Book excerpt: Are you speeding up and rushing around when anxious, stressed, or afraid? Seven Percent Slower is a friendly, easy-to-read guide to understanding and breaking the speed habit that fuels your anxiety and stress fires. When anxiety, stress, and fear show up, you speed up. The bad news is that this is making things worse for you. The good news is that you can learn to break the speed habit. If you are on a quest to find a calmer, less stressed, and less frantic life, learning to slow down can go a long way toward achieving that goal. Seven Percent Slower will help you understand how the fear center in your brain drives your speed habit, why this was a good idea thousands of years ago, and why this is a bad idea in the modern world. The book will teach you how to recognize your speed habits and how to slowly change them over time. Seven Percent Slower will help you understand why you may be resistant to slowing down, how slowing down can change your life, and how concepts like mindfulness come into play. Full of practical advice and sprinkled with humor, Seven Percent Slower is destined to become a useful addition to your stress management and coping skills toolbox.