Overwhelmed: Coping with Life's Ups and Downs

by Nancy K. Schlossberg

Overwhelmed helps people make sense out of the transitions they face in every day life. This book is based on years of research―studies of people moving, adults returning to school, people whose jobs were eliminated, retirment, non-events like not having a baby, not getting promoted. These studies resulted in the development of a generic framework for understanding any type of transition. Based on this research, Overwhelmed presents a step-by-step approach to turning overwhelming transitions into challenging experiences. By systemically sizing up transitions and one's resources for dealing with them, people can learn how to build on their strengths, cut their losses, and even grow in the process.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1989

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book on life's transitions, Overwhelmed: Coping with Life's Ups and Downs by Nancy Schlossberg would best be used as a textbook for a course on transitions. That's not a bad thing, it's just that the material lends itself to be read in small doses (one chapter at a time), followed by a discussion of the material, and actually doing the exercises that she incorporates into each chapter. This way, I think the book can be very helpful. I like her real life examples of people going through a wide variety of transitions. She states them succinctly, and their situations illustrate the point(s) that she is trying to make. The exercises are easy to do, and don't take a lot of time - which is positive, as many readers are intimated by a bunch of self-help exercises. The author has a highly readable style, good information, and it's well put together - best used for a workshop/course, or in conjunction with psychotherapy and/or a support group for any of the given transitions she explores.