How does a single mother of four, who is also a registered nurse, life coach, and ordained minister, live stress-free? Dalton explains in this book and shows readers that if she can do it, anyone can. She draws on personal and professional experience to substantiate her claim. It won’t happen overnight, she cautions, but those who actively implement positive life changes will gradually reap their benefits. The author discusses practicing attitudes of patience, gratitude, forgiveness, and positive thinking and offers scientific evidence of the effects of each on mental well-being. True to her nursing background, she also emphasizes the roles of proper diet and exercise in stress reduction. Like any conscientious healthcare professional, Dalton begins with a disclaimer, advising readers to apply her material alongside, but not instead of, professional mental health treatment. She also encourages those who need such treatment to seek it without shame.

The book puts forward a predominantly Christian perspective on its subject, and nearly all its thirteen chapters conclude with Bible verses. Nevertheless, Dalton validates any spiritual or religious adherence as a weapon against stress. The final three chapters address planning adequately to solve stress-related problems, stepping back from stressful circumstances to view them in perspective, and using various methods to meditate. There are some issues with chapter formatting that could make the book difficult to follow since the end of one chapter frequently shares a page with the beginning of the next, and the entire text is double-spaced. These notwithstanding, Dalton ably conveys her message that stress-free living truly is possible, and the physical and mental health benefits that accompany it are within anyone’s reach.

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