By Jennifer
With a New Year here, many of us create resolutions or tweak our daily routine to improve the quality of our lives.
This year I took a long hard look at my family’s life and our feeling of information overload. As a result, I observed everyone in my family constantly multitasking. For example, eating was often done standing up or while on an electronic device or reading. Multitasking was encompassing every aspect of our lives, including when we were talking on the phone or in person with our friends and family. We were never “in the moment”.
This is where my New Year’s resolution comes in this year. I want to give my family back the small moments of our lives. At least for part of the day. How could we start living in the moment I asked myself? The word Mindfulness popped in my head. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of Mindfulness is the practice of maintaining a nonjudgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis. Hmm..maybe we could try this Mindfulness thing I keep hearing about? I set out to learn more about Mindfulness at The Library, of course! Immediately I started searching our online catalog with the search terms “mindfulness”. I learned that The Library has a large collection on this topic and in many different formats and age levels. Would you like to start learning how to live more in the moment too?
I would like to share a couple of my favorites from our collection with you:
The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day
by Andy Puddicombe
Summary: Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk, the Voice of Headspace, and the UKs foremost mindfulness expert, is on a mission: to get people to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the here and now.
Mindfulness for Teen Worry: Quick & Easy Strategies to Let Go of Anxiety, Worry, & Stress
by Jeffrey Bernstein, PhD
Summary: Presents quick, easy-to-learn mindfulness exercises readers can use anytime, anywhere to stop worries from growing and taking over.
Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Mindful Living: Awareness and Meditation Practices for Living in the Present Moment
by Robert Butera, Phd and Erin Byron, MA
Summary: Enhance your awareness, achieve higher focus and happiness, and improve all levels of your health with the supportive practices in this guide to mindful living. Featuring over twenty-five leading meditation and mindfulness experts, Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Mindful Living shows you how to boost your well-being and overcome obstacles.
I hope that you all have a happy and peaceful 2020!