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A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook
Stress and pain are nearly unavoidable in our daily lives; they are part of the human condition. This stress can often leave us feeling irritable, tense, overwhelmed, and burned-out. The key to maintaining balance is responding to stress not with frustration and self-criticism, but with mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of our bodies and minds. Impossible? Actually, it's easier than it seems. In just weeks, you can learn mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a clinically proven program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living . MBSR is effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, panic, depression, chronic pain, and a wide range of medical conditions. Taught in classes and clinics worldwide, this powerful approach shows you how to focus on the present moment in order to permanently change the way you handle stress.
As you work through A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook , you'll learn how to replace stress-promoting habits with mindful ones―a skill that will last a lifetime.This groundbreaking, proven-effective program will help you relieve the symptoms of stress and identify its causes so that you can start living a healthier, happier life.
As you work through A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook , you'll learn how to replace stress-promoting habits with mindful ones―a skill that will last a lifetime.This groundbreaking, proven-effective program will help you relieve the symptoms of stress and identify its causes so that you can start living a healthier, happier life.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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July 26, 2010If there were a single word that I had to use to characterise modern life, it would be “stress”. Everyone is stressed. We’re all trying to cram so much into our lives. There’s nothing wrong with achievement, but sometimes the overt busy-ness becomes an aim in itself. We’re so busy doing things, that we don’t have time or energy to reflect on the purpose of our activity; don’t have time to rest and connect. This can create all sorts of problems, from the existential – that of feeling a strong disconnect between who we are and what we do, to the physical – with attendant conditions of sickness, exhaustion, and general malaise. That’s why mindfulness, or a calm sense of consciousness in the present moment, is so important. For me, an almost compulsive juggler, mindfulness is a challenge. When I was younger, my mother would often tell me to ‘be here now’, a phrase taken from the title of a book by Ram Dass. Reading A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook reminds me of how important that notion is, and how many modern conditions are related to our obsession with achievement and advancement and our lack of stillness.
As the title suggests, this is a very practical and application oriented book. It comes with an MP3 CD with guided meditations that follow the written ones in the book. These meditations are softly and clearly spoken by the Stahl, and are designed to address a range of situations. They are deeply relaxing and can, in particular, help with high-stress situations where the mind won't stop racing.
The book looks at the notion of mindfulness, how to practice mindfulness meditation, how to use it to reduce anxiety and stress, and how to be mindful in one’s practice, while eating, exercising, resting and connecting. Each chapter follows a similar pattern, beginning with an introduction, a formal practice, a journal which invites the reader to explore the concepts personally, an informal practice, a formal and informal practice log, and frequently asked questions. It’s an easy read, and by simply following the steps, the reader will learn a lot about his or herself, and provide a benchmark on which to build regular meditation/reflective time.
The exercises and meditations are peppered with interesting anecdotes, including one I hadn’t heard before about Abraham Lincoln:
In addition to the stories, there is lovely, thought-provoking poetry, and suggestions for how to integrate the practices into your daily life. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Some of the practices are as short as 5 minutes, and involve nothing more complex than eating a raisin, or taking a few moments to stop and gently reflect on the moment. For those, like me, who have resisted formal meditation, these brief practices offer a good way to ease in – gathering scattered thoughts, and pausing to be present and unengaged with the many stresses, voices, and needs that surround modern jugglers. It’s amazing how powerful the impact of simply pausing for a moment to let the past and future go. Everything suddenly gets into perspective and the bigger picture becomes more apparent. In my case, these brief moments are pauses in what can be a chaos of activity, to be grateful for the bounty of my life. Taking a moment to simply feel that gratitude is enough, I think, to convert a bad day to a good one; a stressful moment to a relaxed one.
Article first published as Book Review: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein on Blogcritics.
As the title suggests, this is a very practical and application oriented book. It comes with an MP3 CD with guided meditations that follow the written ones in the book. These meditations are softly and clearly spoken by the Stahl, and are designed to address a range of situations. They are deeply relaxing and can, in particular, help with high-stress situations where the mind won't stop racing.
