STRESS RESETS :

HOW TO SOOTHE YOUR BODY AND MIND IN MINUTES

by Jennifer L. Taitz, PsyD, ABPP

Here’s a promise that could not be timelier: learn how to dial down stress in minutes, with no ponderous meditations, medications, or martinis required.

There are many books out there that purport to help with stress management, but they often offer too much about the why and too little about how to effectively reduce it.  A book about stress shouldn’t feel stressful to absorb!

Enter clinical psychologist Jenny Taitz, PsyD and her book STRESS RESETS: How To Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes (Workman Publishing; December 19, 2023; Trade Paperback; $18.99). Based on Taitz’s viral New York Times article on managing stress in the pandemic, it’s designed to be used as a recipe book for well-being.

Easily readable with clear instructions, it’s full of 75 scientifically based techniques and exercises to help dial down ruminating and panic in ways that work, quickly. A sampling includes tips like:

• Has an upsetting event become all-consuming, and need a dose of perspective? Make a pie chart of your life.

• Unable to calm an overthinking mind? Try singing your thoughts.

• Feeling extremely emotionally overwhelmed and verging on panic? Try a sensory reset by dipping your face in a large bowl of ice water.

• Can’t turn your mind off at night? Progressive muscle relaxation will likely help.

• Find yourself focusing on the negative, or feeling hopeless about your life or the state of the world? Build a hope kit.

Alongside all these strategies are meaningful research, expert interviews, and relatable anecdotes that encourage readers to learn adaptive self-soothing. Broken down into three parts—how to make sense of and understand stress; quick exercises for moments of high stress; and resets for the long term— STRESS RESETS is the type of book that’s meant to be dog-eared and creased-up with a cracked spine and handwriting in the margins. And whether you want the big picture as well as the help or are just looking for exercises to keep in your back pocket, STRESS RESETS says it clearly: You have the power to improve how you feel. All it takes is a few minutes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenny Taitz is a clinical psychologist and an assistant clinical professor in psychiatry at University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Taitz completed her fellowships at Yale University School of Medicine and achieved board certification in cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Passionate about spreading proven tools to a wider audience, she wrote STRESS RESETS to offer practical ways to find hope in moments when your emotions feel overwhelming. In addition to working with clients in her practice, LA CBT DBT, she frequently writes for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. For more information, please visit: https://www.mitchellsjackson.com/, or follow Mitchell on Twitter here and Instagram here.