The Joy Of Stress

by Peter G. Hanson

Joy, associated with Stress? When we think of these two concepts, they seem to be oxymorons. But modern stress is more complex than the familiar episodes of carnage that we see on the evening news. Stress influences our children at school. Stress also affects our performance as adults, influencing our work, our play, and our relationships. Even the lack of Stress can have a negative effect on the elderly. As a medical doctor, Peter Hanson has seen how stress can affect over 90% of all illnesses, aches, and pains. He also sees a nation turning to drugs and other passive “cures”. (One of the fastest growing prescriptions is the anti-depressant category, in pediatrics!) The same insights he gives his patients are here in his book.

Genres: Self Help

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2013

Reviews

[Cova García · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a first edition (1988) and I must say some of the concepts have aged really badly, not to mention the non politically correct approach to what he calls "the poor" and "the obese". And the jokes. Really bad. But it makes a good point on keeping a certain level of "the good stress" and a list of resources to build up on resilience.

[M K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this as a gift from a hedge fund manager after spending a weekend with our families in Palm Springs. He went to a lecture by the author 30+ years ago and it had enough impact that he shipped me a used copy.

Let's see.. I bet it was ahead of its time 40 years ago. The messages weren't new to me after participating in some healthy lifestyle programs offered by my employers.

Covers diet, exercise, self awareness, emotional ownership, don't smoke, don't drink, watch the caffeine, lots of water, support networks, self care and rewards, stress techniques, etc.

It's a quick read, just an intro. Now there are lots of online resources and phone apps that go deeply into all of these (Fitbit etc).

So, it's all relevant, but I would use modern resources to augment the book and put it into practice.

It was written 40 years ago so some of the humor is not PC by today's standards, but it wasn't written with ill intent so give the guy a break.

Finally, golden nugget in Appendix A which has an intro to the Larry Wilson personality assessment. I took the 5 day version through an employer and it is an excellent framework for interpersonal interactions.

[Shirin Abdel Rahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

اكثر من نصف الكتاب عن البدانة، التغذية و مساؤى العادات الغذائية للشعب الامريكى و المجتمعات الرأسمالية.

[Katharine]

Commonsense advice on combating stress and keeping healthy.

[Reader heba 🌻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب جميل و خفيف يعطي المعلومة بطريقة تجعل تلقيها سهل للقارئ، و لديه تصنيفات جميلة بالنسبة لإدارة الضغوط

[Specialk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty amazing - yeah it's dated in style and language (and references - telecommuting of course meant a massive satellite dish on your house!), but stunningly relevant. And I love the no-nonsense; realistically most people aren't "sick", they're lazy or disorganized or in complete denial, and Hanson calls them out on it. I took quite a bit away from this book, and would love to see an updated version hit the market. I admittedly skipped a few parts (I don't smoke, nor qualify as obese), but devoured the rest with the easy reading style and fast and dirty fact delivery.

[Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is useful. Once I realized I had anxiety problems this helped get me on the right track. Not sure it helped with the psychological stuff, it sticks with stuff you can DO and leaves out the stuff going on in your head. It's good, but incomplete.

[Mat Rueter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Write out your priorities, list the stresses that bother you most, and coordinate solutions within the limits of your budget.