The book looks at the notion of mindfulness, how to practice mindfulness meditation, how to use it to reduce anxiety and stress, and how to be mindful in one’s practice, while eating, exercising, resting and connecting. Each chapter follows a similar pattern, beginning with an introduction, a formal practice, a journal which invites the reader to explore the concepts personally, an informal practice, a formal and informal practice log, and frequently asked questions. It’s an easy read, and by simply following the steps, the reader will learn a lot about his or herself, and provide a benchmark on which to build regular meditation/reflective time.
The exercises and meditations are peppered with interesting anecdotes, including one I hadn’t heard before about Abraham Lincoln:
During the Civil War, Lincoln had occasion at an official reception to refer to Southerners as erring human beings, rather than foes to be exterminated. An elderly lady who was a fiery patriot rebuked him for speaking kindly of his enemies when he ought to be thinking of destroying them. Lincoln replied, ‘Madam, do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends’ (150)
In addition to the stories, there is lovely, thought-provoking poetry, and suggestions for how to integrate the practices into your daily life. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Some of the practices are as short as 5 minutes, and involve nothing more complex than eating a raisin, or taking a few moments to stop and gently reflect on the moment. For those, like me, who have resisted formal meditation, these brief practices offer a good way to ease in – gathering scattered thoughts, and pausing to be present and unengaged with the many stresses, voices, and needs that surround modern jugglers. It’s amazing how powerful the impact of simply pausing for a moment to let the past and future go. Everything suddenly gets into perspective and the bigger picture becomes more apparent. In my case, these brief moments are pauses in what can be a chaos of activity, to be grateful for the bounty of my life. Taking a moment to simply feel that gratitude is enough, I think, to convert a bad day to a good one; a stressful moment to a relaxed one.
Article first published as Book Review: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein on Blogcritics.
August 18, 2017
This workbook proved to be a thoughtful combination of information about stress/anxiety and ways to enrich my life with knowledge, yoga, mindful breathing, and meditation. It was suggested by the integrative, holistic mental health practitioner I found after it became apparent that I was experiencing anxiety and not a continuation of the vertigo I had experienced four months previously. The book is practical and application oriented. The discussions the therapist and I had in our weekly sessions, over a four month period, re-affirmed what I was reading. The workbook (and the therapist) were instrumental in my restoration to good health. I have accepted that I may still experience moments of anxiety. And I have learned to savor the joy in the rest of the moments of my life. I find myself referring back to the workbook on occasion and I continue to use the guided meditations on the accompanying CD. My days begin now with a short series of yoga stretches, some mindful breathing, and a meditation. I continue 'informal meditations' throughout day. And several times a week I do longer meditations and yoga. This book worked for me.
May 16, 2011
Couldn't finish this one, it just felt too self indulgent somehow.
February 10, 2020
This is not a book to rush through, it is a book to live. Take your time and work through it in stages as mindfulness is a lifestyle.
Bob Stahl has written a wise book that is easy to read and filled with practices to improve our mindfulness and our lives. This book holds meditations, journal exercises and mindfulness practices. This offers a core understanding of mindfulness that will be helpful to the beginner but has something in here for all of us!
Bob Stahl has written a wise book that is easy to read and filled with practices to improve our mindfulness and our lives. This book holds meditations, journal exercises and mindfulness practices. This offers a core understanding of mindfulness that will be helpful to the beginner but has something in here for all of us!
January 28, 2013
This is one of the two most effective workbooks I've encountered for the practice of stress management. It provides simple and effective exercises for learning and practicing mindfulness. I've taken a course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (which was fantastic!) and I would highly recommend it--but for those who don't have the means, this workbook provides a very useful alternative.
July 2, 2014
Great for beginners; too light for non-beginners.
September 18, 2019
A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, 2nd ed., is written by Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein. MBSR is an approach that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, whose book Wherever You Go There You Are I’ve previously reviewed.
