FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
In our modern, fast-paced world, we can easily feel overwhelmed and anxious by the unending demands life throws our way. Most of us have a built-in optimal level of anxiety—the point at which we feel “in the zone,” or highly productive. This “good” anxiety can actually help propel your life forward. After a certain point, however, anxiety delivers a diminishing return. Worrisome thoughts begin to nag at us and distract us from the positive, enjoyable experiences of life. If this describes you (or someone you care about), you could be almost anxious.
In a new book entitled ALMOST ANXIOUS: Is My (or My Loved One’s) Worry or Distress a Problem? (Hazelden Publishing; October 2013; $14.95), Luana Marques, PhD, from Harvard Medical School, with Eric Metcalf, MPH, describe almost anxious as the grey area between a normal, healthy level of anxiety and a fully diagnosed anxiety disorder and provide scientifically based assessment tools for determining whether you could be almost anxious. Marques and Metcalf then help you to identify which category of anxiety affects you—worry, social, or physical—and outline steps you can take to change your behavior. Critical action steps are illustrated by successful stories of real people who have used the steps to improve their well-being.
The authors expertly provide clear methods for avoiding the almost-anxious trap, including changing thought patterns, engaging in an exercise routine, maintaining a support network of trusted people, and training yourself to be in the present moment without projecting into the future.
ALMOST ANXIOUS will help you manage situations, practice new patterns of behavior that will keep your level of anxiety in a healthy, productive “zone,” and lead a fulfilling and more enjoyable life.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Luana Marques, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and senior clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. Dr. Marques also serves as director of Psychotherapy Research and Training at the hospital’s Center for Anxiety and Stress Disorders and as director of the MGH Hispanic Clinical and Research Program.
Eric Metcalf, MPH is an Indianapolis-based medical writer, editor, and health educator. He has authored or contributed to dozens of books on health and fitness, including the best-selling Doctors Book of Home Remedies line.
ABOUT THE ALMOST EFFECT SERIES:
The Almost Effect series presents books written by Harvard Medical School faculty and other experts that offer guidance on common behavioral and physical problems falling in the spectrum between normal health and a full-blown medical condition. These are the first publications to help general readers recognize and address these problems
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