Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

"Stressilient: How to Beat Stress and Build Resilience" by Dr. Sam Akbar is a compelling read that delves into the intricacies of managing stress and fostering resilience in our daily lives. Dr. Akbar, with her extensive experience as a clinical psychologist, offers a treasure trove of practical advice, grounded in scientific research and her own professional practice.

The book is structured in a way that is both educational and engaging. It begins by exploring the nature of stress—its origins, its effects on the mind and body, and why our natural problem-solving abilities often fall short when dealing with stress. Dr. Akbar's approach is holistic; she doesn't just focus on managing stress but emphasizes the importance of building resilience to better handle future stressors.

One of the strengths of "Stressilient" is its actionable content. The book is filled with exercises and strategies that readers can apply to their lives immediately. From understanding how to create space between oneself and one's thoughts, to learning how to defuse "thought bombs," the techniques are innovative yet accessible. Dr. Akbar's use of analogies and real-world examples makes complex psychological concepts easy to grasp.

Moreover, the book's tone is refreshingly candid and relatable. Dr. Akbar's dry humor and compassionate voice add a layer of humanity that is often missing from self-help literature. She acknowledges the challenges of modern life and provides guidance that is realistic and sensitive to the reader's circumstances.

"Stressilient" is a guide that respects the reader's intelligence and time. Whether you're someone who feels overwhelmed by daily stressors or you're looking to strengthen your mental fortitude, this book offers a wealth of knowledge that can transform the way you perceive and react to stress.

"Stressilient" is a must-read for anyone seeking to navigate the turbulent waters of life with more grace and less anxiety. Dr. Sam Akbar's expertise shines through every page, making this book a valuable resource for building a more resilient and fulfilling life.

I enjoyed “Stressilient: How to Beat Stress and Build Resilience”. The title is a little deceiving to though because the book is about so much more than stress management. Instead the author broke the content up into chapters based on your goal. Each chapter included both the logic or reasoning behind focusing on that goal and how it relates to stress management as well as practical activities and questions to think about. Each chapter also had a summary paragraph which I found helpful. My two criticisms are:

1. Some of the sentences were so long I got lost in them
2. I wish there was a comprehensive summary at the end of the book, even if it was just a repeat of each chapter’s summary paragraph.

All in all, I found “Stressilient” by Sam Akbar, PhD a humorous, relatable and actionable resource.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Essentials and Sam Akbar, PhD for providing me with a digital ARC of this book. This is a short and helpful guide to stress and ways to lessen its impact on the reader’s daily life. The premise of the book is reducing stress and finding ways to manage it better. Topics covered include how to create space between self and thoughts, how to draw upon your own wisdom and (a new concept for me), how to avoid the CAGE. CAGE is an acronym for Control, Avoid, Get rid of, Eliminate. This book is well written and flows smoothly. The advice is practical, down to earth and delivered in a warm and reassuring manner.

Manage your mind. Handle your emotions. Concentrate on what matters in life.

So many of us feel stressed in our daily lives but lack the ability to respond to life’s hurdles effectively and overcome these challenges. We can build resilience to stress by taking action to live our lives in a more meaningful way.

The answer is to become stressilient.

Dr Sam Akbar will show you how. As a clinical psychologist with over ten years of experience, Dr Sam draws from her own professional expertise to provide sensitive and realistic guidance to feel calmer, less stressed, and more resilient to life’s challenges.

From understanding how your brain works, managing your emotions and challenging your thought-processes, to opening up your perspective and having more self-compassion, Stressilient offers an indispensable, easy and effective go-to guide to help you get from surviving to thriving.

This book is very helpful. I am beyond super stressed with a lot of family drama and other issues. Dr. Akbar has helped me see that I have been handling certain situations wrong. I will recommend this book to others.

Stressilient could not have come at a better time! Between switching jobs, having health and money issues, I am absolutely stressed. Akbar gives a bunch of tips for learning how to handle stress, which I found simple enough to understand and interesting enough to keep reading. Would definitely recommend If you’re looking for a book with tactics to manage your stress!

This book, Stressilient by Sam Akbar, is the 24th book I’ve read this year (2023). It is set to come out later this year.

Let me begin my review by saying that I read a lot of self help books and books about psychology.

This is not your usual self help book. There were so many analogies and exercises throughout this book that I had never heard before. I learned so much in this short and sweet book. This book only took me about 2 hours to read, but I found myself wanting more and more. I found myself thinking about things I had never thought about before.

There is nothing within this book that I did not like or thought was fluff. There were a lot of details without being too detailed. It was very well-written and well-thought out.

The author touched on everything that I think should have been included in this book. There were some psychological “babble” like the use of terms such as “experiential avoidance” and “psychological flexibility” but these terms were always explained very well without being watered down.

I absolutely enjoyed this book, so I am giving it 5 out of 5 stars.

I am so grateful to NetGalley, Sam Akbar (the author) and St. Martin’s Press (the publisher) for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This title had lots of useful information. As someone who struggles with stress and anxiety I found the information useful and I am able to to add more tools to my toolbox needed to help me become more resilient

Stressilient: How to Beat Stress and Build Resilience by Sam Akbar is a concise and practical guide to managing stress and building resilience. In this self-help book, Dr. Sam Akbar, a clinical psychologist, shares valuable insights and techniques to help readers effectively respond to life's challenges and lead a more meaningful and resilient life. With over ten years of professional experience, the author offers sensitive and realistic guidance to help readers feel calmer, less stressed, and more equipped to overcome hurdles.

The book covers various aspects, including understanding how the brain works, managing emotions, challenging thought processes, gaining perspective, and cultivating self-compassion. Dr. Sam's conversational tone and touch of humor make the book engaging and relatable. The book offers a thorough exploration of resilience to stress and introduces new techniques that can be beneficial for readers seeking effective strategies to manage stress. Overall, I found Stressilient to be a worthwhile read, and I appreciate the author's concise and informative approach.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader's copy of Stressilient from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

The author provides a framework for managing our thoughts, C.A.G.E. - which stands for Change, Avoid, Get rid and Eliminate. The quick short chapters are loaded with tips on how to clarify emotions and be in the now. There are suggestions on how to create purposeful action.

This book has a lot of information and techniques for reducing stress. I think it will be helpful to people who are new to the field; those who have read other self-help books on the subject won’t find anything new here. I also felt like the author was trying too hard to be funny. It didn’t feel natural. But a lot of people will find this book useful!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Essentials, and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

Stressilient is a self help book written by Sam Akbar, PhD. The book is written in a conversational tone with some wit on the side. It is concise but thurough. The focus of the book is learning to be more resilient to stress. Many of the techniques listed in the book were new to me. I enjoyed it!

This book contains some tactics for reducing and combatting stress. The book is well-written and easy to read. Now, if only I could include these strategies on every day life, I am sure it would be helpful !