The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook

by Martha Davis PhD, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman MSW, Matthew McKay PhD

Overview

Now in its seventh edition—with more than one million copies sold worldwide—The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook remains the go-to resource for stress reduction strategies that can be incorporated into even the busiest lives.

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook broke new ground when it was first published in 1980, detailing easy, step-by-step techniques for calming the body and mind in an increasingly overstimulated world. Now in its seventh edition, this fully revised and updated workbook—highly regarded by therapists and their clients—offers the latest stress reduction techniques to combat the effects of stress and integrate healthy relaxation habits into every aspect of daily life.

This new edition also includes powerful self-compassion practices, fully updated chapters on the most effective tools for coping with anxiety, fear, and panic—such as worry delay and defusion, two techniques grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—as well as a new section focused on body scan.

In the workbook, you’ll explore your own stress triggers and symptoms, and learn how to create a personal action plan for stress reduction. Each chapter features a different method for relaxation, explains why the method works, and provides on-the-spot exercises you can do when you feel stressed out. The result is a comprehensive yet accessible workbook that will help you to curb stress and cultivate a more peaceful life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684033348
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	04/01/2019
Edition description:	Seventh Edition
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	66,957
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Martha Davis, PhD, was a psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, CA, where she practiced individual, couples, and group psychotherapy for more than thirty years prior to her retirement. She is coauthor of Thoughts and Feelings.

Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW, worked for the Kaiser Permanente Health Care Program for thirty-seven years. During her tenure, she was a clinical social worker, hospice director, researcher, health educator, and management development instructor and coach. She is retired and lives in Northern California.

Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books, including Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, When Anger Hurts, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. McKay received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression. He lives and works in the greater San Francisco Bay Area

