Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Women

by Kristine Carlson, Richard Carlson

Featured in Don't Sweat the Small The Kristine Carlson Story starring Heather Locklear, premiering on Lifetime

Examining the stresses and burdens that women are often confronted with--whether in the boardroom or the office bullpen, in relationships, or among friends- -New York Times bestselling author Kris Carlson gives you proven strategies for balancing yourself within a chaotic world and finding ways do what you like best. Her insights reveal how

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Inspirational, Womens, Personal Development, Personal Growth, Psychology

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Hyzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with this is that the focus on the small stuff is on *really* small stuff. This was definitely written for people who have a lot more free time to worry about things, which is fair enough. When the author suggests going out and getting exercise/getting dirty every day and follows it up by explaining she does this by riding her horse, I felt the reality of our lives and our potential ways of coping with problems were pretty far apart.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise. Written almost 20 years ago, this book of tips, advice and inspiration for living is still relevant as ever in this age of #selfcare and #mindfulness. In other words, the more things change, the more they stay same.

[Marija S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seriously... the only reason I can relate to 90% of what was written in this book is because I watch American movies and TV shows and am vagualy familiar with the stereotypical "American way of life".

I do not imply that the advice given in this book is false... for the author. I just want you to keep in mind it was written by an idle, typical American housewife of a (rich) man. Or, to put short - even though we're both modern women, we are worlds apart. Planets, in some senses. That's why this booklet strikes me as cute... but, oh, SO off the mark

[Sarah McGraw · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing, uplifting book. I'm only reading one chapter a night, so it will take me a while to read.

[Jacquline Ard · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of good advice, but that's what makes this book more about breadth rather than depth. I guess it would make an interesting gift (or an insult) to a Type A woman who is trying to be both the perfect mother and career woman. In fact, the author kind of assumes that the reader is someone "balancing" motherhood and job. I was getting married upper-middle-class vibes, but some chapters could still be applied by other living situations.

An important bit that I learned was that boredom is a form of anxiety. That's why some people have to be "busy" or on to the next challenge. It's an inability to just chill--a lack of mindfulness. So women will pack their schedule full, stress and hurry on a daily basis, and then they find themselves "sweating the small stuff." Basically, even if there is a moment of peace, "something has to be done."

I'm not a busy person. I tend to have jobs that aren't erratic or particular, nor do I have kids, so I was looking more for advice based on overthinking and overanalyzing every detail of existence. This was not the book for me. It's not scientific or philosophical enough for that.

Still, this would be a decent read for someone that is questioning why they hate their family and their job while they're considering tearing out their hair in frustration--aka perfectionists who can finally admit that they can't do it all (like normal people).

[SHR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this too repetitive and not concrete enough. There was a lot of talk of doing things from a place of warmth and love. Lots of “do this” type of advice without practical suggestions of how to, although there were examples to illustrate the undesired behaviour and/or thought processes. It wasn’t as well written as the other “Small Stuff” books. Having said that it was worth reading, there were lots of bits and pieces that resonated or made me think.

A few examples:
• We’re all in this together. As world citizens, we’re all subject to the problem of being human – none of us are exempt.
• When you have regrets about your choices and dwell on them, you aren’t necessarily growing, but rather you’re wishing things are different from the way they are. Yes, there are times we could have done things differently, but instead of dwelling on regret, we should learn something, incorporate it and move on.
• Give yourself permission to vent. Do it once, vent, get it off your chest but try to stop repeat venting. Each time you repeat a complaint you generate negative feelings, you perpetuate them and you can easily get stuck in them.

[Katandra Shanel · Rating 5 out of 5]

EVERY woman should read this book! My absolute fave... #97 Climb your mountain one step at a time! This book has been dog-eared like crazy! I intend to read this book again next year and each hereafter. What an awesome reminder to NOT sweat the small stuff.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

it is a good book to change the way i think. makes me becoming a better person.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

HATE

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bleh. Nothing original to be found here. Mostly stuff like "enjoy housework because it's a labor of love". Sure...