The authors offer this description of mindfulness:
“Mindfulness is about being fully aware of whatever is happening in the present moment, without filters or the lens of judgment, and can be brought to any situation. Put simply, mindfulness consists of cultivating awareness of the mind and body and living in the here and now.”
The book describes the fight or flight system and stress responses, as well as the mind-body connection. Ten essential attitudes for mindfulness are identified, including nonjudgment and self-compassion. There is an overview of research supporting the benefits of meditation.
A variety of meditations are offered for the reader, including both formal (i.e. “meditation” meditation) and informal practices. The body scan is identified as an important practice to become more aware of your body and how it holds tension.
The formal practices were mostly sitting meditations, although there was also a walking meditation and yoga meditation. The copy of the book that I received was in PDF format, and there were 30 pages devoted to drawings and brief descriptions of yoga poses. The illustrations seemed rather unsophisticated, and I think they could have done a better job of that.
Throughout the book there are questions for self-reflection, and space is given for the reader to fill in answers.
A chapter of the book is devoted to chronic pain. It describes three steps to follow: investigate the pain, work with emotions that arise as a result of the pain, and live in the present moment, approach pain one moment at a time. While being more mindful of pain may seem like the last thing you want to do, the authors offer some convincing explanations as to why this would be helpful.
There was also a chapter devoted to mindfulness for anxiety and depression. The recommended approach for anxiety involved mindful self-inquiry, turning into emotions, and finding your heart.
The acronym SAFE was offered to deal with difficult emotions: soften around an emotion, acknowledge it’s there, feel where in the body it resides then bring compassion to yourself, then extend the compassion outwards to others feeling the same way
Mindfulness for insomnia was also discussed, which is a new way of approaching sleep difficulties. Recently I reviewed the book Mindfulness For Insomnia, which goes into this in more depth.
The book also covered other ways to apply mindfulness, including self-compassion, loving-kindness meditation, and bringing mindfulness to interpersonal relationships and communication.
At the end of the book there’s a suggested 8-week outline for how to go through it, based on how an MBSR course would be conducted.
A personal bias of mine is that I find some of the language that’s used in relation to meditation to be a bit hokey. A number of times this book describes mindfulness practice as “nourishing”. Maybe it is, which is great for them, but for me that wording is more of a turn-off than anything. That’s just my own personal preference, though.
I think this book would be a good pick for someone who’s interested in trying out meditation in a relatively structured way. If you’re looking to work on building mindful awareness without formal meditation, this probably wouldn’t be the best fit.
The authors offer this description of mindfulness:
“Mindfulness is about being fully aware of whatever is happening in the present moment, without filters or the lens of judgment, and can be brought to any situation. Put simply, mindfulness consists of cultivating awareness of the mind and body and living in the here and now.”
The book describes the fight or flight system and stress responses, as well as the mind-body connection. Ten essential attitudes for mindfulness are identified, including nonjudgment and self-compassion. There is an overview of research supporting the benefits of meditation.
A variety of meditations are offered for the reader, including both formal (i.e. “meditation” meditation) and informal practices. The body scan is identified as an important practice to become more aware of your body and how it holds tension.
The formal practices were mostly sitting meditations, although there was also a walking meditation and yoga meditation. The copy of the book that I received was in PDF format, and there were 30 pages devoted to drawings and brief descriptions of yoga poses. The illustrations seemed rather unsophisticated, and I think they could have done a better job of that.
Throughout the book there are questions for self-reflection, and space is given for the reader to fill in answers.
A chapter of the book is devoted to chronic pain. It describes three steps to follow: investigate the pain, work with emotions that arise as a result of the pain, and live in the present moment, approach pain one moment at a time. While being more mindful of pain may seem like the last thing you want to do, the authors offer some convincing explanations as to why this would be helpful.
There was also a chapter devoted to mindfulness for anxiety and depression. The recommended approach for anxiety involved mindful self-inquiry, turning into emotions, and finding your heart.
