The Hurried Woman Syndrome: A Seven-Step Program to Conquer Fatigue, Control Weight, and Restore Passion to Your Relationship

Talk about your Desperate Housewives! Bost, a gynecologist who has been treating harried women for 20 years, had no idea when he began his practice that he'd be hearing so much about fatigue, weight problems, mood swings and low libido. Yet many of his patients were struggling to juggle work, children and relationships while barely maintaining their mental and physical health. After conferring with other ob-gyn physicians, he discovered that the condition was indeed a common one and typically caused by chronic stress. This stress, estimated to affect some 30 million women, compels women to feel hurried, which leads to a damaging syndrome that, Bost says, is ""common ... but it is anything but normal."" In this book, the author convincingly argues that doctors and patients should view the syndrome as a form of ""predepression,"" which can slip into clinical depression if not managed properly. After discussing brain chemistry and the impact of chronic stress on the body, Bost presents a seven-step program that includes doing exercises to overcome fatigue and weight gain. The author doesn't pretend to be a psychologist; he is instead a synthesizer who takes concepts from popular programs that he thinks work best for stressed women. Some of his steps are better documented than others but, overall, the holistic approach is thorough, effective and easy to follow. ""Unhurrying your life is not an event; it's a process,"" Bost says, reminding readers to periodically review their priorities and to be realistic about themselves and their lives. If they are, he predicts they'll go a long way toward finding relief and avoiding both physical and mental maladies. This is an excellent prescription for women ""on the verge"" who are willing to take some down-to-earth advice.