Books for Prep | |
 - If you feel you worry too much, you might like this book"Worry" by Edward Hallowell is an excellent self-help book to read for people who feel they worry too much. It is also great introduction to the academic and clinical treatment of worry. "Worry" teaches us that people, by evolutionary design, worry. Worry results from the combination of fear and the ability to create abstract thoughts. Worry is the natural result of combining "What if?" with fear. Fear, like pain, is a natural mechanism to protect people. It was smart to be afraid of the Saber-toothed tiger that was looking at you. It told you that you had a problem to deal with. We are wired for fear as Hallowell writes. People without any fears tend not to live long under dangerous environments. Yet, as humans developed more sophisticated brains, which gave us other adaptational survival advantages, we naturally started thinking about what could go wrong in our lives. We began worrying and became somewhat neurotic as a species. Now some worry is natural and good, but Hallowell discusses "toxic" worry, where one worries relentlessly about something that probably should be given less thought than it is receiving. The book gives great practical advice for dealing with worry, such as sharing your concerns with others, and exercise. Exercise tends to divert the mind from its worries and helps the mind deal with worry. Also, Hallowell points out the obvious, but often-overlooked things we can do to reduce our worry about some such thing. For example, getting the facts about the thing that concerns us, and then taking some action to overcome the lurking danger that is concerning us. Certainly, this beats endlessly ruminating on our fears. For most people, the chapter "The Management Of Worry Without Medication" will be the most useful. Hallowell writes that we should try to distinguish between toxic worry and the healthy variety and just as we feel ourselves becoming enmeshed in toxic worry, we should do something to reset our mind by doing something that distracts us from the worry. Again, exercise is an example. The discussion of the relationship between worry and genetics is very interesting as is learning that worry adversely affects our bodies. Hence, the label of "toxic." Finally, a clinical psychologist after my own heart, Hallowell suggests saving money for a rainy day and not doing things that you know to be wrong. This book also mentions more extreme solutions such as Prozac and cingulotomy (that's a lobotomy, in case you're wondering) Did we mention this is not just another feel-good self-help book? Hallowell is a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Plus he's a really good speaker. If you feel you might have a problem with worry, this book is probably the best book on the subject. It will give you an easy-to-read introduction to worry, great tips for overcoming your worries and will help you decide if you need professional help for your worries. Don't worry, read this book and be happy. Peter Hupalo, Author of "Becoming An Investor" Rating:  - A multimodal approach to worryI found this book extremely practical and helpful. Dr. Hallowell describes different types of worry and explains the various approaches for working to curb worry. Dr. Hallowell is honest in that worry cannot be cured -- only managed. Dr. Hallowell comes up with a variety of approaches for worry including medical and non-medical. I am sending a copy of this book to all the worriers in my own family! Rating: - Worry: Controlling It and Using It WiselyI appreciated the case studies in Dr. Hallowell's book because they made me realize that "I am not alone." Indeed, some very accomplished people struggle with the same "worry weight" that I do. Enough ideas are presented for attacking worry to give the reader a good start. No book solves a person's problems. But Dr. Hallowell's book can give you the tools to start whittling away at worry's effects in your life. Rating:  - Worry 101This is a good overview of the various forms of worry and the generally recommended treatments. I don't think it will reduce your worries on its own, but I do think it will help point you in the direction of help. I found the book "Choose to be Happy" more useful in identifying the positive steps I could take to reframe my perspective on my life. Rating: - WorryI got a LOT from this book. Yes, it is very simply written and there is repetition in his recommendations. However, people who worry are used to repetition, as that is what worry is all about! It is a definite starting point for anyone who has nagging worries, but doesn't need to see a therapist right away. In certain sections, there were passages that leapt off the page and demanded my attention,either personally or for others in my life who struggle with worry,paranoia, etc. in a variety of settings. I don't know what the expectation was by those who rated this book lower than 4 stars, but I definitely disagree with them! In association with Amazon.com | |