Anxiety First Aid Kit

Matthew McKay (Author) Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. He has authored and coauthored numerous books, including The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, When Anger Hurts, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. He has also penned two novels, Us and The Wawona Hotel. McKay received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression. He lives and works in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman (Author) Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker who worked as a staff operations consultant for the marketing and internet services group of the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. She is now retired and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is preparing to become a certified coach for executives and other individuals and plans to use skills and techniques from this book in her practice.Martin N. Seif (Author) Martin N. Seif, PhD, cofounded the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and was a member of its Board of Directors from 1977 through 1991. Seif is associate director of the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center at White Plains Hospital, a faculty member of New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Medical School, and is board-certified in cognitive behavioral psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He maintains a private practice in Manhattan and Greenwich, and is coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know about Anxiety Disorders.Sally M. Winston (Author) Sally M. Winston, PsyD, founded and directed the anxiety disorders treatment program at The Sheppard and Enoc Pratt Hospital in Towson, MD. She served as the first chair of the Clinical Advisory Board of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and received their inaugural Jerilyn Ross Clinician Advocate Award. She is coauthor of What Every Therapist Needs to Know about Anxiety Disorders.

"One of the first books to address anxiety owing to the impact of COVID-19. Suggestions for relief offer techniques for calming down before concentrating on the more difficult work of managing anxious feelings. The authors, ranging from clinical psychologists to meditation teachers, tell readers how to feel better right now. The first chapter helps one "find calm right away" by offering awareness techniques and acknowledging that bad things sometimes happen. Following chapters provide readers with sample stressors, what to do about them immediately, and further steps to take going forward. The authors posit scenarios of possible stressful situations and offer healthy, positive responses to each. One chapter has readers explore their worst thoughts to a point of absurdity, which diminishes their power. Another offers steps for replacing worry with planning, thus mitigating anxiety. The final chapter provides techniques (the pendulum drop, the five-finger exercise) for quick relief. VERDICT: What's enticing about this book is its no-nonsense guide to feeling better. Ideal for these unsettling times; highly recommended for general readers." —Library Journal (starred review)