void in the practitioner literature on behavioral cardiology. In a review of Psychotherapy with Cardiac Patients, Paul Efthim, Ph.D. wrote, "Her new book goes well beyond previous works by giving specific and detailed guidance about how to tailor psychological interventions with this variegated population." He added, "It would benefit from even more details about treatment approaches." This proposed volume goes beyond the editor’s previous volume by providing in-depth descriptions of behavioral treatments for distressed cardiac patients written by eminent leaders in behavioral cardiology. This book describes a wide range of behavioral treatments for the common psychologically based problems encountered by clinicians who treat cardiac patients. The book is organized as follows: Part I focuses on the most psychologically challenging and common presentations of cardiac diagnosis; coronary artery disease, arrhythmia, and heart failure. This section also includes a chapter on heart transplantation, which is a treatment, not a diagnosis, but a treatment that incurs profound psychological impact for the individual. In Part II, behavioral interventions for the general cardiac population are described. Mainstream therapies such as stress management, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and medical family therapy are described, along with approaches that have less empirical support but considerable practical significance such as personality-guided therapy and interventions aimed at altering type D personality traits. The literature in behavioral cardiology has a rich history of investigating maladaptive personality traits and thus it is important to include behavioral approaches that target personality in this volume. Part III focuses on common behavioral problems encountered by clinicians who work with this patient population. Most patients who seek psychological help do so because they perceive themselves to be stressed due to their job or overextended in all areas of their life. Other people with heart disease present with sleep problems and/or an inability to motivate themselves to exercise or quit smoking. There are many practical behavioral approaches that can be helpful for patients with these difficulties and these are detailed in this section of the book. The conclusion of the book focuses on how to integrate the behavioral treatments described in the preceding chapters into a comprehensive treatment model.

The world faces a ‘giant storm’ of stress and burnout that is exacerbated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Learning how to navigate the world going forward is something that everyone has to do. How can leaders help themselves, their employees and their businesses to thrive in the face of these and other challenges? Stressproof speaks to the crisis currently facing the professional landscape. It outlines the conundrum of stress and its performance advantage versus its destructiveness; and it focuses on the stress-related challenges facing decision makers in the world of business today. Practical, insightful and based on case studies and real-world examples, Stressproof provides a game-changing action plan to help managers, leaders and those who are making decisions.

‘One of the greatest lessons Richard has taught me is the immense power of positive habits in shaping realities. His approach to stress management and resilience has completely transformed my life.’ - NATASHA SIDERIS, Founder and CEO of the Tashas group Stress impacts all facets of our lives and has devastating effects on the global economy, including reduced productivity and the burden it places on healthcare systems. Decades of research show that chronic stress severely compromises our physical and mental health. More recently, it has been revealed that stress can destabilise our DNA and affect our genetic integrity. This promotes many of the diseases that societies are currently grappling with and could potentially impact future generations. Yet stress has two faces: ongoing stress is one of the biggest challenges faced globally, but short intervals of stress can actually offer tremendous potential to grow, break personal barriers and excel. Turning the traditional stress paradigm on its head, The Stress Code does not advocate stress avoidance, but rather aims to create an adaptable strategy to better manage stress. Supported by extensive scientific research, the book offers readers tools and skills to help buffer the adverse effects of chronic stress, enhance functionality and health, and help us to thrive in situations of adversity. BESTSELLER NOW IN PAPERBACK

Understand the different types of upsets and traumas your child may experience—and learn how to teach them how to be resilient, confident, and even joyful The number of anxious, depressed, hyperactive and withdrawn children is staggering—and still growing! Millions have experienced bullying, violence (real or in the media), abuse or sexual molestation. Many other kids have been traumatized from more “ordinary” ordeals such as terrifying medical procedures, accidents, loss and divorce. Trauma-Proofing Your Kids sends a lifeline to parents who wonder how they can help their worried and troubled children now. It offers simple but powerful tools to keep children safe from danger and to help them “bounce back” after feeling scared and overwhelmed. No longer will kids have to be passive prey to predators or the innocent victims of life’s circumstances. In addition to arming parents with priceless protective strategies, best-selling authors Dr. Peter A. Levine and Maggie Kline offer an antidote to trauma and a recipe for creating resilient kids no matter what misfortune has besieged them. Trauma-Proofing Your Kids is a treasure trove of simple-to-follow “stress-busting,” boundary-setting, sensory/motor-awareness activities that counteract trauma’s effect on a child’s body, mind and spirit. Including a chapter on how to navigate the inevitable difficulties that arise during the various ages and stages of development, this ground-breaking book simplifies an often mystifying and complex subject, empowering parents to raise truly confident and joyful kids despite stressful and turbulent times.

Stress is a part of life—but it doesn’t have to take over your life. With this guide, you’ll develop the skills needed to help you manage difficult emotions, cultivate self-compassion, adopt positive physical and emotional habits, build resilience, and connect with your true values. Everyone experiences stress. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the moment we finally settle into bed at night, our days are packed with stressful moments—some big and some small—that can quickly add up and feel overwhelming. Unfortunately, you can’t escape stress. But you can change the way you relate to it. This important workbook will show you how. Written by internationally renowned ACT experts, The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Stress Reduction offers a powerful ten-week program for stress management drawing on the latest research in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness. You’ll gain a better understanding of what stress really is, how it affects the brain and body, and what you can do to manage and reduce stress in your life. You’ll discover how to build resilience and set smart, effective personal goals that align with your values. And finally, you’ll learn to be more aware of how you deal with stress in the moment. Stress is an unavoidable side effect of being human in today’s fast-paced world. But with this workbook, you’ll build the skills necessary to keep stress in its place and live a more vital life!

Do you ever wonder what is happening inside your brain when you feel anxious, panicked, and worried? In Rewire Your Anxious Brain, psychologist Catherine Pittman and author Elizabeth Karle offer a unique, evidence-based solution to overcoming anxiety based in cutting-edge neuroscience and research. In the book, you will learn how the amygdala and cortex (both important parts of the brain) are essential players in the neuropsychology of anxiety. The amygdala acts as a primal response, and oftentimes, when this part of the brain processes fear, you may not even understand why you are afraid. By comparison, the cortex is the center of “worry.” That is, obsessing, ruminating, and dwelling on things that may or may not happen. In the book, Pittman and Karle make it simple by offering specific examples of how to manage fear by tapping into both of these pathways in the brain. As you read, you’ll gain a greater understanding how anxiety is created in the brain, and as a result, you will feel empowered and motivated to overcome it. The brain is a powerful tool, and the more you work to change the way you respond to fear, the more resilient you will become. Using the practical self-assessments and proven-effective techniques in this book, you will learn to literally “rewire” the brain processes that lie at the root of your fears.