Winner of an eLit Award for publishing excellence, "Slowing Down in a Speedstressed World" fulfills two clear purposes: It describes the essential contribution that living at a more balanced pace will make to readers' - and their loved ones' - health and happiness. Then, the short, clear chapters provide the skills needed to slow down in the midst of our "hurry up!" culture. Filled with the wisdom of many interviewees and of its author (a psychotherapist), this informative yet soothing volume offers chapters that address the unique needs and challenges of workers and parents, as well as of retirees, who often over-commit. The book explores how the pressure of "too much to do in too little time" can cause living-on-the-run to become a habit. Luckily, all habits can be broken; the book offers readers the small, practical steps needed to do just that. Each chapter ends with simple invitations to think about or practice a skill. Throughout, "Slowing Down in a Speedstressed World" lives up to the "kindly" in its subtitle. The author repeatedly reminds her audience to be forgiving with themselves as they undertake the imperfect process of changing a habitually fast pace. Page by page, as slowly as they like, readers learn to relate in new ways to their greatest barrier to change: the anxiety that inevitably arises as anyone attempts to slow down. While slowing down can feel like a lonely enterprise in our pressurized world, readers of this book will feel accompanied and supported by interviewees' comments as, step by step, they rebalance their pace of life.
About the Author: Marian Read Place, LCSW, has been a clinical social worker for over twenty years; she has also served as a correspondent for the Albuquerque Journal and worked in live television. "Slowing Down in a Speedstressed World: Practical Skills & Kindly Advice," her first book, is the result of eight years of research (interviews and a national mail survey). Ms. Place's book has gathered strong positive reviews, as have her presentations on slowing down. In her book, Ms. Place incorporates warmth, wisdom, and a keen belief, after years as a psychotherapist, that nearly everyone can make the changes they desire by using a combination of skills, small steps, and kindness to self. Ms. Place has lived in cities with diverse pacing, from New York City in childhood to her current hometown of Durham, N.C. She attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and received her Masters of Social Work at New Mexico Highlands University. She has served on National Association of Social Workers-North Carolina Chapter Ethics Committee. She encourages readers to be in touch with her through slowlutions.com.