Who*s in Charge: Attacking the Stress Myth

This is not another one of those feel-good, think-happy-thoughts-and-you’ll-be-fine stress books. Who’s In Charge? is targeted at readers who have developed the bad habit of blaming stress for everything negative in their lives — from the workplace to the homefront.

Routinely blaming stress for our woes, as if it were an unseen entity that lurks behind every door, is a far-reaching problem that has been promulgated by pop psychologists for far too long. Dr. Sheperd differentiates "real" stress (an internal physiological response or condition) from "pop" stress (such as being stressed out by your boss), and he encourages readers to rethink the habit of using stress as an excuse for bad behavior in their everyday lives.

This book attacks the stress myth, including ridiculous popular concepts, such as the paper-and-pencil stress test and stress "management." Dr. Sheperd says, "You are not doomed to spend your life managing your stress." Who’s In Charge? will give readers a totally new insight into the popular concept of stress. This is a book that will help them:

• Rethink how they look at stress — and their own role in it
• Become aware that they are going to have to work to make things better
• Develop techniques to avoid giving away their power
• Understand that the way they view stress affects both their work and home life
• Quit fighting to stay miserable
• Implement strategies to keep Professional Negative people from pulling them down
• Realize that power is about choices; and if they don’t see the choices, they don’t experience the power
• Identify the importance of courage in moving forward with their lives
• Switch from just making a living to embracing the art of living
• Acknowledge the importance of the words they use to describe their situations, because words don’t just describe situations, they can also create them
• Learn what they must do to see the world with new eyes.

Scott Sheperd holds a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication (Bowling Green State University), and a Ph.D. in Counseling (University of Toledo). He has spent more than 25 years working with people who are in difficult situations, ranging from terminal illness to high-pressure jobs. This work has encouraged him to use a nontraditional, humorous and thought-provoking approach to the issue of stress. He challenges readers to accept responsibility for their words and actions, and he gives them strategies to improve the quality of their lives.

Dr. Sheperd has conducted workshops and seminars for professionals in the fields of business, health care and education. He regularly speaks to all types of groups, ranging from corporations to human service agencies to schools to support groups. Some of his subject matter includes stress, change, conflict, communication, and loss.

In addition to his work with groups, Dr. Sheperd has also authored and coauthored a variety of publications. To complement this book, he has created the Who’s In Charge? Attacking the Stress Myth Workbook, with Tony Tomanek. Dr. Sheperd is the author of What Do You Think of You? and The Survival Handbook For the Newly Recovering. He is coauthor, with Judith Garrison, of I Will Live Today and The Healing Journey.