The acronym SAFE was offered to deal with difficult emotions: soften around an emotion, acknowledge it’s there, feel where in the body it resides then bring compassion to yourself, then extend the compassion outwards to others feeling the same way
Mindfulness for insomnia was also discussed, which is a new way of approaching sleep difficulties. Recently I reviewed the book Mindfulness For Insomnia, which goes into this in more depth.
The book also covered other ways to apply mindfulness, including self-compassion, loving-kindness meditation, and bringing mindfulness to interpersonal relationships and communication.
At the end of the book there’s a suggested 8-week outline for how to go through it, based on how an MBSR course would be conducted.
A personal bias of mine is that I find some of the language that’s used in relation to meditation to be a bit hokey. A number of times this book describes mindfulness practice as “nourishing”. Maybe it is, which is great for them, but for me that wording is more of a turn-off than anything. That’s just my own personal preference, though.
I think this book would be a good pick for someone who’s interested in trying out meditation in a relatively structured way. If you’re looking to work on building mindful awareness without formal meditation, this probably wouldn’t be the best fit.
July 25, 2019
** Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review **
Me acerque a este libro por curiosidad, teniendo nula experiencia con el Mindfulness, por lo que sea de lectura sencilla y apunte a ser una guía inicial, me sirvió mucho. Recomiendo tener el libro en formato impreso, y si se va a adquirir en electrónico, tener siempre una libreta a mano, ya que parte de las actividades que propone implican escribir. Es interesante que se propongan actividades, ya que permiten aplicar lo que se expone en el libro, ademas me resulto muy bueno, que tenga una actividad para poder ven cuál es nuestra situación actual. Seria interesante en un futuro que este disponible en español. Si ya cuentas con experiencia en la materia, este libro te va a resultar poco profundo.
Me acerque a este libro por curiosidad, teniendo nula experiencia con el Mindfulness, por lo que sea de lectura sencilla y apunte a ser una guía inicial, me sirvió mucho. Recomiendo tener el libro en formato impreso, y si se va a adquirir en electrónico, tener siempre una libreta a mano, ya que parte de las actividades que propone implican escribir. Es interesante que se propongan actividades, ya que permiten aplicar lo que se expone en el libro, ademas me resulto muy bueno, que tenga una actividad para poder ven cuál es nuestra situación actual. Seria interesante en un futuro que este disponible en español. Si ya cuentas con experiencia en la materia, este libro te va a resultar poco profundo.
December 24, 2023
This was mainly about mindfulness and how to apply it to stress and anxiety.
The practices written in the book were effective, but some really stressed people might be a little bit upset to vividly remember stressful moments or being said something true but hard to accept.
For me, the book was partly helpful but not as much as I wished. Mainly because I’ve already read the best workbook for meditation, and it included everything about mindfulness. It was more sophisticated and well written as a textbook for every meditator, so this book seemed like one with slightly poorer quality than the meditation book.
That’s why I put 2 starts, but if you’re new to the world of meditation, and less stressed but still want to deal with stress, this book would work for you.
The practices written in the book were effective, but some really stressed people might be a little bit upset to vividly remember stressful moments or being said something true but hard to accept.
For me, the book was partly helpful but not as much as I wished. Mainly because I’ve already read the best workbook for meditation, and it included everything about mindfulness. It was more sophisticated and well written as a textbook for every meditator, so this book seemed like one with slightly poorer quality than the meditation book.
That’s why I put 2 starts, but if you’re new to the world of meditation, and less stressed but still want to deal with stress, this book would work for you.
August 20, 2019
I'm impressed by this workbook as I am by so many of the books that New Harbinger Publications puts out. This one focuses on mindfulness and meditation techniques to reduce stress. It reminds me a lot of the type of mindfulness that is focused on in their DBA workbook, as well. I look forward to working through the workbook and all the techniques included. This book is a very valuable resource for those looking to live in the present, focus on the here and now, and find peace within themselves.
