Well Stressed

Book excerpt: Learn the science behind stress and start living better Stress can kill. Chronic stress has been linked to depression, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Left untreated it can cause serious and long-lasting health problems. Drawing on two decades of clinical research into the effects of stress on the brain and the body, For the Love of Stress is designed to help you learn to control your stress and live a happier, healthier life. Dr. Sonia Lupien is internationally respected as a leading authority on the science of stress, and in this practical, accessible book she provides an essential guide to understanding and managing the stresses we face every day. Identifying the four factors that underlie any stressful situation: Novelty—something new and unfamiliar; Unpredictability—not knowing how something is going to unfold; Threat—to your sense of self; and a poor Sense of self control, Dr. Lupien uses the appropriate acronym "N.U.T.S." to explore how stress makes us feel and how we can learn to cope. Helps the reader understand the science behind stress, how it affects us physically and mentally, and what we can do to keep it in check Explores why men make women's stress hormone levels rise but women cause men's stress hormone levels to drop Provides proven solutions for dealing with stress, including one for helping children to cope with moving schools as well as stress in the workplace Contrary to common belief stress is not simply "time pressure" or "workload" but rather our natural response to these things, characterized by the release of stress hormones Shows readers how a routine blood test can identify if you are at risk from high levels of stress hormones In her practical and accessible book Dr. Lupien shows how stress can and should be controlled, not avoided.