Amazon.com
As Dr. Edward Hallowell, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, points out, we all worry: "We're wired to worry from the moment we're born." Some worry is useful--it helps solve problems or alerts us to danger. But excessive worry isn't good; it's unproductive and adds stress to our lives. Dr. Hallowell aims to rid us of this "toxic worry" by a method both simple
and difficult: reduce your feeling of vulnerability and increase your feeling of power and control. A five-step program helps you achieve this goal, and if that isn't enough, Dr. Hallowell also provides 20 additional tips, the latest from brain science and biology research on worry, and a quiz to help you assess how you compare to others in your level of excessive worry. With tremendous energy and sincerity, he convinces us that we do have the tools to keep things under control, using some techniques that are basic common sense, such as never worry alone and make a plan, and some that may be new to you, such as practice brain maintenance. Hallowell backs up each point with anecdotes and hard facts, and with his dynamic speaking manner, he'll help you master mind management. He covers a lot of ground in the 71 minutes, and occasionally the video seems more like a blueprint than an in-depth study, but Hallowell's swift style keeps
Worry lively; he doesn't dwell too long on any single subject, as so many self-help tapes do. Worry won't go away, but you can transform it into a useful tool with the help of this informative video.
--Jenny Brown
From the back cover
Do the words "What if...?" creep into your inner dialogue a little too often? Does a news report about cancer, airplane safety or Mad Cow Disease haunt you for hours afterward? Are you filled with nagging doubts that just won't go away? Then you may have a bad case of Toxic Worry. Besides being just plain annoying, it could seriously affect your health. But don't fret--Dr. Edward Hallowell offers a simple solution to getting your fears under control.
Some worry is necessary to protect us from danger. But excessive worry can impair judgment or isolate us from loved ones. It can use fatigue and irritability as you torment yourself with thoughts of what can go wrong, feeling powerless to address the real problems behind it. Based on his years as a psychiatrist, Hallowell reveals the steps to controlling Toxic Worry when it hits, such as sharing concerns with others, getting the facts to help put fears in perspective and identifying solutions. He also reveals the latest scientific information on anxiety and offers many additional tips for taming it once and for all.
If you find yourself constantly imaging the worst, or are a perfectionist who fears even minor failures, Hallowell's simple program will dramatically improve your life. Don't let excessive worry overwhelm you; take charge... and free yourself from fretting!
Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. is a bestselling author and a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He is also the founder/director of The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Concord, Mass.
