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Addicted to Stress by Debbie Mandel

A Woman's Seven Step Program

Sep 21, 2008

Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7 Step Program, Debbie Mandel, publisher Jossey-Bass, 2008, begins the first step with admitting the problem like most addictions.

In the beginning there’s a handy stress self-test that helps give general guidelines on what areas might need work.

If people are so busy they don’t have time to stop and think for example, it’s a good idea to create that time.

Later on she delves deeper into why it's happening with useful tips for curing stress addiction.

Self Esteem & Becoming a Healthy Narcissist

Obviously if people like themselves, they tend to be less stressed out. Always catering to others wants and needs frequently backfires and women end up feeling full of resentment.

There is a test to rate self-esteem and some helpful methods on how to improve it. Being labeled as having low self-esteem however can in fact make someone feel worse. Keep that in mind when taking the test.

Becoming a healthy narcissist coincides with the previous step, which is reclaiming your identity. If people only worry about what everyone else wants, their own desires can become clouded.

There’s a fun section on getting to know yourself that includes favorite colors, animals and what they signify. It sounds silly but it was rather enlightening.

Building a Healthy Body

This step contains excellent ideas on choosing healthier foods. Debbie Mandel smartly cautions against going with low carb trends since carbohydrates help boost serotonin levels.

Healthy carbohydrates can be obtained from pasta, cereals and bread as long as they’re made from whole wheat. Food does affect your mood so it’s an important component in reducing stress.

Worry, insomnia and guilt are also addressed with good tips on how to reduce them to improve mental and emotional health. Keeping a sense of humor certainly helps and there are suggested activities on how to trigger laughter and fun if it’s lacking.

Sexual Health

An unhealthy libido is also an apparent indicator of possible stress addiction although that seems a slight generalization. Regardless, dancing and laughing can only make women feel sexier so can’t hurt. There are a couple suggestions aimed at married women, which may or may not be helpful for all.

As an example, delegating tasks and asking for help is a good idea and encouraged. One of the ideas however was to post to do lists on a bulletin board for spouses. In some households, that would backfire.

The gist of the general message coming across is good. That is to use honest open communication rather than beating around the bush.

Other important changes to reduce stress that are encouraged and expanded upon include changing negative thoughts. The result is a healthier more positive approach to relationships and self.

Addicted to Stress is well written, empowering and helpful even though all suggestions would not apply to all women. Debbie Mandel publishes the popular website Addicted to Stress and runs workshops for women and couples.

The copyright of the article Addicted to Stress by Debbie Mandel in Personal Growth Books is owned by Sandra Williams. Permission to republish Addicted to Stress by Debbie Mandel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.