Are you having trouble concentrating or does your mind simply “go blank,” are you experiencing shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat, trouble sleeping, irritability, muscle tension or aches, sweating, nausea or diarrhea on a daily basis? Do your feelings of anxiety disrupt your social activities or interfere with work, school, family or personal life?You are not alone. 6.8 million American adults and millions more worldwide suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In Ten Steps to Relieve Anxiety, Dr. H. Michael Zal utilizes his over forty years of experience to explore the emotional and physical aspects of anxiety and the treatment options available, then sets out his strategy.Dr. Zal illustrates his proven, simple yet effective techniques and treatments to handle anxiety in ten easy-to-follow steps. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is not a character flaw; it is a serious but treatable disorder and Ten Steps to Relieve Anxiety is the perfect tool to regain control over your anxiety.
Are you having trouble concentrating or does your mind simply "go blank," are you experiencing shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat, trouble sleeping, irritability, muscle tension or aches, sweating, nausea or diarrhea on a daily basis? Do your feelings of anxiety disrupt your social activities or interfere with work, school, family or personal life?
You are not alone. 6.8 million American adults and millions more worldwide suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). In Ten Steps to Relieve Anxiety, Dr. H. Michael Zal utilizes his over forty years of experience to explore the emotional and physical aspects of anxiety and the treatment options available, then sets out his strategy.
Dr. Zal illustrates his proven, simple yet effective techniques and treatments to handle anxiety in ten easy-to-follow steps. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is not a character flaw; it is a serious but treatable disorder and Ten Steps to Relieve Anxiety is the perfect tool to regain control over your anxiety.
Contents
Foreword xiii
Introduction 1
A GAD Case History: Paul's Story 9
Part I: Steps to Relieve Anxiety
Chapter 1 Step 1: Stop 17
Chapter 2 Step 2: Breathe 27
Chapter 3 Step 3: Refocus 39
Chapter 4 Step 4: Lower Your Expectations 51
Chapter 5 Step 5: Express Negative Feelings 61
Chapter 6 Step 6: Take a More Positive View 71
Chapter 7 Step 7: Don't Worry 81
Chapter 8 Step 8: Take Action 91
Chapter 9 Step 9: Take Things as They Are 101
Chapter 10 Step 10: Take Care of Yourself 111
Part II: Treatment Options
Chapter 11 Therapy 125
Chapter 12 Medication 139
Part III: High Stress Situations
Chapter 13 Anxiety and Adult Attention Deficit Disorder 151
Chapter 14 Anxiety and Chronic Illness 161
Chapter 15 Anxiety in the Elderly 173
Chapter 16 Holiday Anxiety 183
Conclusion: The Road to Contentment 189
Acknowledgments 203
Helpful Resources 207
About the Author 211
Endnotes 213
Endorsements For Dr. Zal's Book.
Writing in simple, lucid prose, Dr. Zal's authoritative "primer" for dealing with chronic anxiety will be invaluable to virtually everyone plagued with this most frustrating of emotional maladies. Filled with illuminating case histories, as well as vivid descriptions of all the best self-help techniques applicable, this book will provide anxiety sufferers with a variety of down-to-earth treatment tips till now unavailable from a single source.
Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D.
Author of Paradoxical Strategies in Psychotherapy and blogger for Psychology Today.
Ten Steps to Relieve Anxiety is a well written, lucid book that guides the reader through a clear description of and treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
The case examples are vivid and straightforward. Chapter 11 provides the reader with an extensive, easy to understand menu of non medication treatment options. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in this disorder.
William R. Dubin, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Psychiatry
Temple University School of Medicine
"In an era of tension between the brain and mind, Dr. Michael Zal has taken one of the omnipresent feelings of our time -- anxiety -- and written about how we can grab hold of it. He is well-acquainted with the subject from a distinguished career of helping people in the intimate setting of his consulting room, and he shares some of their stories with us in Renaissance fashion: he integrates his knowledge of biological science, clinical medicine, and humanism while alleviating their suffering. I think clinicians, patients, and their family members will all find his "Ten Step to Relieve Anxiety " soothing, and will feel more equipped to cope with anxiety when it interferes with our living life fully."
Andrew I. Smolar, M.D., President-Elect, Supervising and Training Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia
H Michael Zal, DO, FACN, FAPA, has been a psychiatrist for over forty years. He is currently in private practice and a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is board certified, a Fellow of the American College of Neurology and Psychiatry and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of the Pennsylvania Osteopathic Association. Dr. Zal is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed a three-year Psychiatric Fellowship sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health at the Philadelphia Mental Health Clinic and Haverford State Hospital. Dr. Zal was chairman of the Psychiatric Service at Metropolitan Hospital in Philadelphia and was also on the staff of Charter-Fairmount Institute, Mercy Suburban Hospital and the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He served as president of the medical staff at The Belmont Center for Comprehensive Care.
Dr. Zal received the Albert Einstein Healthcare Foundation Physicians' Award for Excellence and the Practitioner of the Year Award from the Philadelphia Psychiatric Society for outstanding character, dedication and commitment to patient care. He is a lecturer, medical writer and editor on mental health topics with numerous published articles to his credit. He won the Eric W. Martin Memorial Award, presented by the American Medical Writers Association, for outstanding writing and the Frances Larson Memorial Award for excellence.