Angela Grey's Blog, page 4
April 6, 2022
Book review: The Art of Simple Living by Shunmyo Masuno
100 Daily Practices form a Japanese Zen Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy
This straightforward, unpretentious, quick read should be on everybody’s TBR stack because with just subtle shifts in your habits and perspective you’ll be able to live simply. The author is the head priest at a 450-year-old Zen Buddhist temple in Japan and separated his book into four parts:
30 ways to energize your “present self”—Try making a subtle shift in your habits.30 ways to inspire confidence and courage for living—Try changing your perspective.20 ways to eliminate confusion and worry—Try to change how you interact with others.20 ways to make any day the best day—Try shifting your attention to the present moment.It begins by reminding us of how we felt the first time we stood on a mountain top and looked out at the great expanse or staring out across the ocean at the horizon. It’s a sense of being refreshed where your heart feels lighter, worries vanish, and you feel more alive.
Our daily life is full of accumulating stress, worries, and feeling burdened. But how do we change our world? That is a monumental task. So, better yet, let’s change ourselves. It only requires slight changes in habits or a subtle shift in your perspective. The author shows us how to do this with the help of Zen which is about habits, ideas, and hints for living a happy life: deep, yet simple life wisdom. He begins by telling us that we shouldn’t be swayed by the values of others, troubled by unnecessary concerns, or place value on wasteful things.
Here are some of the book’s insights:
Make time for emptiness by first observing yourself. Be with yourself as you are, but without haste, without impatience.Savor the morning air. The monk’s secret to life is found here. Each day is not the same.Discard what you don’t need. It will refresh your mind. Part with old things before acquiring new ones.Organize your desktop. Cleaning hones the mind. Your desk is a mirror that reflects you inner mind.Exhale deeply. How to eliminate negative emotions. Improve your breathing and your mind will improve, too.Sit Zazen. The effects of sitting and thinking. Human beings are not capable of deep reflection while we are moving.Don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot control. What does it mean to be spiritually lighter? The moment when you suddenly leave yourself behind.Don’t think of unpleasant things right before bed. A five-minute “bed zazen” before going to sleep. Time to reset your mind.Don’t be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Anxiety is intangible. Where does it actually exist?Simply immerse yourself. The tremendous power of being unfettered. Empty your mind, and do not let it settle anywhere or wander.Do not fear change. Cast off your attachment to the past. There is beauty to be found in change.Cast away the three poisons: greed, anger, and ignorance to being a Zen mind-se into your life. Keep your desires and anger in check and strive to understand the nature of things.Notice the changes of the season. It will inspire you to go on. Herin lies the only truth in the world.This would make a nice bedside table read to page through occasionally to recall it’s insights. To read it in its entirety, go here.
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
April 5, 2022
What Emotionally Strong People Don’t Do
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
April 4, 2022
Cognitive Biases that Create the Way You Experience Life
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
April 3, 2022
35 Things to Think of Instead of What’s Consuming You
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
April 2, 2022
16 Signs of Socially Intelligent People
This is the result of group work done at the CSPH at the University of Minnesota for a class on resilience. Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
April 1, 2022
How Your Daily Routine Creates Personality
This is the result of group work done at the CSPH at the University of Minnesota for a class on resilience. Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
March 31, 2022
8 Most Prevalent Subconscious Beliefs that are Keeping You from Having the Life You Want
This is the result of group work done at the CSPH at the University of Minnesota for a class on resilience. Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor..
March 30, 2022
20 Signs You’re Doing Better than You Think You Are
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
Book review: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
This bestseller contains uplifting and encouraging words to help you change your perception of the world around you. It is a personal action plan to improve your way of thinking. It focuses on specific areas of life that need attention, such as money and self-worth, and assures that with persistence you will achieve success in these areas. This book gives you the motivation to improve your life.
We live in a “yes” universe which always says yes to us no matter what we choose to think or believe. Our thoughts create our future. Whether we think prosperity or poverty, the universe says yes to it, which is why we need to reframe our thinking. We must make conscious efforts always to retain and affirm positivity as our lives end up playing out according to our thoughts.
We want to think and believe that we have the right to be healthy so that health becomes natural to us. There is magic in recognizing our bodies as good friends and knowing that every cell listens to our minds. Our beliefs become our reality. We can decide to be healthy and live extraordinary lives by ensuring our minds are rid of negativity and resentment by releasing all burden from our heart, and thereby ensuring all the organs in our body will function properly.
We can effect change in our lives by following these principles:
Nurturing the willingness to let goControlling the mindLearning how forgiveness of self and others releases usTo break free from our negative mind, we need to substitute faith for fear and build our love for ourselves which contributes greatly to the quality of our lives. We must dissolve every bit of resentment to make way for change. It gives no room for any form of negativity. We must cease negativity and criticism except for our flaws and strengths and making sure to take rewards when necessary. When we practice self-love, life mirrors that love back to us—the gateway to true healing.
The only way to change others is to change ourselves first. Once we change our patterns, we’ll find that people are different, too.
Louise L. Hay
This is a colorful and beautifully designed book that would make the perfect gift for others or staple in your self-help library.
March 29, 2022
Book review: Rezoom by Susan Peirce Thompson
The Powerful Reframe to End the Crash-and-burn Cycle of Food Addiction
This book explores how food recovery involves a level of self-examination, grit, and vigilance unparalleled in the addiction-recovery landscape. The first element of addiction recovery as far as food recovery is concerned is the Rezoom Reframe. The second is a set of behavioral interventions known as the Rezoom System. Parts Work is the process of getting your whole psych aligned with your weight-loss journey.
The Internal Family Systems model of the psyche is based on the idea that we all have an authentic self, a calm, clear center underneath the storm of our parts. It has eight qualities: calm, confidence, curiosity, creativity, clarity, courage, compassion, and connectedness. Parts of us fall into two categories: wounded parts from childhood and protective parts that look after our wounded parts but also keep them out of view.
The Food Indulger is the part of us that is addicted to food to protect, soothe, and numb ourselves from uncomfortable emotions. Food is the hardest substance to overcome in the addiction-recovery landscape because we need it to survive. A strong Food Controller can get us into better shape, but we won’t have peace until we get our life into balance and get our Food Indulger to calm down.
The old way of thinking about food is all-or-nothing and this leads to perfectionism. The new way of thinking is more gradual and leads to more freedom. The crash-and-burn cycle of food addiction is too destructive, and we need to end it. We need a Rezoom Reframe. The book then goes into Bright Line eating which is a relatively new weight loss program that uses the latest neurological and psychological research to help people who struggle with food addiction to lose weight and keep it off for good. This is the bulk of this book. to get a copy to read in its entirety go here.
Until my next post, why not check out my YA novels about mental illness, memoir writing, novel in verse, or even my Native American mystery series on Amazon, or follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, Bookbub , BookSprout, or AllAuthor.
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