Mindfulness and Meditation: Handling Life with a Calm and Focused Mind
Whitney Stewart
Twenty-first Century Books
Published August 6, 2019

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About Mindfulness and Meditation

From hormones to homework, parents to peers, health issues to bad habits, life can be a pressure cooker leading to anxiety and even thoughts of suicide. How can we find relief? Author Whitney Stewart introduces readers to the practice of mindfulness.

With its roots in ancient Buddhist teachings, mindfulness–the practice of purposefully focusing attention on the present moment–can change a person’s approach to stress, develop skills to handle anxiety and depression, and provide a sense of awareness and belonging.

Stewart guides readers through how to get started with meditation as well as provides specific exercises for examining emotions, managing stress, checking social media habits and wellness routines, and setting intentions to increase happiness.

My Review

This is actually the second book on meditation that I’ve read recently, though it’s the first I’m officially reviewing. I have been really interested in the practice especially lately, because I’ve noticed an uptick in anxiety since the pandemic began. Mindfulness and meditation are supposed to be helpful to address anxiety, so it seemed like a great idea to learn more about them and how to apply those practices to my life.

My favorite thing about this book is that it’s broken down into sections that talk about how a certain area of our lives can cause stress. It’s things like social media, being overtired, waking up in the morning, etc. In each section, there are sample mindfulness exercises that can be read aloud by a friend or recorded and played while you engage in them.

I found them to be really simple and helpful. I liked that there were often several to choose from. You could try different exercises and find what helps the best.

There are also some great resources in the back of the book, including a list of apps you can use to do guided mindfulness exercises. I’d heard of many of them before, but some were new to me.

On the whole, I feel like this is a great introduction to mindfulness that explains really well what it is and why it works. It’s got everything that you need to get started with your own mindfulness practice in your daily life.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Text contains brief quotes from lots of different students.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist practice, so the author talks a little bit about Buddhist beliefs and practices. This isn’t a spiritual book, though. Mindfulness itself is not a religious practice. The author encourages readers to use it with their existing faith practices.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog.

Have you tried mindfulness or meditation?

Have you ever tried mindfulness or meditation before? Do you have a regular practice? If you do, what apps or books do you find helpful?

Also… how are you doing? Have you noticed an increase in your anxiety level this year? What do you do to help you relax?