Help for Women Under Stress: Preserving Your Sanity

by Randy Alcorn

Stress. It’s part of our everyday lives, sometimes as the spark that keeps us moving forward and sometimes as the avalanche that threatens to bury us. Chances are, since this book’s title has caught your eye, you are looking for some relief from stress, or at least hope that relief is possible.

In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of Help for Women Under Stress, originally published in 1986, Randy and Nanci offer you both the hope and the help you are looking for. They not only help you understand what stress is and how it operates, but give plenty of useful tips and strategies for bringing peace to the chaos of your daily life.

Your energy is perishable, but can be daily replenished. Don’t waste your life in unnecessary and unwise responses to stress. Let this book help you live in a way that honors God and your loved ones, while understanding and respecting your limits. And let it remind you that one day God will wipe away all the downsides of stress in an eternal world of rest, refreshment, thriving relationships and unending adventure.

Available at: http://www.epm.org/helpforwomenunders...

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christian Living, Self Help, Health, Christianity, Mental Health

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

Randy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."

Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.

Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.

Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.

Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.

Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books surprised me with how necessary and helpful it was. Randy and Nanci did an amazing job of encouraging the reader to turn to the Lord and also revamp practical areas in their lives to better cope with stress. A must read for every woman!

[Gail Welborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Stress plagues women in modern society like never before, learn simple ways to handle stress***

Randy & Nanci Alcorn’s book, Women Under Stress is the only book they collaborated on in Randy’s remarkable writing career. When the book released twenty-eight years ago women of all ages found wisdom and insight about the causes and effects of stress with suggestions on how to deal with it. Especially the “…wife of a Christian leader who said…it kept her from taking her life…”

Is stress so life-impacting it can lead to suicide? Hans Selye, noted stress researcher who first coined the term believes, “Stress is the spice of life.” www.stress.org/about/hans-selye-birth... Randy says if that is true then “…many of us are over seasoned.” He argues the problem isn’t stress itself, but rather “…too much stress—and inadequate knowledge of how to deal with it.”

When Randy reread the original manuscript he saw “major ways to improve the book” and decided to revise it. Since he first penned the words, greater demands imposed by our “on-demand” culture and modern conveniences have made life even more stressful than before. However, by the time he added new information and deleted old material, the revision could be considered a new book.

Trillia Newbell…Full Review: http://tinyurl.com/cpx9d9b

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started out strong and the prayer at the beginning of the text is worth the price of admission. It ends a bit weaker with more common sense than spiritual wisdom.

[Aubrey Franzone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical steps for recognizing and managing stress in your life. This book dives into many areas that contribute to stress in our lives from inward battles to outside factors. Easy read and clear steps to help women under stress.

[Jenne Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a chronically stressed woman but I go in and out of seasons that are extremely stressful. This book helped me take inventory of how my choices, attitudes, and personality impact how I experience stress. As I read through the wide range of topics covered I could see areas of my life where I have made progress (like letting go of things that are outside my control and focusing on God who is sovereign) and where I can focus when my stress level raises to an unhealthy level (for example getting a better grip on my emotions). This book covers a lot of territory, addressing everything from how the Lord uses stress to instruct us to how our nutrition choices can impact stress. Inside every chapter were simple tools and suggestions I know I can use or share with my women friends.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't normally have picked this up, but someone shared it as a free download for Kindle a while back. Overall, it was a good book and could be helpful for anyone dealing with stress, particularly moms of young children. It has the advice you would expect: don't over-commit, take care of yourself, rest, ask for help if needed, etc. Overall, it was a quick read, and I always enjoy Alcorn's writing.

[Sandy Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

My summer book club did this book and I didn't love it. I don't really want to read a book called "Help for Women Under Stress" written mostly by a man. Sure, he claims his wife wrote along side him, but whatever. Separate from having that chip on my shoulder, I just generally didn't like it much.

[Tami Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started with a bang and I was so encouraged. But, in the middle chapters, I felt a condescending tone at times, especially when talking to mothers who work outside the home.

Worth the read, but not different from other books about handing stress. I really wanted it to be!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway.

As a woman under stress, this certainly gave a few tips.

[Michelle Yager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Very helpful.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many tips for de-stressing that were helpful reminders. I hope to use the tips for relaxation that they recommend.