Kelly McGonigal - The upside of stress: why stress is good for you, and how to get good at it

PRAISE FOR THE UPSIDE OF STRESS

The Upside of Stress delivers an important truth: It is better to chase meaning than try to avoid discomfort. Through the insights of this book, youll find your courage to pursue what matters most and trust yourself to handle any stress that follows.

NILOFER MERCHANT , founder and CEO of Rubicon Consulting, Silicon Valley strategist, and author of The New How

Kelly McGonigal has pulled back the curtain to reveal what allows exceptional people and organizations like my Navy SEAL brotherhood to thrive through adversity. True excellence is only achieved under great adversity and by embracing those challenges with a positive mindset.

SCOTT BRAUER , cofounder of Acumen Performance Group and former Navy SEAL and U.S. Navy officer

The upside of Kelly McGonigal is that she not only shows how what we thought we knew about stress was backward, but also that getting it right will change your life for the better. This book provides an accessible users guide to leveraging the most cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to enhance your health and well-being.

MATTHEW D. LIEBERMAN , PhD, chair of Social Psychology at University of California, Los Angeles

For those individuals and teams that discover stress is lifes secret ingredient, they will be rewarded with expanded self-confidence and rapidly growing organizations.

ROBERT C. DAUGHERTY , chairman of Knowledge Investment Partners

Kelly McGonigal debunks decades of myths that have persisted around stress. The Upside of Stress is research based, immensely practical, compelling, and insightful from the first page. This book will be a game changer for countless people.

J IM L OEHR, EdD, cofounder of the Human Performance Institute and author of The New Toughness Training for Sports

PRAISE FOR THE WILLPOWER INSTINCT

Tired of the endless debate about whether man possesses free will or is predestined to lounge about gobbling Krispy Kreme donuts while watching TV? If you want action, not theory, TheWillpower Instinct is the solution for the chronically slothful.

USA Today

A fun and readable survey of the field, bringing willpower wisdom out of the labs.

Time magazine

Refreshingly easy to read and peppered with stories of people who have successfully used its methods, The Willpower Instinct is a new kind of self-help book. Using science to help explain the why, and strategies for the how, McGonigal has created a book that will appeal to those who want to lose a few pounds as well as those who are eager to understand why they just cannot seem to get through their to-do list. A must-read for anyone who wants to change how they live in both small and big ways.

BookPage

The Willpower Instinct combines the braininess of a Malcolm Gladwell bestseller with the actual helpfulness of an Idiots Guide to not being lazy. If you are trying to lose weight, train for an athletic event, become more successful at work, rid yourself of toxic habits... heck, if youre human, you need to read this book.

LibraryThing

This book has tremendous value for anyone interested in learning how to achieve their goals more effectively. McGonigal clearly breaks down a large body of relevant scientific research and its applications, and shows that awareness of the limits of willpower is crucial to our ability to exercise true self-control.

JEFFREY M. SCHWARTZ , MD, author of the bestselling Brain Lock

What a liberating book! Kelly McGonigal explains the scientific reality of willpower, exploding the myths that most of us believe. Stronger willpowerbased on inspiring facts, not oppressive nonsenseis finally within everyones reach.

GEOFF COLVIN , author of Talent Is Overrated

An imprint of Penguin Random House

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Copyright 2015 by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.

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ISBN: 978-0-698-17080-3

PUBLISHERS NOTE

Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader. The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician. All matters regarding your health require medical supervision. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book.

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

AUTHORS NOTE

Throughout the book, when only first names are used, the names are pseudonyms, and some details of the stories have been changed to protect individuals privacy. Whenever possible, I obtained permission to use these stories. If direct quotes are included in the stories, they are from email or personal exchanges and have not been altered. In all other cases, where full names are used, all quotes and details are from interviews I conducted and/or from published sources cited in the notes.

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If you have butterflies in your stomach, invite them into your heart.

COOPER EDENS