(Super) long time, no talk! I wish I could apologize for my leave of absence, but I think it was for the best! I'll explain more later.
I hope you all are doing well and focusing on your physical and mental health at the moment. I know that I am. Life has been so difficult lately, with the significant changes occurring, in what seems to be every aspect of life, so it is more important than ever to take time to simply be. Simply breathe.
And the topic of being mindful of yourself and your state of being is a great segway to the lovely book that I want to share today.
I was recommended the book Wherever You Go There You Are, written by Jon Kabat-Zinn, by a special mentor in my life. I started reading this book about two weeks ago and it has entirely changed my life and the way I take in every moment.
The book is an incredibly simple read. The diction is very colloquial, making the book suitable for all ages. Kabat-Zinn incorporates quotes from famous people that share his mindset for how to simply be and live a fulfilling life. That mindset consists of being perfectly fine - even if everything isn't "fine" or "ideal" - and have no desire to change the "now". His idea relies on the premise that every moment can be best taken in if you focus on your breathing and practice patience, without giving in to the temptation of altering your present state.
As you may assume from the book cover, Kabat-Zinn writes that the best way to practice mindfulness is to practice meditation - essentially focusing on your breathing. Meditation is something that I have been practicing for a few years (irregularly), but something that benefits my life. As Kabat-Zinn argues, as a go-getter, you may think that pausing to sit in silence may take away from your life because you will "do less", but in actuality, you will achieve more, and be more fulfilled by "doing nothing," which is the practice of meditation.
The art of meditation is important for me as someone that is an overthinker and as someone that struggles with anxiety. Can you relate? It may look like I am taking a walk around the block, or reading a book, but in actuality, I am likely thinking about an awkward encounter that happened last week with a friend or feeling apprehensive about a school presentation that I know I will be giving next month (unfortunately, that is the sad reality). Can you still relate?
Luckily, I have learned so many strategies from this book. This book has taught me to focus on my breathing when my mind starts to wander, just like in my meditation practice. The best part about this is that I don't have to be meditating formally to practice staying present. I can be at work and surrounded by twenty people and when my mind starts to wander, I can shift my thinking from being in the past or future, and begin to notice my breathing. I can also point out five visible objects in the area around me. That blue wall? That plant in the corner? My jean skirt? That works! Then I can touch four different items and ask myself what those feel like. Is my hair feeling smooth or coarse today? Is my sweater cotton or wool? Is the ground rocky or smooth? Next, I can notice the sounds of three different things around me - the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, the sound of the kids playing a game, and the sound of a fan blowing. Finally, I can notice two different smells and one taste. This activity is something to recenter me. It works like a charm.
Since reading this book, I catch myself repeating under my breath, "feel this moment. It will never come back. Soak it in." I am not even kidding. It sounds cringey, but I whisper it to myself every day since reading the book.
This book has opened my eyes to the fact that I have wasted so much of my life dwelling on the past and anticipating the future, that I have completely neglected to take in every beautiful and terrible present moment. I will never get those moments back. Thankfully, this book has rescued me from a state that lacks mindfulness. A state that neglects the present in fear of the future and the past. I am grateful that I received this message at twenty years old. I know it will change my life. I just want to be, and soak in all the moments.
Kabat-Zinn enriches the passages that he writes by including passages from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, which the transcendentalist author wrote to reflect on the long period of time he spent by himself in nature, at Walden Pond. Kabat-Zinn references Thoreau and his revelations throughout the book, as Thoreau would sit and stare at the sky and nature for hours during a day.
Kabat-Zinn also shares a lot of insight from the wisdom and beliefs shared by those following Buddhism. I find the information he includes about Thoreau and Buddhism to be absolutely fascinating.
This blog post would be very long if I went into great depth of sharing my thoughts and analysis of this insightful book, but what would the fun in that be for you? I think the best way to share the message of this book would be for me to end here, and let you read it. You'll thank yourself later. Or maybe me haha. But seriously, take a chance on this one. I am guessing you could finish it in a very short period of time.
There is so much I could say about what is going on in the world right now, but I think the most impactful thing I could say to you is that the light is near, my friend. Take care of yourself. All you have is you. Do what you need to do to be okay. Yesterday, I got home from work in the mid-afternoon and fell asleep for three hours. I also skipped my workout. That was amazing. I needed it. How about you? What do you need?
