Book Reviews: 'Coping with Stress and Adversity: Inspirational Stories' by Raj Soren
Below are some reviews written by readers of 'Coping with Stress and Adversity: Inspirational Stories' by Raj Soren. Raj is a lifecoach and author whose recent publication explores some everyday factors that can contribute to a stressful lifestyle, as well as sharing real-life experiences demonstrating how people have overcome their struggles with stress.
'Coping with Stress and Adversity' is available to buy exclusively from the Studio 3 online shop.
Gordon Milward - Chief Superintendent at Northumbria Police, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
This publication is an end to end digest of stress and anxiety, the causes and effects and, through real-life examples from an extensive range of human experiences, coping mechanisms are provided. In a hectic and demanding world where mental well being is paramount, this book is a must-read.
Jim Bass - Director Of Operations at L3, Commercial Aviation
Really accessible and interesting read.
Amanda Plumb - Managing Director at Combrailleurs, France
'Coping with Stress and Adversity' by Raj Soren, is a very useful read that you can pick up and put down, taking in easy snippets when it’s convenient. The beauty of it is that it uses real life stories and experiences to illustrate the advice for dealing with difficult times in your life. I would thoroughly recommend you have it on your bookshelf even if you don’t need it right now….. you never know when it will come in handy!
Andreas Lerch - Economic Specialist, U.S. Embassy, Vienna
'Coping with Stress and Adversity' offers a great overview of different sources of stress and some basic strategies on how to cope with them. The stories in it help enrich the overall narrative and make the reader feel that whatever they may be experiencing, they are not alone. The stories are relatable and the coping strategies easy to understand. The book aims to take an all-encompassing view of different sources of stress which helps recognise all the sources stress can come from. It has also helped me be more mindful of early warning signs of stress and realise the importance of seeking help early, rather than trying to push through things until it is too late.
Overall a very good text for anyone looking to gain an initial idea of how to understand and cope with stress that opens the path for further reading.
Kent Splawn - Professional Voice-over Artist, USA
Raj Soren’s book is written with an inviting style. Though I’m not currently dealing with excess stress (ok, maybe a little), I suspected there would be good things I could learn from the stories within its pages. The medical explanations were really helpful and I quickly wanted to get to the stories of how struggling people turned their difficult situations around and found a balanced, healthy, fruitful life again.
People deal with stress in many different ways, and the causes can be quite varied, but one of the constants seemed to be that many of the symptoms only appeared after some internal damage had been done, either emotionally, physically or psychologically.
Many times, hope was found in honest friends; when truth is spoken in love, or when just listening and being there is what’s needed.
The majority of stories here reflect the value of true friends. Also being honest with yourself, as you analyse your state of mind and emotions as you’re dealing with the stress. Look to the positives. There are always positives in your situation, and they will elevate your perspective. Good outcomes prevailed, not without struggle sometimes.
I greatly appreciated the openness of the people whose stories are shared here. I found several coping ideas I’ve filed away for future reference, and I’m certain you will also.
At the end of each section, Raj Soren does an excellent job of summarising the salient points of the numerous stories of how people coped with their stressful situations, and his own stories I found encouraging.
Whether you are currently struggling with stressful situations, or are wisely choosing to arm yourself with an effective tool to deal with stress when (not if) it does come, this compilation of ‘inspirational stories’ will prove valuable.
Samurai Taff
There are so many short and easy to read, relatable stories from people around the world and from an array of different backgrounds that makes this book such a valuable resource. From school and university educators to emergency service operators to business owners, to name just a few, and because the stories and coping strategies are written by real people relating their real-world problems and how they have dealt with these situations, it just feels so much more authentic than some doctor you don't know telling you to just calm down and get on with things.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for ways to deal with their stress and anxiety or even if you are ok but are responsible for other people at home or at your workplace; there are numerous examples of management techniques that can be used in so many different ways.
Subhash Soren
Raj’s approach towards this subject is both disarming and comprehensive. Sufferers are often unaware of the stress and anxieties they are bearing until it has a profound impact on themselves and those around them. Raj draws upon a scientific way to recognise stress, their underlying causes and ways to manage it. In equal measure, he shares stories parallel to our own, that we might relate to. Probably the biggest revelation is that in our modern society, we are still afraid to openly acknowledge stress and anxiety, but we need not fight it alone.
This book is an easy reference and an essential reference for counsellors, formal and informal, for the workplace and home.
Alan Pooles
This self-help book is such an interesting and easy read. There are stories from a wide range of individuals across the world and from different walks of life on what stress they have experienced and how they have learnt to deal with their challenges. Stress has so many forms and the book not only gives the reader inspiration from real-life, but also is interspersed with facts to help you understand what stress is and tips on how to manage your lives by finding coping strategies to improve your health and well-being. Well done Raj for such a great supportive book which will help others to take back control of their lives and return them to a positive state of mind where they can get the most out of every day.
Rhianna
Stress is an feeling that everybody feels at some point (or multiple points) in their life, yet everybody feels isolated by it. This book by Raj Soren, brings people and experiences together through reflection, discussion, different contexts and ways to cope. This is a book I will recommend to others and carry through with me in life to use as a reference as I face the different forms of stress discussed.
I was particularly interested in the chapters on stress brought on by covid (and the lockdowns) and grief. But every chapter is insightful and useful to reflect on yourself and what others might be going through.
I look forward to seeing what else Raj Soren brings out in the future!
Rapport Events
Stress isn't a word many people would associate with me. And to this day no one close to me would even know I endured this period of stress as I was determined not to be weak or let stress affect me as I was the co-founder and managing director of the business. I must, therefore be the rock for everyone and everything.
This is the story I share in the book - a book with open and candid contributions all given to help others overcome similar challenges.
Christina Bischoff
Stress can affect all of us, and this book really helps you to understand what stress is and how it can affect you. Reading personal stories from so many different people in different contexts made me feel like I am not alone in my own experiences of stress. There are lots of practical ideas and techniques offered to cope with stress. I like how the book is laid out with different aspects of life that might cause stress, such as work related, relationships, illness, etc, which makes it an easy way to reference back at different times when different types of stresses arise in life. An inspirational and practical book, that I would highly recommend.