Book excerpt: The ultimate practical guide to MBSR—with more than 115,000 copies sold—is now available in a fully revised and updated second edition. Stress and pain are nearly unavoidable in our daily lives; they are part of the human condition. This stress can often leave us feeling irritable, tense, overwhelmed, and burned-out. The key to maintaining balance is responding to stress not with frustration and self-criticism, but with mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of our bodies and minds. Impossible? Actually, it's easier than it seems. In just weeks, you can learn mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), a clinically proven program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living. MBSR is effective in alleviating stress, anxiety, panic, depression, chronic pain, and a wide range of medical conditions. Taught in classes and clinics worldwide, this powerful approach shows you how to focus on the present moment and permanently change the way you handle stress. As you work through A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook, you'll learn how to replace stress-promoting habits with mindful ones—a skill that will last a lifetime. This groundbreaking, proven-effective program will help you relieve the symptoms of stress and identify its causes. This fully revised and updated second edition includes new audio downloads, new meditations, and extensive chapter revisions to help you manage stress and start living a healthier, happier life.