As we enter into the holiday season, we may find ourselves feeling like our world is turning a little chaotic. The holidays is my absolute favourite time of the year but that doesn’t change the fact that with great joy, giving spirit, and time with loved ones, we can also feel like we have a lot to do. Gifts to buy, gatherings to attend, work to complete, goals you planned to complete before the new year (and the new decade this year!) and you name what else. Things can start to feel a little chaotic which may result in you feeling overwhelmed, tired, or even stressed.
The November feature book was chosen to help you take a few minutes out of your day to focus on replenishing and rejuvenating YOU. “The Little Book of Stress Relief” by David Posen is a book that I’ve had for years and I have taken great meaning from it. It’s a book where you can flip to any chapter and take new meaning out of the words based on what’s going on in your life at the time.
David Posen is a family physician who helps his patients with stress and lifestyle management. He found that in his many years working with different patients, many of them suffered greatly from stress. He became fascinated with the topic and is now a leading stress consultant. David says the one condition that doctors share with every patient is stress.
Dr. Posen is a renowned speaker and trainer on the topics of mastering stress, change management, and work-life balance. In this book, he talks about what stress is, how it manifests, when it becomes unhealthy, and gives us our own prescriptions to live a more calm and balanced life.
With nice, short chapters packed with relevant information, key strategies, questions to reflect on, and even a “prescription” at the end of each one with things for you to do or activities to engage in to help combat your stress, it is an extremely dynamic and engaging read.
The book covers 55 different topics targeted to different worries and issues that we may need help with. Some notable topics include: signs of stress, internal sources of stress, unrealistic expectations, peer pressure and corporate culture, setting boundaries, sleep, how to leave work at work, reclaiming ownership of your time, burnout, delegating, dealing with information overload and technostress, procrastination, dealing with difficult people, outlets for frustration, relaxation techniques, the importance of social support, and even a few chapters on holiday stress – including feelings that surface during the holidays and new year’s resolutions.
One of my favourite components of this read is Dr. Posen’s writing. He writes from a place of honesty, non-judgment, experience, and understanding. His words are easy to understand, his questions really make you think, and the subjects are so relatable and easy to apply to your own life.
In the Self-Care and Finding Balance workshops that I teach to diverse groups, I always end with a quote from David Posen and share a great story from this book. The quote is this, “The goal is balance but the key is permission” and the story is about one of Dr. Posen’s patients (Posen, 2012). The patient works six days a week and spends his seventh day at home with his family. He was overworked, tired, and stressed. He missed his hobby and his passion: playing golf. He had given up golf because he felt obligated to spend his on free day each week (Sunday) with his wife and kids (Posen, 2012). Dr. Posen respected this but suggested that he play a round of golf on Sunday morning and then spend the day with his family. The patient didn’t feel comfortable with this suggestion. It was only when Dr. Posen gave him permission to play golf the coming Sunday and to see what happened. He told the patient to tell his family it was his idea and to try it as an experiment (Posen, 2012).
The next time Dr. Posen saw his patient, he was in better spirits. He played golf on Sunday and really enjoyed himself. His wife and kids noted that he was happier, in a better mood, more relaxed, and more present with them than on other Sundays where he was frequently irritable and preoccupied (Posen, 2012). His family actually benefited from his time doing something for himself. He thanked Dr. Posen for giving him the permission and the following week he gave himself permission to play golf (Posen, 2012). Dr. Posen shares that what his patient thought was a “zero-sum game” where he won and his family lost out, actually became a “win-win” situation that benefitted all – he still spent his day with his family but was a more present and happier father when he did. Dr. Posen talks about the importance of shifting from “me first” or “me only” to “me too” (Posen, 2012).
Stories like this are found all throughout this book and I guarantee you will find comfort, relevance, and great strategies to handle and relieve your own stress in this wonderful read!
Happy reading! Sabrina
References
Posen, D. B. (2012). The little book of stress relief. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books Ltd.
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