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a positive energy , motivated by reading this book!
The book is like a reminder for a woman whether she is single , working Mom, divorced ..it doesn't matter , knowing that you are important and you are valued by loving yourself allowing yourself to feel what it feels like when things gets off track , you must take the time to enjoy your femininity and celebrate it , and always remember to treasure the journey .

[Cat Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

One hundred brief essays directed to women of the Type A variety mostly. It had several very good ones, with directions on how to not overcommit, how to speak and listen ( see number 7, it was especially good) take time for yourself etc.

Kinda a loosely knit self-help tome. But fun enough, and smart enough. Read it sporadically over five months so never found it monotonous.

Good in small doses, not a cover-to-cover effort.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and easy read for a hot (and sweaty) summer day. Thought-provoking? Yes!! Will it motivate readers to change their less than desirable habits? Maybe! My favourite chapters: "My Way Is Not 'the' Way --It's Just My Way" and "Treasure the Journey".

P.S. Not going to sweat to write a longer review! The book title speaks for itself!

[Reffi Dhinar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has so many good tips for us to be more relax, cheerful, but stronger in the same time. Women should set their own happiness before nurturing others. It makes sense for me. How can we become a good mother, a playful teacher, a best friend for our girl's gank, if we don't know how to please ourselves? Listen to our intuition and embrace our logical side too

[Ruth Bookridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several pieces of good advice. Chapter 75 was one of my favs- "Gripe to the One you've got the gripe with." Seems many women struggle with this. We spend a lot of time venting about problems with other people in our lives to our friends but lack the courage to confront the person who offended us. I read in small increments so I could ponder and apply the advice.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. If this is the first ever self help-inspirational book you have ever read, I am sure you will think it is great. I thought it was ok. Nothing new or amazing..... I wonder how many women received this as a gift and never made the time to read it.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little book for women on how to lead a less stressed, happy life. Key points are: set priorities (family and personal), live in the moment, take care of spirit, don't get bogged down by unimportant stuff.

women
peace
attitude
self-help

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a excellent book all women should read. The author took a lot of excellent view points and placed them right in our hands.

I got plenty of good information to utilize in my day to day especially at work. Totally a must have. I’m giving my copy to my older sister to enjoy.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some stuff seemed really trite and really materialistic.

[Nehal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing !

[Julia Southwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, this one just wasn’t all that necessary in my opinion.

[Deborah Gaspar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great practical advice about how to worry about what is important and to leave the rest alone.

[Donna O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book
simply things to help you not sweat the small stuff
builds on any other self help you've done

[Lisa Wada · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides good advice in small chunks. It was enjoyable and helpful, but not ground-breaking.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good advice in quick chapters, stuff we know about, but need to be reminded of.

[♡ Tina K ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good reminder for the mindset I have for years. Recommended for beginners in reading self-help books :)

[Alexa Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such good everyday reminders for life!!

[Natalya · Rating 1 out of 5]

About 20% of this book is common sense advice and the other 80% is the author providing examples of this common sense from her own life.

The reason I picked up this book was because it promised to be for "everyone". Married, single, parent, career woman. That turned out to be completely false and all the author can speak to is her own life experiences as a middle class wife and mother to a couple of kids.

I had to laugh when she provided an example of a day where "everything went wrong". She woke up half an hour late and therefore couldn't go for a run with her running partner, her daughter didn't like how she did her hair, and her husband mixed lights with darks when he did the laundry. Wow.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something I really didn't like was the generic advice and generalized language; very rarely did she offer concrete practices for women to try. After awhile, a lot of the things she talked about seemed very obvious and I was just trying to get through the book. I'm glad that she included things for single women, even though she mentions husbands and children a lot.

[Victoria Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 100 brief chapters with titles like "Save Your Pot-Stirring For Cooking Dinner" and "Merge The Spiritual And Material Worlds" "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff for Women" by Kristine Carlson is an inspiring and uplifting book that talked to me on a lot of different levels. Beautifully intermixed with true anecdotes from her life, while I read it, I felt like Carlson was a wise and reliable friend whom I could turn to when in need. Paced perfectly to include topics that encompassed family, career and personal issues it was packed with advice for alleviating stress and not becoming overwhelmed in the process. Ultimately the most important thing I learned from the book was how to strive for balance and not feel guilty about taking a little time for myself.