Is worry wearing you out? Whether it’s losing sleep over a deadline, fretting about a relationship, or constantly thinking about what you “should have” done or said, anxiety makes life feel like a race from one overwhelming situation to the next. Philadelphia-area psychologist Tamar Chansky, Ph.D. (founder and director of the Children’s Center for OCD and Anxiety) is the author of the just-released “Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: The 4-Step Plan to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want” (Da Capo Lifelong Books, $16). This self-help guide offers dozens of simple yet powerful strategies one can use at any time to transform anxious thoughts, conquer perfectionism and procrastination, and improve the way the brain reacts to stress, even without medication.
“For nearly two decades I’ve been immersed in the world of anxiety — helping people name it, overcome it and move far beyond the limits it can impose,” noted Dr. Chansky. “What I’ve found working with patients from as young as three to as old as grandparents, is just how powerful all of us can be in making a difference in the quality of our lives when we have good information about what’s going on in our minds. Worry isn’t the way. It’s in the way. It’s an unreliable reporter on the activities of our life that evolution has guaranteed will always get there first and scoop the story from our voice of reason. It distracts us from our real life by getting us worked up unnecessarily, often focusing on the very things we don’t need to worry about.”
Once we start thinking anxious thoughts, it is tough to move from disaster to reality. Unlike most guides, Chansky’s book explains that the solution is not positive thinking, but possible thinking. “When you understand the tricks the mind can play, you can approach the ups and downs of life with competence and clear thinking rather than get detoured by the story worry tells you. Which version of your life story are you reading? Remember, you get to choose. It’s easier than you think, once you know what the choices really are. You can learn how to quiet the noise that worry creates in the mind, move out of catastrophe mode, and shift back to reality and the myriad possibilities it holds. If you’d like to learn more about how to read from the right script and be better prepared for the things that are actually happening in your life, you’ve come to the right place. No matter if worry is an occasional destination for you or it’s a daily, default setting, you can decide the significance the worry narrative has in your life. Starting now.”
Armed with her strategies, readers can achieve accurate perceptions of their lives that can liberate them from fear and perfectionism. For the 25 percent of Americans who have an anxiety problem, Dr. Chansky’s innovative program provides the step-by-step tools for living stress free and without medications. For anyone suffering with an anxiety disorder or depression, or who simply wants to handle everyday challenges more optimally and successfully, get ready to feel calm, confident, more like yourself again — and free to create the life you want.
“Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: The 4-Step Plan to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want” is available at major bookstores and online at Amazon.com.
Contact staff writer Bobbi Booker at (215) 893-5749 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
