The Relaxation & Stress Reduction WORKBOOK FIFTH EDITION: Martha Davis, Ph.D. Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW Matthew M¢Kay, Ph.D. New Harbinger Publications, Inc.All of the authors of this workbook wish to dedicate this book to our families Without their continuous support, this book would not be possible. Thank you, Bill and Amanda, Don, Judy, Rebekah and Jordan,Preface to the Fifth Edition The year 2000 marks the twentieth anniversary of the first edition of The Stress Manage- ment and Relaxation Workbook. The authors of this book look back over the years, asking what inspired us to write it to begin with and what spurs us to rewrite it today. In the late seventies and early eighties stress management was not a household word as it is today. But more and more frequently stress was at the root of why people were seeking psychotherapy and medical consultation. There were virtually no classes or groups to teach people how to handle stress. There were no books that provided under one cover sufficient tools for people to manage their own stress. While a few intrepid individuals spent a good deal of time and money on books, workshops, and psychother- apy to piece together their own stress management plan, many people continued to live lives compromised by chronic stress. Observing this problem, the authors of The Stress Management and Relaxation Workbook began offering stress management and relaxation workshops. Through trial and error, they compiled their own workbook of techniques that were easy to teach and were most effective in alleviating symptoms of stress. They decided to publish this workbook for the lay public to fill a vacuum in the popular psy- chology literature. Stress is defined as any change to which you must adapt. In the past twenty years the rate of change in our society has continued to accelerate, so it is not surprise that the rate of stress related illnesses has also continued to climb at an alarming rate. Fortunately, there has been an increased interest in stress management and relaxation on the part of researchers, the mass media, and the lay public. The authors of this workbook, in review- ing the literature on stress management and relaxation, have found that most of the con- cepts and techniques presented in our first workbook have stood the test of time and research. Some of the techniques have undergone refinement, while others have multiple variations that give the reader more choices. ‘As the authors of this workbook continue to work in the field of stress management, we are excited to be able to offer in the fifth edition a number of new techniques for chal- lenging problems. For example, we have added a chapter on “worry control” to help peo- ple manage their mental stress. Due to popular demand, we have included in the Coping