Customer Reviews

Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life

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If there's one thing that women everywhere know about, it's stress. Stress about kids, relationships, work, dinner, laundry...the list goes on and on. In fact, one might say women are "addicted to stress." Which is exactly the idea behind Debbie Mandel's ingenious new book. In it, she likens a woman's tireless work to identity theft and points out the irony of calling a never-ending to-do list that we use to keep ourselves occupied every moment of every day "progress." But there's good news - we're only 7 simple steps away from changing our lives. Mandel helps women understand that stress addiction is a real problem, recognize the signs, and take action to improve our health and better our lives. And she's got her work cut out for her; after all, one of the major problems with stress addiction is that women today feel they need to keep busy in order to thrive. How often do you find yourself with free time, only to wonder what work or chores you could be getting done instead? Sure, we know we're busy, but we relish the purpose and sense of accomplishment, right? It turns out that stress may be affecting our lives in more ways than we realize, damaging our relationships, our family life, and even our health. Mandel's book is as interactive as it is informative, and it's absolutely a must read for anyone who experiences even a little stress in her daily life (which, let's face it, is pretty much everyone). With anecdotes from women you can relate to, questions and activities to really get you thinking about your own life, and advice to change everything from your diet and your house to your routine and your mindset, this book has the potential to really make a difference in your life. So enough with the excuses - finding the time to read this book will mean finding the time to rediscover yourself.

I was expecting a well-written work with a warm touch of humor, given Ms. Mandel's credentials; but I was delighted to find so much more. "Addicted to Stress" is not only filled with the latest scientific research on "stress" and why and how it affects we women as it does; this volume is chock full of practical wisdom, useful guidelines, and enough "eureka" moments to make reading it a potentially life-changing event. The self-tests throughout the book are interesting and illuminating. I also enjoyed the private incidents that Ms. Mandel shares with her readers. These examples bring her unique thesis to life, illustrating how the "seven step" program helps the reader reclaim joy and spontaneity. One of the many nuggets that I found enlightening is the distinction Ms. Mandel makes between "force" and "power"--and how the two different elements play out in a person's life. This book contains loads of revealing insights that will help you enjoy life more, live better now, and, as promised, break your (or help some one else break her) addiction to stress.

In this humorous and witty book, Debbie Mandel speakes to women and the many ways our life styles promote stress. Beyond identifying stressful areas, Debbie offers practical and fun stress-reduction ideas that are easy to incorporate into a stressful life. This book is a must no matter what stage of life you are currently living. I have bought extra copies of the book to give as gifts. Every woman deserves to benefit from the anecdotes and tips that are sprinked throughout this wonderful book.

If you live around New York City, you know Debbie Mandel, and you know she's a straight talker who gives good advice to people on issues that matter. Here she takes a look at our love/hate relationship with stress, and speaks with humor and warmth to help her sisters get to the other side of chaos. Her advice is sound (although I found the references to some medical issues inaccurate, such as carbohydrates being a source of tryptophan--strictly speaking that's not so, but she is correct in saying that you need carbs in order for the protein to get into your brain). I think women (and men) could benefit from reading this insightful and clear book. The material meshes well with my own work:
The Secrets of Happily Married Women: How to Get More Out of Your Relationship by Doing Less

So much of what Debbie Mandel says sticks. She was the first person I'd read to explore what drives the woman who constantly reminds everyone how busy she is. One of my favorite examples of Debbie's unique take on things is Step 5: Cultivate Your Sense of Fun and Humor. She questions our need for age-old proverbs and aphorisms (such as "Look Before you Leap" and "He Who Hesitates is Lost") that contradict each other when juxtaposed and don't really fit who we are, but live on because they've been branded in our heads. Her don't-numb-down message tells us why it's okay to seek and create new truths. What a great starting point for change.

I've found a lot of useful books at Amazon and the reviews are often what help me the most to find the good stuff. I knew I was taking a chance with the limited reviews of this book and unfortunately I ended up disappointed.

The advice is pretty generic and the author seems to me to have a bias toward an audience of married women who are very invested in home and family. There are also some references to god and religion that turned me off. I wouldn't say this was a religious self help book but she mentions church and that sort of thing from time to time and the assumption that reader have a religious background bothered me.

The thing that bother me the most is that she did a lot more of telling you what to do and how to fix it rather than asking you questions to promote your own insights and discover your own solutions.

I bought this book minutes after hearing Debbie Mandel's interview on National Public Radio. I wish I would have waited and just checked it out at my local library. The information in the book is not well organized and there is just too much to take it all in. If you aren't already stressed when you start this book, you will be when you finish it. Granted, the author does give some insight on why women are creating some of their own stressors, she doesn't offer much substantive advice on eliminating those stressors. Basically, a somewhat interesting read but definitely not worth the purchase.