by Christopher K. Germer is a fantastic book I just finished reading. It's about meditating, loving yourself, being aware of your emotions, and handling them appropriately.
The heart of the book is mindfulness, which I think is a cool and life-changing concept. It's all about fully being in the moment you're in. Your mind is not pulled back into the past, or fixated on the future. It is there with whatever your doing at the present moment. Once you establish a pattern of mindfulness, things like worries or anxiety start to have a lot less power over you.
After being in class today, discussing fast paced cartoons and endless distractions, I wondered- Do humans ever let themselves just be in a moment? It seems like our attention is always divided between a million little things. We have to worry about homework, money, relationships, some of us have to worry about taking care of children and spouses, while all the while, a lot of media, like facebook, youtube, and netflix contribute to the noise. We have so much going on, and I think it's detrimental to our emotional and spiritual well-being. But, if you employ mindfulness, it can contribute to your sanity and happiness. There is nothing richer than fully feeling a moment with all of your senses, being completely aware of yourself and saving that memory for a rainy day. If we were all mindful in every moment, it would revolutionize our relationships, our studying, and other pursuits. Mindfulness is about really living and enjoying life, when you might lose yourself in everything that's going on with your life.
So I have a new goal to be more mindful. I think it will really help me be happier.
I love that idea! I totally feel the same way. We are SO bombarded by everything going on in today's world that it takes away from the peace and quiet that we often need. Life has become so fast-paced, but I think it definitely is important to just take a minute and slow down and focus on that moment that you talked about. It sounds like a great book. I will have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis here! There are all sorts of studies coming out about mindfulness and I love how you've applied it to the media.
ReplyDeleteThis sound like an awesome book! I would love to read it. I haven't ever really heard of mindfulness so it is very interesting to me. I always get way too caught up doing other things or worrying or spending too much time on Pinterest when I could be doing much more productive and healthy things. Thanks for your post :)
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