THE MYTH OF STRESS : WHERE STRESS REALLY COMES FROM AND HOW TO LIVE A HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER LIFE BY ANDREW BERNSTEIN
Where does stress come from? Financial pressures? Looming deadlines? Conflicts at work or at home? For more than half a century, we’ve been told that stress comes from circumstances like these, that it’s a by-product of our ancestors’ fight-or-flight response to danger, and that the best we can do, given the fast pace of life today, is to breathe, try to relax, and accept that life is hard.
All of this, according to Andrew Bernstein, is wrong. Spurred by the death of several family members when he was young, Bernstein began a quest to understand the real dynamics of stress and resilience. He eventually realized that stress doesn’t come from your circumstances–it comes from your thoughts about your circumstances. More specifically, stress is created by a particular kind of thought that humans happen to excel at.
Seeing this, Bernstein realized that the antidote to stress–and the key to far greater resilience–is not exercise or physical relaxation, but finding these stress-producing thoughts and finally dismantling them. He created a process called ActivInsight that helps you–and the people you care about–do this on your own in just seven steps, often yielding life-changing breakthroughs in a matter of minutes.
With seismic shifts in the global economy and a world health crisis affecting how we work, travel, and live, stress has become a common aspect of everyday life. Yet, nearly every available stress-reduction plan is based on a misconception—that stress is triggered by our circumstances.
Research has shown that outside stressors do not actually trigger the physical and emotional reactions related to stress. In other words, stress comes from your thoughts about your circumstances. More specifically, stress is created by a particular kind of thinking that humans happen to excel at. Using a program developed by Andrew Bernstein called ActivInsight you will discover how to change these patterns of thinking. Effectively used by major corporations, The Myth of Stress reveals a simple seven step guide that can help you through some of the most challenging experiences of modern life in a matter of minutes.
With compassion, intelligence, and humor, The Myth of Stress offers a complete reeducation in the nature of stress, permanently changing the way you relate to challenges–at school, at work, and at home–in order to live a happier and healthier life.
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