Addicted to Stress

A woman's down-to-earth guide for releasing stress and reclaiming her free-spirit

Stress management expert and radio personality Debbie Mandel presents her highly original program for stress reduction. She explains that women who are constantly stressed out have forgotten the dreams of the free-spirited girl living inside them before they became somebody's wife, mother, or workplace colleague. This book, the inspiring and humorous story of successful recovery from stress addiction, outlines her seven steps that have proven to help women overcome daily stressors and reclaim a life of joy and spontaneity.

• Explores the habit forming pressure principle of stress addiction and how to cure it
• Provides step-by-step program for self-empowerment, self-care, healthy narcissism, and renewing humor in a woman's relationships
• Explains the powerful, researched based relationship between food, exercise, and mood
• Contains indispensable strategies for accepting constructive conflicts with a spouse, partner, friend or colleague to get what she wants
• Teaches specific techniques for reducing and eliminating stress reduction

Addicted to Stress shows how as the addiction to stress is cured, women find it possible to build up an immunity to outside pressure and become their true core self.

Preface vii

STEP 1 Be Aware of Your Own Stress Addiction 1

STEP 2 Reclaim Your Identity 31

STEP 3 Learn to Become a Healthy Narcissist 57

STEP 4 Build a Healthy Body 85

STEP 5 Cultivate Your Sense of Fun and Humor 119

STEP 6 Jump-Start Your Libido 147

STEP 7 Reframe Your Thoughts 175

EPILOGUE A New View of You 205

Notes 219

Resources 225

About the Author 229

Index 231

Debbie Mandel is the radio talk show host of a popular weekly health and fitness radio show on WGBB 1240 AM in Long Island, New York, which is broadcast live and on the Internet. She is the publisher of the highly regarded wellness Web site www.addictedtostress.com and conducts stress-management and relationship workshops for couples, women's groups, and others.

Praise for Addicted to Stress

"This book offers remedies for all of us 'stress junkies,' to help us enrich our lives for now and the future." —Dr. John Ratey, M.D. associate clinical professor of psychiatry, Harvard University

"This book needs to be read by every woman. It's never too late to be born again." —Bernie Siegel, M.D. author, Love, Magic & Mudpies and 365 Prescriptions for Living

"An easy-to-follow, entertaining program for reducing the toxic impact of stress for today's women, and reclaiming their health and wholeness as they seek to live more happily in these hectic times." —Jeffrey Brantley, M.D. director, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program, Duke University Integrative Medicine

"Everyone can benefit from the practical wisdom in this book, which will relieve stress addiction with no worry of withdrawal. We are 'hooked' on the encouraging ideas and guidance in Ms. Mandel's inspiring book." —Dr. Steven Gurgevich and Joy Gurgevich authors, The Self-Hypnosis Diet

"If you long for more love, happiness, peace of mind, and authenticity; if you want your life to be an expression of the yearnings of your heart; and if you want to feel that you are truly enjoying your time on earth—rather than just struggling to get by—then you must read this superb book! It will remind you about what is truly important. And it will help you transform your life into what you truly want it to be!" —John E. Welshons author, When Prayers Aren't Answered and Awakening from Grief