Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough : The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them [Paperback]

Jill Zimmerman Rutledge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2003 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

With compassion and insight, an expert counselor shows teen girls how to find the solutions to stress and anxiety that lie within

Parents, schoolwork, boyfriends, college . . .it's enough to make any teenage girl wish she could just snap her fingers and make it all go away. But with the click of her heels, she'll soon discover that the means to dealing with stress were always within her power. Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough helps teenage girls find the wisdom within to overcome stress in their lives.

A serious self-help guide for teenage girls that is neither preachy nor condescending, Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough uses real-life anecdotes to help readers triumph over difficulties. Common teen anxieties include:

• Body image
• Dating
• Divorce
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Friends and bullies
• Substance abuse
• Gay and lesbian issues

The book also includes short introductions of each subject, expert quotes, statistics, key points, reading lists, Web pages, and toll-free numbers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-10-Using quotes from women in history and anecdotal stories of adolescent girls, "Dr. Jill" gives prescriptions for dealing with difficult situations. The chapters address relationships, drug addiction, stress, body image, parental divorce, insomnia, bullies, and having a crush on another girl, and the author offers several scenarios based on her years of experience as a psychotherapist. She encourages self-examination and taking action, including asking oneself questions and trying different remedies for problems. Every chapter encourages readers to find ways to respect themselves. The author admits that some situations are complicated and offers realistic solutions. For example, in the chapter regarding drugs and alcohol, she acknowledges that pressure from friends can be difficult. One solution she recommends is volunteering to be the designated driver, which relieves the pressure because it is then socially acceptable not to drink. Although the anecdotes are generic and include only a first name, they are broad in scope and right on target.
Karen Hoth, Marathon Middle/High School, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Boyfriends? Dieting? Peer Pressure? Dr. Jill has the 411 on all your top ten 911 emergencies!

What's the deal? You go to school, have a part-time job, maybe even watch your little brother, but you still don't feel like you've got your act together. In fact, you are pretty much stressed out all of the time. Well, there is at least one good thing happening in your life right now because Dr. Jill gets it. She has been listening to girls talk about their anxieties and pressures for more than twenty years. There is nothing she hasn't heard. In her new book Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough, Dr. Jill talks about the top ten things that stress you out and helps you discover ways to deal with whatever life throws your way.

In Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough, real girls--just like you--talk about the same issues you're facing and offer great advice to help you get a grip on your life. Each chapter examines how three different girls handled a particular problem to help you choose a calming skill that works for you.

Can you imagine a life where you actually can find ways to:

• Balance your responsibilities and actually have a social life?
• Finally turn off the constant nagging in your head and maybe get a good night's sleep for once?
• Deal with peer pressure, cliques, and your overscheduled life?
• Tackle the heavy stuff like divorce, school, and--yikes--dating?

Learn how to feel more confident, in control, centered, and at peace from the inside out with the coping skills you'll learn from Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071423265
• ISBN-13: 978-0071423267
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a psychotherapist and have been working with girls and young women for over 20 years. I decided to write self-help books for teens because I think we all need to learn special coping skills to help us get through tough situations--and the earlier a girl learns these skills, the more confident she'll be in her life.

My own special coping skills include yoga, journaling, meditation, long walks with my dog,and listening to (and sometimes playing) music. I just started doing crossword puzzles to calm down at the end of a busy day. I keep trying new coping skills--the more you have, the better!

I've had great responses to my book, Dealing With The Stuff That Makes Life Tough: The Ten Things That Stress Girls Out and How To Cope With Them. And I'm working on another book for girls!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical advice for teens, insight for parents, November 29, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough : The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them (Paperback)

I found this book really useful. It speaks directly to teens and offers specific techniques for handling problems like peer pressure, sleeplessness, sadness and others. A lot of the advice still applies to me as a grown woman - I tried some of the suggestions for insomnia, and they really worked! It was also eye-opening for me as a mother to read the anecdotes from teen girls and understand their problems from their point of view. I have also bought copies for each of my teenaged nieces and would recommend it to any teen girl and her parents.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and refreshingly honest with concrete solutions, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough : The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them (Paperback)

This author gets right to the core of insecurity with body image, friendships and the painful process of dealing with divorce when you love both parents. In a gentle but experienced way, this therapist has an acute awareness and sensitivity to an adolescent's concerns.

As a teacher and mother of two daughters, I found this book to be a "bible" of knowledge.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, September 11, 2005

By 

A mom of 2 girls - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dealing with the Stuff That Makes Life Tough : The 10 Things That Stress Girls Out and How to Cope with Them (Paperback)

This is by far the best self-help book for girls that I have ever come across. It addresses issues--some very difficult--that pre-teen and teenage girls are faced with today. I thought that every chapter was sensitive and well-written. My 14 year old daughter thought the chapters on body image, anxiety and insomnia made her feel better about herself and more in control of her life. I thought that the last chapter, on lesbian teens, was appropriate and helpful as it showed that most girls are not gay, and that tolerance for others who are different is important. My 12 year old daughter found this reassurring as she was beginning to worry that she was a lesbian because of something she read in a magazine. This book is a must-read for every adolescent girl and her parents.