Babette Rothschild, Series Editor
Hans Selye first studied, identified, and named the condition we call stress in the 1950s, publishing his findings in his classic book, The Stress of Life. In his quest to understand stress, he observed problematic changes in body systems and organs as a result of persistently high levels of adrenaline and other hormones, now recognized as “stress hormones.”
Stress is commonly associated with disagreeable states and experiences, but objectively is neither positive nor negative. In fact, stress is simply a response to physical and emotional demands, what Selye called stressors. It is important to note that stress is not always bad or even undesirable. You might be surprised to learn that many things you experience as pleasant are actually the results of stress, such as the pleasure of sexual climax; the invigoration of a challenging bike ride; the love, warmth, and “high” of a wedding day; and the nourishment and satisfaction many experience while working in their gardens. Stress can also be a lifesaver, as when a person encounters a life-threatening situation and is able to achieve the superhuman speed or strength necessary to flee from or fight off the danger. Nevertheless, when we talk about stress we are usually referring to unpleasant stress, set in motion by adverse events or circumstances or exacerbated through our perceptions and thoughts.
Every being experiences stress more and less on a daily basis. It is inevitable, not something we can avoid, so it might be a good idea to learn how to better handle it. Recently I suggested to my colleague, Dr. Christiane Wolf, a certified teacher and trainer in Jon Kabat-Zinn’s program of mindfulness-based stress reduction, that it would be more accurate to call that program “mindfulness-based stress management.” Bottom line: Because we cannot evade stress, just about everyone (myself included) could learn to better manage it and to reduce the unfavorable impact it can have on the body and mind.
When first conceiving of the 8 Keys to Mental Health Series, I put the idea of a book that would help readers with stress at the top of my list of central topics. I wanted to find an author who had a natural flare for speaking directly to the reader, so that the eventual volume would be more of a personal tutorial than a text or a tome. One day Christiane, my aforementioned colleague, introduced me to Elizabeth Anne Scott’s Web site. An expert on stress management herself, Christiane had found the information there to be particularly intelligent and unusually helpful. She recommended that I take a look. When I opened the link, I was immediately intrigued and impressed. Scott, I thought, really has her finger on the pulse of people with stress and knows how to help them. From her site I could see that she had an extremely accessible and smart writing style—and lots to say.
One might think that Scott, a young mother of two who married her freshman-year sweetheart, could not personally know much about stress. Nothing could be further from the truth. At 15 she survived a devastating car accident, emerging with her neck, pelvis, and arm broken. It took her many, many months to recover emotionally as well as physically and to catch up academically and socially with her classmates. During that ordeal she both learned and taught herself plenty about managing stress. What she gained during that trying time further helped her to survive the pressures of college and young motherhood. Now she juggles caring for her family with writing her PhD dissertation, while also meeting the demands of authorship. Stress management is definitely high on Scott’s personal agenda.
8 Keys to Stress Management contains the best and most useful information and techniques that Scott has amassed following her accident, as a student and a professional. You will see from her writing that she is a natural-born teacher and you will be comforted by her encouraging tone. The book is well organized in a logical progression and is full of instructive as well as illustrative exercises that will help you from the first chapter to begin lowering your own stress. Scott’s volume is a terrific addition to the 8 Keys to Mental Health Series.