Thank you New Harbinger Publications for the sneak peek at your workbook. My opinions are my own.
Thank you New Harbinger Publications for the sneak peek at your workbook. My opinions are my own.
August 18, 2019
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a great beginners book on stress management with meditation. It also provides instruction for reducing pain, anxiety, and other medical issues. I feel it is important to go slowly through this book and try each idea to get a feel for what works best for you.
This is a great beginners book on stress management with meditation. It also provides instruction for reducing pain, anxiety, and other medical issues. I feel it is important to go slowly through this book and try each idea to get a feel for what works best for you.
August 21, 2023
The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now 💚
Correcto, útil y práctico, para profesionales y autoayuda. Aunque dependiendo de la persona puede ser por momentos espiritual de más si no te encaja ese estilo
Correcto, útil y práctico, para profesionales y autoayuda. Aunque dependiendo de la persona puede ser por momentos espiritual de más si no te encaja ese estilo
June 30, 2018
Useful workbook for MBSR study and practice.
January 25, 2019
Tomé un curso hace año y medio, luego algún otro en modalidad MOOC, he leído varios libros sobre el tema y éste es el que me ha dejado más complacido. Lo conservaré.
August 3, 2019
This is a fabulous workbook that anyone into mindfulness to should have. This workbook would make a great gift and I plan on buying it myself. Well written and easy to read.
August 11, 2019
It's an interesting and well organised book full of interesting ideas and exercises.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
September 29, 2019
Nice book to help you get to know yourself better. There are a lot of meditations to help get you through a lot of different areas in your life. Definitely a good read!
October 16, 2020
Required reading for my family stress and coping class this semester.
January 1, 2021
Muy práctico.
Para lo que es.
Para lo que es.
September 6, 2021
Great starting guide to mindfulness!
November 4, 2021
Everyone should read this! Quite catered for beginners.
May 9, 2022
Good book to incorporate into your practice or create a group practice
March 20, 2023
Educational! Used for school. Will definitely go back to it.
June 15, 2023
This really helped me. Everything is explained well. Lots of exercises. Well written. Good one!
July 18, 2024
Read for school.
August 31, 2019
Does give pages where there is prompts and space to write to help with mindfulness, stress and anxiety. There is information and helpful tips along with a few stories from people. Not a complete full on workbook, but a good start to help. And can be used as a reference.
September 14, 2019
I heard about this book in my yoga training many years ago so, when the second edition came up on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. A very pragmatic book that lays out ways to reduce stress with even-handed well-written chapters. Each idea has exercises for the readers to follow.
This book is going to be best for someone who can follow through on keeping journals, daily entries, etc.
This book is going to be best for someone who can follow through on keeping journals, daily entries, etc.
May 4, 2022
This is a great introduction to the practice of mindfulness. There are explanations and exercises to do that are simple yet effective. I would give this to anyone looking to begin their mindfulness journey.
June 16, 2013
I think that being a "workbook", the best way to read this would be in a physical form and not digital. If there was a way to keep the book interactive where one could enter data maybe it would be better. All in all, this book is a condensed "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat Zin. Having read that book which is more detailed and much more extensive, I found this one repetitive and redundant.
Still the message and intention is good and the link provided for guided meditations is worth the price of admission.
Had I the printed version and had I not read Full Catastrophe Living, I might have given this book 5 stars.
Still the message and intention is good and the link provided for guided meditations is worth the price of admission.
Had I the printed version and had I not read Full Catastrophe Living, I might have given this book 5 stars.
February 3, 2016
Disclaimer: as of right now I read this book once and I have not done any exercises from it.
I believe it's a good introduction to mindfulness. It describes basic concepts, gives exercises to practice them and gently takes reader to application of those concepts in everyday life. The book also can be looked at as a long term action plan.
I believe it's a good introduction to mindfulness. It describes basic concepts, gives exercises to practice them and gently takes reader to application of those concepts in everyday life. The book also can be looked at as a long term action plan.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews