The Great Little Book of Stress Release


Non-Fiction - Health - Fitness
24 Pages
Reviewed on 03/14/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Stress affects us all in one form or another. We are driven to achieve great goals and perform beyond perfection at every turn in our journey through life. But, do we have to overthink each process, each step on this journey? Do we have to make each part of our lives a controlling facet of our mental and emotional functionality? Perhaps not. But saying we’ll avoid stress and actually avoiding it requires some tactical skill, both mental and physical.

R. Duncan Wallace (MD) has written a little chapbook to help us all deal with stress in our everyday life. The Great Little Book of Stress Release is presented simply with clear listings of symptoms of stress, triggers that cause stress, and exercises, both physical and mental, which can help change the way we think about stress inhibitors and how we deal with stress on a daily basis. Taken from years of working with stressed patients, Dr. Wallace presents the facts with the intention of helping us all resume life’s journey stress-free. Of all his poignant comments in this gem of a book, I particularly like this line: “Do yourself the wise favor of giving yourself the pleasurable soft hum of tranquility.” More profound words were never so wisely spoken. A lot of what this doctor prescribes may seem on the surface like common sense, but, in reality, in all its simplicity, it’s the one course of action that few of us consider when dealing with stress. Without all the highly technical terms of a detailed thesis on the topic of stress, this book is very straightforward and well outlined, making it an ideal tool to help all of us live a relatively stress-free life.

Viga Boland

It’s a well-known fact that stress is a killer if you don’t know how to handle it. And now, 2/3 of the way through 2021, with Covid-19 stats pointing to continued and increasing stresses with lockdowns, threatened economies, rising home prices, and financial losses, what can you do to survive the stress overload? Well, you can pick up The Great Little Book of Stress Release by R Duncan Wallace MD and surprise yourself by discovering what you might already know subconsciously, but haven’t put into practice. Dr. Wallace explains how, why, and when to use positive affirmations, which are the logical completion to the fascinating exercises he suggests you try. These are easy physical exercises that involve your mental goals.

Dr. Wallace reminds us that telling ourselves “I must do this!” or “I have to have this” creates illogical stress as outcomes are unpredictable. We have no crystal ball and so many variables are not in our control. So instead, we need to tell ourselves “I’ll do the best I can,” and accept that “Nothing is necessary; some things are preferable.” This is simplifying all the excellent ideas Dr. Wallace shares with us in this easy-to-read guide, but such an approach to our goals will reduce our stresses and make our hoped-for outcomes more realistic and achievable. Don’t hesitate to pick up The Great Little Book of Stress Release. After 54 years of studying the human psyche, Dr. Wallace hasn’t given us just another of those many self-help books of affirmations. He has given us a much better one!

Irene Valentine

The Great Little Book of Stress Release by R. Duncan Wallace MD is exactly what the title says! 95% of our stress is self-inflicted, created by false logic. Dr. Wallace shares the truths he discovered from studying stress in his psychiatric practice and professional seminars. He has developed an easy-to-follow method of applying logic in the right way to release stress by realigning your thinking with true logic. He provides simple tools to apply to release these stresses. If you repeat and persist in false logic, the certain outcome is stress. Replacing illogical thoughts will create clarity of mind. This way, you reduce mental and physiological pressure and destructive stress. He suggests altering your approach to goals. Instead of believing “I have to,” you can choose to believe “I want to.” Focus your attention on the immediate do-able actions instead of the goal itself. Think about action and possibility rather than fear of failure. Realign your thinking as often as necessary, often each day. After three weeks you will feel more relaxed, you'll sleep better, and your mood will be more pleasant. The key is to identify false logic stressors and replace them with stress-release thoughts.

Dr. Duncan R Wallace had my attention from the first words of The Great Little Book of Stress Release. He said, “Everyone experiences stress… No-one is immune”. He has observed in his personal life and his practice the destructiveness and lost quality of life due to stress. His book goes directly to the topic; his style is easy to read and immediately apply. Wallace helps you identify the unpleasant pressure your thoughts create in your body and mind. He mentions other important aspects of handling stress. But he focuses on using your thinking to release moment-to-moment stress. With these tools, you can use the truth to keep your mind clear and improve the quality of your life. Keep this useful life skills manual within easy reach.

Lesley Jones

No one in society is free from stress and the damage it can cause to your quality of life is huge. However, if you know how to tackle stress and clear away those destructive thoughts as they appear, your whole well-being will change drastically. From studying stress in a psychiatric practice, R Duncan Wallace MD has developed proven techniques and methods that will give clarity to the illogical thoughts which trigger stress. In The Great Little Book of Stress Relief, discover how you can decipher thoughts that are both negative and unwarranted and regain your focus and motivation. By following the exercises throughout this guide, you can quickly deal with stress and anxiety immediately. Stress is not only a debilitating feeling, it also reduces your quality of life and, in severe cases, can also lead to more serious conditions such as depression and heart disease. If you feel your mind and negative thoughts are in control of your life, it is time to take back command and take action toward a more positive, happy future and eventually rid yourself of stress permanently.

The Great Little Book of Stress Relief by R Duncan Wallace MD is absolutely superb and although it is concise, the information and techniques around the causes of stress are amazing. Every chapter contains a method that will definitely change how you view yourself, others, and society in general. I found the link to your thoughts, actions, and behaviors really thought-provoking. The methods were not only easy to follow and understand but could also be applied to your daily life immediately. The exercises that strengthen your focus were the most beneficial and they absolutely worked for me. I also found the sections explaining releaser thoughts and how to realign your mind with thoughts that serve your best interests were incredible. There were also the most powerful 'what if' questions to ask yourself which I have tried and immediately I found my mind changed to a more positive focus. A highly recommended read.

Jamie Michele

The Great Little Book of Stress Release by R Duncan Wallace, MD is a handbook with the intent of assisting in the reduction of mental tension and emotional strain. Dr. Wallace introduces readers to the primary sources of anxiety-inducing factors, ranging from clinical mental health issues to daily concerns that have a tendency to pop up via triggers that, for the most part, we seem to burden ourselves with. He does this by explaining how to curtail the thoughts that force us into bouts of disquiet and offering specific guidance on managing episodes of various positive coping mechanisms. These include but are not limited to thought redirection, simple cognitive behavioral therapy, and management exercises.

As the world begins to emerge from a time of unprecedented hardship that impacted so many, the timing of R Duncan Wallace's The Great Little Book of Stress Relief is a bit of a blessing. I initially thought it may have come a few months too late but as we attempt to make transitions back to the new-new normal, the anxiety and fear around what that looks like are different from what we felt while in the throes of it. I found the section on stressors associated with chain-linked goals useful, exploring the worry we have that by not meeting our incremental short-term goals they will snowball into a “my life will be ruined” scenario. I connect this with much of what I am witnessing now in the context of friends and family re-entering the job market, a few of them in totally new and foreign areas where a reinvention is required. Dr. Wallace points out the importance of keeping goals singular to unpack the snowball. This really is a little book but the amount of information it contains is wonderful.