Learning to Practice Mindfulness – “Mindfulness: A Journal” Review + Giveaway

If you follow me on social media, you probably remember I recently mentioned taking a Mindful Parenting Class from Udemy.  The course gave some amazing reasons of why and how I needed to practice mindfulness for effective parenting.  My problem is actually practicing Mindfulness, so I was excited when I had the opportunity to pick up Mindfulness: A Journal by Catherine Price.  I was provided a copy of this mindfulness journal in exchange for my honest review.  This book answers your questions about mindfulness, like “what is mindfulness?” and “how do I practice mindfulness?”

Mindfulness Journal Book Review

This book’s brief overview mentions how “mainstream” mindfulness has become, but how little we actually understand of mindfulness.  It’s not a simple concept of being aware of your surroundings.  Catherine writes “To paraphrase Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness can be defined as paying deliberate attention to your life in the present moment without judgment.”   To practice mindfulness, some key suggestions were:

• “…observe the sensory details of your experience …” during a few moments of your day
• recognize that the only moment you can truly experience is this one.  You can’t experience the past or the future.
• do the first two parts “without judgment.”  It’s okay to make choices, but not if you have a critical or negative attitude about something.

“Mindfulness helps us to recognize that thoughts aren’t us.”

How to Practice Mindfulness with the Journal

It is recommended to use the journal and to skip around as you see fit, so long as you are deliberately practicing mindfulness for each entry.  I chose to start with the very first entry to explain why I chose to use the Mindfulness Journal.

Then, I chose the second entry because it had a simple way for me to implement more mindfulness practices throughout the day.   The entry encouraged purchasing a small pack of stickers and placing them throughout your home, office, etc.  The stickers are meant to be your reminders to stop, breathe, and be in the present moment.

My thoughts on the Mindfulness Journal

Mindfulness: A Journal is an easy read.  It’s thought-provoking and extremely helpful in explaining the true meaning of mindfulness.

I love that each activity reminds you to be in the present.  There are tons of activities in this book to help you become better at true mindfulness.  Through direct instructions or prompts to make you think, there are plenty of exercises to help you practice.

Catherine reminds you that you will fail at mindfulness and that it’s OK.  We’re human and we’re retraining our brains.  It’s not okay to punish or scold yourself when your mind wanders.  That you recognized it and work to put your mind back on track means you are learning.

The author also reminds the reader that a change in attitude isn’t achieved overnight, rather by continually practicing mindfulness over time.

I plan to continue working through the journal to get a head-start on my New Year resolutions.  When I’m better at practicing general mindfulness and repairing my attitude, I plan to revisit the Mindful Parenting Class and brush up on the skills and activities there to work toward becoming a better parent.

I recommend…

I recommend that you select the prompt the night before – some of them are best to know what you need to focus on for the day.

I’m looking forward to making some positive changes with this journal.

This is a spectacular book for anyone looking to quiet the brain, find some peace, and give themselves a few minutes a day to de-stress.  It’s a perfect gift for yourself or anyone you know who needs to “slow down.”  As a mom, I know all too well just how necessary a book like this can be.

“Mindfulness: A Journal” Giveaway

After using this book for a couple weeks, I knew this was going to be something that was bound to help change my life.  In time.  With consistent practice.  And, I knew I needed to share this with my readers.  Catherine has agreed to send a book to one of my readers!  So, without further ado, here’s the giveaway!

“Mindfulness: A Journal” Giveaway

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.