The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron Book Review: A Practical Guide to Implementing Mindfulness in Daily Life

I received this book for free from Publisher, TLC Book Tours for review consideration, opinions expressed are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.

The Mindful Day by Laurie Cameron
Published by National Geographic
Publication Date: Mar. 27, 2018
Genres: Healthy Living, Inspiration, Nonfiction, Personal Growth, Personal Productivity
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher, TLC Book Tours
Amazon Kindle* | Amazon Paperback*
Goodreads

Blurb:

5* I loved it! The Mindful Day* is a powerful little book and a practical guide to implementing mindfulness in our daily lives. With 50 short chapters and actionable exercises in each,The Mindful Day* doesn’t just tell us why we need mindfulness, but shows us how to achieve it. By focusing on the areas I struggle with most, I will be able to make immediate positive life changes and incorporate mindfulness into my daily routine easily. I can’t recommend this book enough for those who feel overwhelmed by chaos and are seeking a more mindful, peaceful and meaningful life.

Synopsis:

“For overscheduled professionals looking to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives, this step-by-step guide draws on contemplative traditions, modern neuroscience, and leading psychology to bring peace and focus to the home, in the workplace, and beyond.

At the pinnacle of the digital age, it’s hard to imagine packing one more thing into our overwhelmed lives. But new research shows that simple daily exercises can change the way our brain works, improve focus, lift our mood, create stronger connections, and help us develop greater resilience. In this enriching book, noted teacher and mindfulness expert Laurie Cameron provides an everyday road map to cultivate inner peace and navigate any situation with control and clarity. Timeless teachings and straightforward practices designed for busy schedules–from the morning commute to back-to-back meetings to family dinners–show how mindfulness can transform life at home, in the workplace, and beyond. A personal guide for women who have leaned in, men who want to be more effective, and professionals looking to optimize their lives, this book will help readers lead their lives with intention and purpose.“

 

My Thoughts:

I am a total productivity and personal development book junkie. I feel like I’m always learning, trying to improve my life and the way I deal with the depression from chronic illness that rears its ugly head when I least expect it and the limited energy it gives me to get everything done as quickly as I want to.

 

I’m learning how to recognize now when the negative thoughts start to downward spiral. I can feel it happening, one bad thought leading to another worse one seamlessly. When I was reading The Promise Between Us about a woman with harm OCD, she would have to tell herself “thoughts are just thoughts, they have no power” to tame her OCD, and I tell myself the same. When I have increased pain or symptoms, I try to understand what my body is telling me…to slow down, to rest, that I’ve done enough for now.

 

What I learned after reading The Mindful Day* is that becoming aware of my body and my emotions are the root of what mindfulness is all about. Cameron defines mindfulness as:

Mindfulness is the awareness that arises when we deliberately direct our attention toward our inner experience, toward others, and toward the environment around us.

 

And the more I learn about what triggers both my joy and stress, the more I can work to choose joy and control stress. The more I can feel peace and fight overwhelm despite life’s curveballs. The more I can celebrate and love myself and my life and overcome my physical and emotional obstacles. The more I can understand and empathize what others are going through and how my attitude affects others. 

 

I really enjoyed The Mindful Day*, I loved that author Laurie Cameron kept of the 50 chapters short. She presented her point,  gives us snippets of succinct, relevant research and examples from her consulting clients and then gave us 4 to 6 actionable steps of how to implement that mindfulness activity into our daily life. She covered how to practice mindfulness during different times of the day and at home, work, love and play. 

 

While you can certainly read the book cover to cover, I think the best way to take advantage of the valuable content in this book is to look over the Table of Contents and focus on the areas of your life where you struggle the most. There are 50 chapters so you could pick one mindfulness activity a day, one a week or however long it takes for that mindfulness activity to become a natural habit to you (experts say it takes 14 to 21 days to make something a habit). 

Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents so you can pinpoint what areas of your life you’d like to work on:

 

Take 15 minutes or so to read and reflect on the chapter. Journal your thoughts writing down what you feel now and how you’d like to improve from this mindfulness activity.  Next, write down the How action steps on a post it or index card to keep in your planner, on your desk, or wherever you will see it periodically throughout the day.

Here’s an example of the How action steps at the end of the Banish Multitasking chapter, it’s one of the areas that I kid myself I can do and need to work on.

 

With so many thoughts overtaking my mind during the day, I know if I don’t write it down and keep it in my planner, I will forget all about being mindful, sort of ironic, right? So I put this post it in my planner so I can easily move it each day I want to focus on it. I’m guessing I will work on each mindfulness activity for at least a week. 

I think it will be nice to flip back through my planner at the end of the year or every time I need a refresher, to see what mindfulness activities I’ve worked on and how they’ve helped me improve my life.

Overall, I think The Mindful Day* is a very practical guide to implementing mindfulness in all aspects of our daily lives. I think it will help give me a greater sense of peace amidst the chaos of life. By focusing on the chapters that I struggle with most, I will be able to see positive results and experience quick wins right away. I highly recommend this book if you too are tired of feeling out of sorts or overwhelmed and are seeking a more peaceful, intentional, purposeful life.

 

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