Customer Reviews

The Myth of Stress: Where Stress Really Comes From and How to Live a Happier and Healthier Life

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is what a self-help book should be. You buy it, you honestly and earnestly do what it says to do and it all works like it says it will. This is the way it's supposed to be. I can't think of a higher recommendation. I was shocked at how the stress went way down when I did my own worksheet on "Why I should not be financially successful at this time." I thought taking an honest look at myself would make me feel worse and, in addition, cause me to lose my motivation to work hard. But just as the author explains in detail, you will actually unwind your emotional knots and feel much better. I actually want to work harder and smarter but this time, after having done the worksheet, I am now coming from a different place. A place of greatly improved peace and clear-mindedness. Furthermore, the changes appear to be long-lasting, not just a temporary high. But even if I'm not ultimately successful, in a way, I'm no longer emotionally attached to the outcome whatever it may be. This is the first clear-headedness and peace-of-mind I have ever experienced. I also noticed that the relief is immediate but after several days of occasional reflection the insight is deeper and so is the sweet peace. The implications are pretty staggering. This means I can be my own counselor. I no longer feel that I have to depend on anyone else for my happiness or to help me "figure things out emotionally." In my mind, this is what all my years of reading the Bible and religion should have done(bring me peace and tremendous desire to work hard). Instead, they just made me feel worse about myself and not motivated to do anything but apologize for even living. This book did for me what the Bible, religion, NLP, "Law of Attraction" books and all the other, seemingly endless, psychology books could not do. In a way, to me, this book is the Rosetta Stone for all of Psychology. What is the point of Psychology/Psychiatry? To provide insight that is totally convincing to yourself and that destroys the negative beliefs you are holding. In NLP terms, this technique allows me to to reframe-on-demand anything I want(far easier and more effective than "Mind-Lines"). And have the insights and peace-of-mind stick. If doubt creeps in, I just do another worksheet. I can now thankfully throw away my NLP books, Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Think and Grow Rich, the "Law of Attraction" scam books(including "The Secret" and Joseph Murphy) and all the rest. Why couldn't they get to the point in a simple, elegant and intensely practical way like this author has? Thank you, sir.

The single most effective, scientifically based, and immediately actionable approach I have ever used to respond to experiences of stress, regret & discrimination - ESPECIALLY for skeptics and people turned off by anything that smells of cheesy "self-help."

Chapters "The Myth of Discrimination," "The Myth of a Broken Heart," and "The Myth of Dying Too Soon" alone are probably worth 10x the sticker price of the book.

I literally read the book from beginning to end, followed along by doing the exercises honestly, paying full attention, and have already obliterated the traces of a couple major stresses and past regrets already. Now that I've finished the book, I've established the habit of doing the very simple ActivInsight exercise on paper (on my computer, actually) whenever something new comes up.

I can't recommend this enough. Even though I'm a big "self-help" guy, I RARELY ever promote such material for fear of being made fun of.

This book is so important, though, that I don't care. Furthermore, with the book's tone I feel even more compelled to share it especially with people who are usually turned off by self-help.

I have long enthusiastically studied both eastern religious and western psychological approaches to the relief of stress and suffering. Andy has identified the essential wisdom behind the ones that actually work which is that it is not our experience that causes suffering but rather our thoughts about our experience that cause us to suffer.

He presents a practical way to understand and benefit from this insight that is extremely elegant and clear. I find more than anything else I've come across, I can feel comfortable sharing Andy's book and insights with people. There is a logic and common sense to this process that once understood is so reasonable that it seems very unlikely to me to trigger the cynicism or skepticism you might expect from someone not normally attracted to this subject.

I highly recommend this book for oneself. But furthermore, I highly recommend this book for a friend who might otherwise never be open enough to consider an alternative viewpoint to negotiate their way through life difficulty.

This is a book simply, clearly, and logically enough written that I believe it can cast a very wide net on who will be able and interested to hear it. It is by no means the first book to take on this subject and to attempt to share this wisdom. But it may well be the most clear and the most accessible.