Table of Contents

Preface to the Seventh Edition xi

Acknowledgments xiii

How to Get the Most Out of This Workbook xv

1 How You React to Stress 1

Sources of Stress 1

Fight-or-Flight Response 2

Chronic Stress and Disease 3

Impact of Recent Experience 4

Prevention 8

Symptom Relief 8

Tactics for Coping with Stress 11

Knowing Your Goal 13

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 14

Further Reading 15

2 Body Scan 19

Background 19

Body Inventory 20

Stress-Awareness Diary 21

Releasing Tension 24

Further Reading 27

3 Breathing 29

Background 29

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 30

Time to Master 32

Instructions 32

Preparing to Do Breathing Exercises 32

Breathing Basics 33

Special Considerations 34

Breathing for Tension Release and Increased Awareness 36

Breathing for Symptom Control or Release 39

Final Thoughts 42

Further Reading 42

Recordings 42

4 Progressive Relaxation 43

Background 43

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 44

Time to Master 44

Instructions 44

Special Considerations 48

Further Reading 48

Recording 48

5 Meditation 49

Background 49

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 51

Time to Master 51

Instructions 51

Exercises 54

Special Considerations 65

Further Reading 66

Recordings 66

6 Visualization 67

Background 67

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 68

Time to Master 68

Instructions 68

Special Considerations 74

Further Reading 75

Recordings 75

7 Applied Relaxation Training 77

Background 77

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 78

Time to Master 78

Instructions 78

Special Considerations 84

Further Reading 84

Recording 84

8 Self-Hypnosis 85

Background 85

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 86

Contraindications 86

Time to Master 86

Instructions 86

Special Considerations 98

Further Reading 99

9 Autogenics 101

Background 101

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 102

Contraindications 103

Time to Master 103

Instructions 104

Special Considerations 108

Further Reading 109

Recording 110

10 Brief Combination Techniques 111

Background 111

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 112

Time to Master 112

Instructions 112

Further Reading 117

Recordings 117

11 Self-Compassion 119

Background 119

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 120

Time to Master 120

Building Self-Compassion 120

Final Thoughts 126

Further Reading 126

12 Refuting Irrational Ideas 127

Background 127

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 129

Time to Master 130

Instructions 130

Refuting Irrational Ideas 139

Special Considerations 144

Rational Emotive Imagery 145

Further Reading 148

13 Relieving Worry and Anxiety 149

Background 149

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 151

Time to Master 151

Instructions 151

Thought Defusion 154

Change Your Safety Behaviors 157

Turn Worry into Problem Solving 166

Final Thoughts 170

Further Reading 170

14 Facing Fear and Avoidance 171

Background 171

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 173

Time to Master 173

Instructions 173

Special Considerations 187

Further Reading 187

15 Anger Inoculation 189

Background 189

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 190

Time to Master 190

Instructions 190

Special Considerations 205

Further Reading 205

6 Goal Setting and Time Management 207

Background 207

Limits of Multitasking 208

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 210

Time to Master 210

Instructions 210

Clarifying Your Values 211

Setting Goals 213

Developing an Action Plan 217

Evaluating How You Spend Your Time 220

Combating Procrastination 227

Organizing Your Time 228

Further Reading 231

17 Assertiveness Training 233

Background 233

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 237

Time to Master 238

Instructions 238

Further Reading 261

18 Work-Stress Management 263

Background 263

What Causes Work Burnout? 263

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 265

Time to Master 265

Five Steps Toward Managing Your Work Stress 265

Final Thoughts 278

Further Reading 278

Recording 278

19 Nutrition and Stress 279

Background 279

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 280

Time to Master 280

Twelve Steps to Healthy Eating 280

Self-Assessment 295

Taking Charge of Your Nutritional Well-Being 301

Final Thoughts 303

Further Reading 303

Websites and Other Resources 304

20 Exercise 305

Background 305

Symptom-Relief Effectiveness 305

Time to Master 306

Instructions 306

Types of Exercise 312

Setting Goals and Developing a Successful Program 314

Special Considerations 319

Sticking with It 322

Further Reading 324

Other Resources 325

21 When It Doesn't Come Easy-Getting Unstuck 327

Taking Responsibility for Your Decisions 328

Confront Your Excuses 328

Confronting Roadblocks to Stress Management and Relaxation 329

When Symptoms Persist 330

Persistence Pays 332

Index 335

Interviews

Davis resides in Trinidad, CA; Eshelman and McKay reside in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Editorial Reviews

This wonderful workbook will help individuals reduce their stress, as well as serve as a powerful tool for therapists. The exercises are beautifully laid out. The information is easy to follow, while having depth to the material that will make a difference in someone’s life. Davis, Eshelman, and McKay provide an invaluable resource. I feel incredibly confident recommending this book to anyone wanting to decrease stress and improve psychological well-being.”
—Jonathan Barkin, PsyD, partner, San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy; assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley; and coauthor of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens

Jonathan Barkin

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook is a classic. Its track record speaks for itself, now in its seventh edition and over one million copies sold. This is the ‘go-to’ workbook for stress reduction, offering a comprehensive array of strategies and down-to-earth practices to live better with stress and anxiety.”
—Bob Stahl, PhD, coauthor of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, Living With Your Heart Wide Open, Calming the Rush of Panic, A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook for Anxiety, and MBSR Every Day

Bob Stahl

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook is a classic that has helped millions of people to manage their stress and live happier, more relaxed lives. This latest edition contains updates that incorporate the latest research-based approaches and provide new tools and exercises to help you learn skills such as self-compassion, overcoming avoidance, and defusing negative thoughts to take away their power. Whether you are dealing with a difficult life transition; chronic work, health, or relationship stress; or daily hassles like traffic and paperwork that wear you down; this book will help you cope in healthy, positive ways.”
—Melanie Greenberg, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of The Stress-Proof Brain

Melanie Greenberg

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook is both classic and contemporary. It has not only stood the test of time but also has kept up with changing times by including new research and evidence-based best practices.”
—Patrick Fanning, coauthor of The Daily Relaxer and Mind and Emotions

Patrick Fanning

I am so impressed with the thoroughness of the seventh edition of The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook. It is a great resource for individuals and practitioners alike.”
—Michele Haney, PhD, Red Rocks Community College, Denver, Colorado; coauthor of Stress Owners’ Manual

Michele Haney

After seven editions, this workbook continues to be one of my favorite stress management resources. I still refer to my copy of the original version published in 1980. I love everything about this new edition, from the extensive references and strong theoretical framework to the practical, easy-to-use (and teach) self-help techniques. A must for anyone interested in stress management.”
—Richard Blonna, EdD, retired professor emeritus from William Paterson University of New Jersey, and author of Stress Less, Live More and Coping with Stress in a Changing World

Richard Blonna

"This comprehensive workbook deserves to be in the library of every active therapist, but it shouldn’t be left on the shelf! Once again, the authors have empowered the reader with straightforward instructions on every major approach to stress management known. From worry to chronic headaches to information overload, here is your one-stop guide to recovery."
—R. Reid Wilson, PhD, author of Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks

"This text remains, after twenty years, the clearest, best-organized, and most readable book on stress management. It has achieved the status of the ‘classic’ self-help reference in the field."
—Edmund J. Bourne, PhD, author of The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Coping with Anxiety, and Beyond Anxiety and Phobia

"An exemplary book on stress. It is lucidly written, rationally ordered, and comprehensive, and each section is densely packed with instructions and exercises which make the workbook easy to practice."
—Somatics Magazine: Journal of the Mind/Body Arts and Sciences

From the Publisher