Stress proof your life (52 Brilliant Ideas) [Kindle Edition]

Let's face it, who doesn't have at least a bit of stress in their life? That's why I'm always open to ways of reducing stress and making life a little bit better. I picked this up as a Kindle freebie (still free as I write the review) and compared with the last non-fiction guide I picked up for free this one was pretty good.

Unsurprisingly it provides 52 ways to try and reduce stress levels. These hints encompass diet, organisation, relaxation and plenty more. What I liked was that the author acknowledges life will never be stress free, and that in fact it's probably not healthy to be that way, but seeks to provide ideas to suit all sorts of people. She also accepts that some of the hints may be a bit zen or new age for some people but gives reasons as to why they are worth a try and approaches the whole thing with a touch of humour. The fact that it's not presenting a vision of utopia made me feel like the ideas were achievable. I've already put some of the ideas into practice and am planning to try some more. I loved No. 26 Restoration Day, a sort of duvet day combined with a bit of gentle exercise and mini-detox.

Each idea starts with a description, followed by an activity to try, then another idea appearing in the book that relates to it, followed by a Defining Idea - a quote, then a Q&A to pick up on areas that might be difficult or additional info. Some of it is common sense, and other ideas may not be covered in sufficient depth if you have already read a lot about topics like aromatherapy, but it covers such a range that was fine with me.

Handily this book is well-formatted with a proper table of contents with a brief description and a link to each of the ideas. I think this is so helpful in this sort of book, especially as each one cross-references other linked ideas. I did find myself skimming some hints that didn't seem applicable or were a bit too hippy-dippy for my liking, but with so many to choose from there was still plenty to learn from. I have taken a while to read the whole book, because it is so well-suited to dipping in and out of.

I really liked this book and the approachable tone adopted. It is the length of a short novel and had some good ideas and info. I'd definitely say grab a copy if you could do with reducing your stress levels.

i keep this book in my bathroom library and dip into it frequently to reassert the ideas here. They are not all applicable to everyone but there are enough good ideas in there that everyone will find a few excellent nuggets of practical advice. Lots of it is 'common sense' if such a thing exists but i think its a really good point of reference to remind yourself when things maybe getting out of control. My personal favourite is the ten minute trick which ive evangelised to all and sundry to looks of bewilderment and much scoffing. Thanks to this method i can thoroughly clean my house from top to bottom, get my guitar practice and exercises done, create a website and weed the garden in the space of a saturday morning and none of it feels like a chore. I also like the memory bowl, ditch the debt and advice about coping at work

I downloaded this onto my Kindle this afternoon and spent a lovely (stress free) couple of hours flipping through it. I will definitely be trying out some of the techniques. Very well written, informative, inspiring and at times funny. Even if you aren't particularly stressed it is still a good read if, like me, you just want to make your life a bit more organised and focused.