In 2002, people in the United States, according to a 2003 study, purchased nearly $17.2 billion worth of antidepressants and antianxiety drugs, up more than 10 percent from 2001. Americans spent $1.1 billion in the same year on just two of the major prescription sleeping pills, to say nothing of the over-the-counter brands and seven of the top ten best-selling drugs for stress. So many of our concerns stem from stress and anxiety that stress has become the invisible disease of the twenty-first century. But stress is not the enemy; it is built into our systems to protect us from danger and to help us survive. In Moving beyond Stress, author Dr. Carol Cherich offers a learning tool that focuses on stress reduction and provides quizzes for measuring what is learned. The lessons center on identifying what stress is, how to decrease stressors, and how to de-stress using breathing techniques. A simplified teaching guide that functions as a quick desk reference and resource, Moving beyond Stress reminds us we must pay attention to when we are feeling stressed, learn alternative ways of coping with the stressors, and find the fun in life.