Until Next Time,
MM <3
I hope you all are doing well and focusing on your physical and mental health at the moment. I know that I am. Life has been so difficult lately, with the significant changes occurring, in what seems to be every aspect of life, so it is more important than ever to take time to simply be. Simply breathe.
And the topic of being mindful of yourself and your state of being is a great segway to the lovely book that I want to share today.
I was recommended the book Wherever You Go There You Are, written by Jon Kabat-Zinn, by a special mentor in my life. I started reading this book about two weeks ago and it has entirely changed my life and the way I take in every moment.
The book is an incredibly simple read. The diction is very colloquial, making the book suitable for all ages. Kabat-Zinn incorporates quotes from famous people that share his mindset for how to simply be and live a fulfilling life. That mindset consists of being perfectly fine - even if everything isn't "fine" or "ideal" - and have no desire to change the "now". His idea relies on the premise that every moment can be best taken in if you focus on your breathing and practice patience, without giving in to the temptation of altering your present state.
As you may assume from the book cover, Kabat-Zinn writes that the best way to practice mindfulness is to practice meditation - essentially focusing on your breathing. Meditation is something that I have been practicing for a few years (irregularly), but something that benefits my life. As Kabat-Zinn argues, as a go-getter, you may think that pausing to sit in silence may take away from your life because you will "do less", but in actuality, you will achieve more, and be more fulfilled by "doing nothing," which is the practice of meditation.
The art of meditation is important for me as someone that is an overthinker and as someone that struggles with anxiety. Can you relate? It may look like I am taking a walk around the block, or reading a book, but in actuality, I am likely thinking about an awkward encounter that happened last week with a friend or feeling apprehensive about a school presentation that I know I will be giving next month (unfortunately, that is the sad reality). Can you still relate?
Luckily, I have learned so many strategies from this book. This book has taught me to focus on my breathing when my mind starts to wander, just like in my meditation practice. The best part about this is that I don't have to be meditating formally to practice staying present. I can be at work and surrounded by twenty people and when my mind starts to wander, I can shift my thinking from being in the past or future, and begin to notice my breathing. I can also point out five visible objects in the area around me. That blue wall? That plant in the corner? My jean skirt? That works! Then I can touch four different items and ask myself what those feel like. Is my hair feeling smooth or coarse today? Is my sweater cotton or wool? Is the ground rocky or smooth? Next, I can notice the sounds of three different things around me - the sound of my feet hitting the pavement, the sound of the kids playing a game, and the sound of a fan blowing. Finally, I can notice two different smells and one taste. This activity is something to recenter me. It works like a charm.
Since reading this book, I catch myself repeating under my breath, "feel this moment. It will never come back. Soak it in." I am not even kidding. It sounds cringey, but I whisper it to myself every day since reading the book.
This book has opened my eyes to the fact that I have wasted so much of my life dwelling on the past and anticipating the future, that I have completely neglected to take in every beautiful and terrible present moment. I will never get those moments back. Thankfully, this book has rescued me from a state that lacks mindfulness. A state that neglects the present in fear of the future and the past. I am grateful that I received this message at twenty years old. I know it will change my life. I just want to be, and soak in all the moments.
Kabat-Zinn enriches the passages that he writes by including passages from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, which the transcendentalist author wrote to reflect on the long period of time he spent by himself in nature, at Walden Pond. Kabat-Zinn references Thoreau and his revelations throughout the book, as Thoreau would sit and stare at the sky and nature for hours during a day.
Kabat-Zinn also shares a lot of insight from the wisdom and beliefs shared by those following Buddhism. I find the information he includes about Thoreau and Buddhism to be absolutely fascinating.
This blog post would be very long if I went into great depth of sharing my thoughts and analysis of this insightful book, but what would the fun in that be for you? I think the best way to share the message of this book would be for me to end here, and let you read it. You'll thank yourself later. Or maybe me haha. But seriously, take a chance on this one. I am guessing you could finish it in a very short period of time.
There is so much I could say about what is going on in the world right now, but I think the most impactful thing I could say to you is that the light is near, my friend. Take care of yourself. All you have is you. Do what you need to do to be okay. Yesterday, I got home from work in the mid-afternoon and fell asleep for three hours. I also skipped my workout. That was amazing. I needed it. How about you? What do you need?
Until Next Time,
MM <3
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