Posts Tagged ‘andrew peterson’
Staff Picks: Holiday Stress? Learn how to de-stress in The Next Ten Minutes
Now that Halloween is behind us and we all desperately try to avoid eating all that candy in one sitting we know one thing for certain, the holiday season is upon us. The leaves have changed. Turkeys are arriving in the local grocery store. And we all begin to worry about the many obligations that come with this season. For many in our society, what should be a joyous season has become more of a stress-filled marathon. While this time of year should be about joy, family, and giving thanks it can quickly turn into the opposite. As I was thinking about how I could fend off the inevitable holiday stress and really enjoy the true purpose of the season I stumbled upon The Next Ten Minutes by Andrew Peterson on my bookshelf. Aha! I had it! Easy and dynamic ways to distress, re-center, and seize the moment in only ten minutes.
The brilliance of this book is that it takes all the benefits of meditation and applies it in easy ten minute exercises, many of which I can do while sitting at my desk, cleaning the house, or even running errands. You see, the brilliance behind The Next Ten Minutes is in helping the reader discover the seeds of transformation and meaning in even the most ordinary routines. For example, some of my favorite exercises include Relaxing Your Face, Feeling Your Foot, Throwing Something Away, or simply Waiting. Basically, this book invites readers to move more deeply into the familiar task of ordinary life.
Possibly my favorite thing about this book, though, is the index! Yes, the index. It breaks down all the exercises based on the particular emotion you would like to alleviate. Say your in-laws are about to arrive and you’re feeling anxious. You can simply look up anxious in the index and choose between the exercises listed to help you overcome your anxiety and relax. So simple! So easy! And it only takes ten minutes. I think this book is going to find a permanent place in my purse for the next two months, and maybe beyond. (And I’ll definitely be grabbing a few more copies as gifts to my equally stressed-out family and friends!)
And don’t forget to share your favorite ways to de-stress during the holiday season.
Light A Candle
The universal element in all our winter holidays is the absence of natural light. On a very primitive level, we’re all a little bit afraid of the dark and that’s why, as the days become shorter and shorter, we string lights around our homes and light candles. We’re holding off against the growing darkness, both symbolically and literally. But in addition to danger, darkness holds a deep and beautiful creative energy. In this exercise (which should be done after sunset or before sunrise), I invite you to immerse yourself in both the lush beauty of darkness and the fragile miracle of light. (more…)
Holiday Wishes
The Holidays are the perfect time to reflect on your blessings and at Beyond Words we wanted to take this opportunity to thank our community of inspired readers by offering some thoughts from some of our favorite authors. If you get our newsletter, you have already gotten a taste of their holiday inspiration, if not, go here to read what Mike Dooley, Zoe Weil, and many of our other authors think about at this time of year.
Following this post will be several posts from our authors who had even more holiday thoughts to share. We hope you enjoy, and don’t forget to visit our site to get some great last minute deals. Happy Holidays from us at Beyond Words!