I never thought I'd give five stars to a self help book - I'll be honest I can't stand self help books. The few I've read have been far too spiritual or touchy-feely for my taste, and more concerned with giving a new spin to worn cliches than with providing useful perspective. The Myth of Stress is the exception to the rule: it provides a hands-on, innovative and at the same time common-sensical approach to an important driver in all of our lives.

Drawing on Greek philosophy as much as self help, Bernstein is a truly original mind. The concept in The Myth of Stress emphasizes achieving lasting change not by feel-good phrases or autosuggestion, but by reality testing and active-minded thinking. Books that leave you thinking about an issue in a fundamentally different way are few and far between; The Myth of Stress is one of these rare gems. Highly recommended.

Although Activinsight seems corny as a name. It's true. The only way to beat stress is to gain insight on why the reason you are stressing yourself out. "Do you want to be at peace or do you want to be right?" If you want to be at peace, read this book.

The Myth of Stress, by Andrew Bernstein, appears to be a real and solid tool that anyone who is open to its concepts, can follow and successfuly implement. I found his approach and tone to be very user-friendly. This book is a pleasant and helpful read. Even if you have past experience with some approach resembling what is discussed in the book, you may find yourself wanting to connect with this work at the start.
I believe Mr. Bernstein has given the public something useful and relevent in a time when the topic of stress is at its height.

Just want to give The Myth of Stress a very postive "thumbs up". The book will make you work, 12 Exercises but the reward is worth it, "insights" not seen before. The only negative is the evoultion theory, which I do not believe. In reality Activinsight is a process of truth and how it is easy to build up and believe lies in your life. Those lies cause stress and the insights help put you in the "zone" to deal with reality. Good stuff.

It's a book that gives a chance to look with another eyes to the same problems.It's not melodramatic, goes straight to the point .The reading goes easy, explanations are well done. It shows how prepared the writer is to give good ideas for a better understanding of how stress really works.

It's everywhere, or so we think. I get up in the morning and there it was waiting for me when I slept through my alarm clock and was late for work. It showed up again on my way to work in the traffic jam and yet again at work in the team meeting. It crept in at family dinner disguised as conversation. Finally at the end of the day I go to bed with it and it keeps me up late only to make me sleep through my alarm clock again.

Stress seems to follow me around looking for opportunities to make my life miserable.

"Myth of Stress" by Andrew Bernstein challenges the common thought process that outside factors are the cause of the stress. Based on personal experience, research and professional work, he posits that stress is 100% internal. In his blog on Psychology Today he says, "The truth is that stress doesn't come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about these circumstances. "

He presents a simple thought process to engage in at the moment stress occurs. By the end of this process each time I am able to change the way I feel by changing the way I think. The truth I realized is that stress indeed follows me around. It lives in the way I perceive situations and people in my life. If I change my perception and act on positive behaviors that encourage the elimination of stress, I can minimize the amount of stress I feel drastically.

Although simple, this process takes practice and is best utilized in conjunction with the tools Andrew Bernstein and his company ActivInsight have provided, which can be found at [...]Give it a try and see if changing your thoughts can help you alleviate the stress that seems to be everywhere.

I've just re-read The Myth of Stress, and am happy to give my recommendation to anyone looking to change the way they think about stress, anxiety, and beyond.
I've been doing the worksheets for quite awhile now, and doing the process really pushes your thinking past the stubborn mind-set, which can be quite a challenge, depending on your "stressor". I could probably do the steps in my head, but I notice a real benefit to doing them on paper. You feel an honest sensation of revelation as you write what proves your negations, and you have a tangible reference to go back to.
There are enough personal accounts for the reader to understand how the process works, and enough humor to add personality to the "how-to". When you go on to do the worksheets for yourself, you're rewarded with an honest look at your way of thinking. If you're still looking for coddling, vengeance or whatever your thoughts before going in - save the worksheet, and come back to it later. There's no room for B.S. If you're not brutally honest, (and there's the big stretch), it won't work.
Like regular exercise and a healthy diet, it's a tool for the long haul. The dynamics of life change every day, and this book is a great guide to clarity. Your blood pressure will thank you!