Undoing Perpetual Stress: The Missing Connection Between Depression, Anxiety and 21st Century Illness

"A superb book! If you are feeling even a little stressed and are not sure why then buy this book..... because it makes sense!
It opens your eyes to the effects 21st century life is doing to us, and more importantly gives advice as to what you can do about it.
Stress is the buzzword of our times, and it can have devastating effects, but no one tells us its all around and more importantly what can be done to combat it.
This book should be taught in school, and reread at regular intervals!"
~ Written on 2005-07-31

"I decided to read this book because I enjoyed Dr. O'Connor's book, Undoing Depression so much. I am delighted to report that Undoing Perpetual Stress is an even better book.

What is perpetual stress like? The metaphor that Dr. O'Connor uses is that of an impala who thinks there's a cheetah behind every rock. The flight or fight response is never at rest . . . and the poor impala's health is soon destroyed.

Dr. O'Connor argues that our over stimulating world creates the same kinds of stress from unseen "threats" as the world goes whizzing by at 75 miles per hour.

In the book, he describes the sources of the stress, how stress undermines your body, immune system, brain and mind, and what you can do to put the stress comfortably in the background.

This book will appeal to those who are stressed out, those who experience anxiety and depression at the same time, those who love such people, and those who want to better understand the mind-body connection based on the latest scientific research.

Undoing Perpetual Stress is filled with many helpful exercises that will help even those who don't think they have too much stress. One of the best from my perspective was taking a psychological snapshot of yourself every five years . . . and spotting what was wrong with your life at each stage. I was astonished to realize how many memories I had repressed, but which are still influencing my psychology. And Dr. O'Connor is good about reminding you to "practice, practice, practice" the exercises and his advice.

I have been a meditator for over ten years, and this book helped me to gain a lot of perspective on what the meditation is helping and what it is not. While I have eliminated a lot of the background noise, I haven't dealt with a lot of old issues. It was helpful to find out what those issues are . . . and what to do about them. I found that my creativity and mind were suddenly freed by the process.

For parents, there's a lot of new information here on how various parenting methods influence a child over a lifetime. It's a lot better than what you read in that first book about how to be a parent. Check it out!

This book should be required reading for anyone who finishes high school."
~ Written on 2005-05-08