The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living

A couple years ago I ran across a book by Amit Sood, Train Your Brain....Engage Your Heart....Transform Your Life: A Course in Attention & Interpretation Therapy (AIT) . That was a wonderful find, although I admit I didn't finish reading it. It was apparently self-published and I guess was a little too long or something. I lost focus on the book and got distracted by other interests and life-events. Ironic, if you know Dr. Sood's teachings. (Amazon apparently no longer sells that book, but at least for the time being you can read most of it using the Look Inside feature on its Amazon page.) So when I noticed last year that Dr. Sood was publishing this new book, The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living, I immediately put it on pre-order. I have this book now, and I'm still working through my first-read of it so this is a preliminary review - I will update it later with my full reaction. I would say this book is a more concise, more streamlined version of that "Train Your Brain....Engage Your Heart...." book, which is exactly what I was hoping it would be. This is one of those books you want to spend time absorbing and implementing. I know it will take several readings and months, probably years, to do this, but I know it will be worth all the time I invest in it. This book puts you on a path of real, meaningful change, and that takes time. It's also one of those books you want to shout to the world, "Everyone should read this book! Now!" This is like the missing manual of 21st century American life. Other reviewers have discussed the content already. I will just say, get this book and make it your (second?) Bible. This is just about the best, most useful self-help book I have found. For me this is alongside the most helpful book ever for me, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy . I'm grateful for this new book, although my Internet-cynical side wonders if some marketing consultant was a little too involved in packaging it for publication. The title on the cover is The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living. Stress-free, is that even possible? This title contrasts with the actual contents inside the book, where Dr. Sood discusses both positive and negative types of stress. If Dr. Sood is reading this, then I want to thank him for this book. I hope his ideas get wider dissemination with this Mayo Clinic version. This book should be on the best-seller list. I hope it will, so that more people can learn what's in this book.

I was introduced to this book by a friend who thought I would enjoy reading it. My first reaction was, “I already know a lot of ways to relax…I doubt there will be anything new that I haven’t already heard.” However, I soon discovered that this book on stress was different. Instead of teaching about different relaxation methods, Dr. Sood takes the latest research from neuroscience, effective principles and practices from psychology, and wisdom from a variety of spiritual teachings then insightfully melds it all into a user-friendly daily practice that builds resiliency and fosters good mental health. As the back cover says, “…you learn skills that will help you develop deep and sustained attention, practice gratitude, compassion and acceptance, live a meaningful life, cultivate nurturing relationships, and achieve your highest potential”. There are many components of this book that I particularly liked. First, I found the latest research on brain information to be very compelling, and I appreciated learning how our minds operate either in “default mode” or “focused mode”. After reading about this in the book, I began more carefully considering what my brain attends to, how and why it interprets what it attends to, AND how I can impact my attention. Understanding the evolution and function of brain and mind seems critical to creating the world we live in individually and collectively, and Dr. Sood’s explanation of recent research shines new light on why we tend to function the way we do, as well as how we can make changes for the better. Secondly, Dr. Sood’s suggestions on ways to practice living with gratitude, compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, and higher meaning were straightforward and manageable for most anyone’s schedule. I found that practicing these simple principles daily is a hugely helpful mental health habit. And, if my mind falls into a “black hole”—a rumination about past or future—I can use either kind attention or joyful attention strategies (as discussed in the book) to help move out of it. Lastly, the fact that this book does not promote one religion over another allows anyone to be open to learning the material in Stress-Free Living. Dr. Sood has uncovered the key ingredients found in the wisdom of any religion and has attached concrete behaviors to foster these ingredients in one’s self. This book is a modern day owner’s manual for humanity, and not only do I highly recommend reading it, I hope every person does!

When I was going through a divorce, someone recommended this book to me and said, "Read only 2 pages a day. Let it soak in." That was excellent advice. Don't get this book and plow through it quickly. Read one or two sections a day (preferably at the start of your day), and let it soak in. Every time I read this book, something new speaks to me. This book is packed with wisdom and common sense for daily living. The title of the book seems like an understatement -- Guide to Stress-Free Living -- it's more like a bible for letting go of all the things that you allow to weigh you down and lose sleep ... but that's not a catchy title :-). There are a lot of excellent self-improvement books out there, but I highly recommend this one because of its simplicity. But I also recommend getting it and making it part of your daily practice. Reading it once is not going to change your life. Making it part of your daily practice (practice, not perfection) will not only change your life, but it will help you sustain the change. Train it and sustain it ... hmmm, where have I read that!?

Los libros de la clinica Mayo son muy buenos, este en especial es un regalo que yo haria a mis amigos, porque realmente ayuda si lo aplicas.

Highly recommend this book :)

GreAt read! Practical and helpful. I feel much more positive about life and have the skills to deal with challenges I am facing.

This book is very well organised and and the author is able to convey what he wants to its readers, Hi is able to convey with great clarity what certain concepts like Gratitude, Compassion and Forgiveness. I am incorporating a lot ideas in my life and seeing visible benefits I salute the author for his intentions to make life free from suffering for its readers which would significantly improve ones' quality of life. I owe a deep Gratitude to him for writing such a remarkable book. I hope and wish he can read this review.

I like it. Very helpful scientific information and practical advice. It enlightened my mind!