Introduction
We were
grade-school children in the 50s and 60s. We both
recall school alarm bells ringing and teachers
ordering us to crouch under wooden school desks with
hands covering our heads. Somehow, this was to
protect us from an imminent nuclear attack. Most
kids begged their parents to dig deep and build bomb
shelters. We all knew the futility of crouching
under our desks. We worried.
Grade-school children today worry
as well. They worry about school shooters and
terrorist attacks. Our kids beg us to keep them
safe. Like us, our children worry about the futility
of huddling in closets during school-safety drills
and their parents buying gas masks. We all worry.
So today’s world gives us plenty
to worry about, and it always has. But just as we
don’t want to become victims of terror, we can’t let
ourselves become victims of anxiety. Anxiety clouds
our thinking and weakens our resolve to live life to
the fullest. We realize that some anxiety is
realistic and inescapable; yet we can keep it from
dominating our lives. Even under duress, we can
preserve a degree of serenity; we can hold on to our
humanity, vigor, and zest for life. We can love and
laugh.
Because we believe in our
collective resilience, we take a humorous and at
times irreverent approach to conquering anxiety. Our
message is based on sound, scientifically proven
methods. But we won’t bore you with the scientific
details. Instead, we present a clear, rapid-fire set
of strategies for beating back anxiety and winning
the war against worry.
We have
three goals in writing this book. First, we want you
to understand just what anxiety is and its different
forms. Second, we think that knowing what’s good
about anxiety and what’s bad about it is good for
you. Finally, we cover what you’re probably most
interested in discovering @md how to overcome your
anxiety or help someone you love who has anxiety.
Unlike most books, you don’t have
to start on page one and read straight through. Use
the extensive Table of Contents to pick and choose
what you want to read. Don’t worry about reading
parts in any particular order. For example, if you
really don’t want much information about the who,
what, when, where, and why’s of anxiety, and whether
you have it, go ahead and skip Part I. However, we
encourage you to at least skim Part I because it
contains fascinating facts and information as well
as ideas for getting started.
.gif){kind=logo}
