Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff–and it’s all small stuff is one of those self help books which is extremely personable and easy to read. Perhaps that is why it was one of the first books to be recommended to me when I asked what people liked. Perhaps that is why it has sold so well (it is currently the 12th best selling book under Amazon’s stress management section). It is most certainly why the title is at least familiar to most people, even if they’ve never picked up a self help book in their lives.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff is a tiny book, literally. I bought a hard cover edition which is only a few inches tall and wide and can’t help but wonder if this is supposed to remind us how small stuff really is. Or maybe it’s just supposed to be the sort of guide which is small enough to always keep on your person. I don’t know. I do know that it has a friendly sort of feel and design; it’s neither clinical nor intimidating. It’s the sort of book you could gift to someone without them wondering “Gee, you must think I’m a nut.” At least, I wouldn’t be offended.

I wish I could say I have no use for this book but, the truth is, my life has been more stressful than ever these last few months. And even if it hadn’t been, the truth is that most of us could use some guidance in destressing when it isn’t productive and better appreciating our lives. I think the Amazon editor really describes the function of this book well with this line:

Carlson’s cheerful book aims to make us stop and smell–if not roses–whatever is sitting in front of our noses. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff… offers 100 meditations designed to make you appreciate being alive, keep your emotions (especially anger and dissatisfaction) in proper perspective, and cherish other people as the unique miracles they are. It’s an owner’s manual of the heart, and if you follow the directions, you will be a happier, more harmonious person.

Written by Richard Carlson, a professional stress consultant, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff contains 100 “lessons.” At first, I thought of them like chapters and while the ideas are mostly stand alone, each is only a few pages long so that’s not really an appropriate label. Each lessons guides to reader in ways to act and ways to think in order to minimize stress and tension. In addition, lessons also help the reader to recognize and appreciate the good parts of life (like looking for the miracle in everything) and practice being grateful and gracious. At first, it might seem a little “touchy feely” to some but, if you really want to become a less stressed out person, there are simple words of advice which will help you on your way.

Carlson words each tidbit with a main idea and then expands upon it with information on how to succeed at the idea or why it works. For instance, lesson 43 is “become an anthropologist” where he begins by telling the reader to become interested in other people in a nonjudgmental way. He adds to the initial thoughts by explaining that this helps us understand why people might act in ways which make no sense to us. Thus, we are able to look at a situation more rationally and remain calm.

In fact, much of this book consists of common sense and most of it is not earth shattering. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff contains a lot of advice which is easy to forget, especially if your negative and stressful habits have been a long time in the making. These little reminders are really a welcome addition to anyone’s thought processes; it is entirely too easy to think and do things which are unproductive and I feel like Carlson’s is a voice of gentle parenting/guidance.

Because the lessons are shorter, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff is an easy read if not entirely easy to implement. You could read one lesson a day for 100 days and employ each lesson for 24 hours, indefinitely repeating the book, or randomly turn to any page and start from there. Readers could use the lessons as uplifting guidance before bed (like I did) or in the early morning. Choose a handful of lessons to read and pick the ones which would have been most useful in the past day (then remember them for the future). In some ways, this book reminds me of the 365 calendars from which you tear a page every day.

Some folks claim this little book is all about teaching a person to have no back bone or personality but I disagree. The lessons I took in were about gaining perspective, learning when to let things slide because, in the end, very few things will matter. There are a couple lessons in the book which help to illustrate this point: one which paints a picture of how everyone dies and thus something like being late for a meeting will not matter in 100 years and another which asks us whether or not events will still remain important to us in a year. We do live in a society which conditions us to be tense in some situations and it can feel awkward to rebel against such training but I do believe it’s ultimately worth it.

If I have one complaint it is that only a fraction of these lessons are truly unique and stand alone. There is a lot of piggy backing and repetition. Granted, repetition can be helpful, especially when it comes to breaking negative patterns so I cannot complain too much. On the other hand, there is much less original content in this book than one might expect and that can be frustrating. Of course, I guess that would be one of the small things we’re learning not to sweat. ;)