Write Your Stress Away

Stress, whether an unconscious undercurrent in your life or a rampage of emotions, can make you sick if you don't manage it. You want to tame the tension in your life, but you don't know how. Write Your Stress Away is the place to start. The book introduces you to the revolutionary Write To Be Well four-step method proven to bring relief from stress and optimize your health, simply by writing. The book describes the research behind the method, instructs how to use it, includes compelling true-life stories from Write to Be Well users, and arms you with a unique tool to combat stress now and into the future.
Everyday stress poses major health risks and is considered to be linked to the six leading causes of death in the United States. But as the authors found through their work and the research on the subject, writing heals. There is a direct correlation between writing and reduced recurrences of certain cancers, lower blood pressure for those with hypertension, strengthened immune function, and better blood glucose management for those living with diabetes.
Based on these findings and others, the four-step method found in these pages guides you in naming your stress, affirming a future aligned with your values, creating SMART goals, committing to an action plan, and achieving your desired lifestyle. Thanks to the ease and flexibility of this proven approach, the Write To Be Well method can be tailored to meet your unique needs. Once you learn the four basic steps, you decide how much time you want to spend writing-just a few minutes or a few hours. Learning how to reduce your stress is the first step toward a brighter, healthier future. So, grab a pen!

Diane Hartingh Price, MSOD, is an integrative health coach and co-creator of Write To Be Well and thegetwellproject.com. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Susan Ives McCollum, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist in the Washington, D.C. area and co-creator of Write To Be Well and thegetwellproject.com. She lives in Purcellville, Virginia.

Introduction: How Writing Changed Our Lives
Section 1: The Journey from Stress to Wellbeing
1. Stress: Your Hidden Threat
2. Writing: Your Passport to Health and Well-Being
Section 2: Write to Be Well
3. Your Story: Tell It!
4. Your Future: Picture It!
5. Your Plan: Action Script It!
6. Your Life: Get Well, Be Well!
Section 3: The Art of Living
7. Career Quandary
8. Single-Parent Juggle
9. Too Sweet to Handle-Managing Diabetes
10. Grief, Death, Dying, and Living
Section 4: Stay Well
11. Build Your Habit with Intention
12. Make It Work for You
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Authors