Mindfulness - Mark Williams, Danny Penman

It may seem like a dream to find tools to better deal with the emotional problems that hit many today: anxiety, stress, unhappiness, and exhaustion. This is precisely what the authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman propose in the book "Mindfulness".

More than a small change in thinking, the authors present an eight-week program based on meditation techniques to learn to see problems related to the mind and emotions and to learn how to respond in front of them.

The book does not promise miracles or eternal happiness and makes it clear that mindfulness involves a whole process that requires dedication and commitment. However, once the improvements are made, it will be worth it.

Do you want to know more about how to break free from everyday pressures and change your lifestyle? So continue reading this PocketBook and be amazed.

About the book "Mindfulness"

The practices presented in the book by the authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman are based on cognitive therapy based on mindfulness. The book provides a series of guidelines for dealing with various emotional issues.

About the authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman

Mark Williams has on his resume the titles of professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford and director of the Oxford Mindfulness Center (OMC).

He currently teaches at the OMC in Hong Kong and Mainland China and attends the OMC Annual Summer School every year. He is one of the creators of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.

Danny Penman is a Ph. D. in biochemistry, meditation professor, journalist and award-winning writer who has worked for press companies such as BBC, New Scientist, and Independent. His books have been translated into more than 25 languages.

To whom is this book indicated?

"Mindfulness" is indicated for those who want to know and apply the concepts of mindfulness in their daily lives as a way to deal more healthily with the negative emotions faced in everyday life.

Main ideas of the book "Mindfulness"

• There is an interaction between body and mood state;
• Emotional variations can lead to unhappiness, anxiety, and depression, but it is possible to combat this situation;
• The effort to get rid of bad feelings can make things worse;
• It is not a bad mood that causes problems, but the way we respond to it;
• Mindfulness offers an antidote to these bad feelings, memories, and thoughts: recognizing them as they arise and learning how to respond to them;
• This antidote includes the practice of meditation as a tactic.

Finally, it is time to get to know the sum of mindfulness teachings in the book to face daily challenges with a different mindset and attitude.

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Overview: Part 1 – Understanding the emotions

According to the book "Mindfulness":

"The way we respond can transform temporary, non-problematic emotions into persistent, uncomfortable pain".

This is associated with a natural attempt to resolve a negative emotion. It works like this:

• The mind analyzes the separation between the state of unhappiness and the state of happiness to reverse the scenario;
• However, this generates harsh, self-defeating questions that require the mind to provide explanations for lack of contentment, which can lead to more sadness or other negative emotions;
• This is because there is a complex interconnection between thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. That is, focusing on o ne bad feeling can lead to another even worse.

For Mark Williams and Danny Penman, the problem is that emotions such as tension, unhappiness or exhaustion, among others in the same category, cannot be solved, they can only be felt.

With this, when they are perceived and the natural tendency to explain and solve them is set aside, the chances of them leaving the scene become higher.

Overview: Part 2 – Definition of mindfulness

Before you practice any strategy, you need to know it well. The book defines mindfulness as a method of mental treatment that requires patience and persistence.

As said by the authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman:

"This is the essence of mindfulness: waking up to what is happening in the world and within you, moment by moment".

Now let's present some more concepts, proposals, and advantages of mindfulness worked in the book:

• Be fully aware of getting in touch with the senses and experiencing things for the first time;
• Observe without criticizing and being compassionate with oneself;
• Learn to see the world as it is: not as expected, desired or feared to be;
• Capturing negative thought patterns to regain control of one's life and not come downhill emotionally;
• Long-term changes in mood, happiness, and well-being
• Preventing depression and improving the way you deal with everyday anxiety and stress.
• Cultivate a deep and compassionate awareness to analyze goals and find the ideal way to act on your true values
• Open the mind;
• Greater persistence.

Overview: Parte 3 – Meditation

When thoughts of worry plague the mind it can be tricky to get rid of them. As much as one tries to send them away, they persist in taking over the thought.

The authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman argue that a regular, tactical meditation that is part of the method and based on focusing attention on the breath, interrupts the fight against negative thoughts. According to the work, meditating brings benefits such as:

• Watching thoughts arise and understand that they come and go on their own;
• Understand that thoughts and feelings are fleeting and that you can choose whether to act on them or not;
• Mental clarity;
• Trigger disarming that generates immediate reactions to thoughts and sensations;
• Fewer doctor visits and fewer days of hospital stay upon admission;
• Improved memory, faster reaction, and increased creativity;
• Greater mental and physical vigor;
• Decreased anxiety, depression, and irritability;
• Improved quality of relationships;
• Reduction of indicators of chronic stress;
• Strengthening of the immune system;
• See the world clearly to take wise action and change as needed.

Overview: Parte 4 – The program

All of this must be achieved through the eight-week program presented in the book "Mindfulness", which basically consists of:

• Week 1: Autopilot perception and exploration of what happens when you wake up. It contains two meditations: one to stabilize the mind and one to reconnect with the senses;
• Week 2: Proposes a simple meditation to work out the difference between thinking about, and experiencing a sensation;
• Week 3: Previous sessions associated with the mindful movement of yoga to notice reactions when physical and mental limits are reached and to perceive the bad emotions that arise when the goal is not reached;
• Week 4: Based on a meditation that teaches you to view thoughts as mental events that come and go;
• Week 5: Includes a meditation to help you deal with problems that arise in life and need to be addressed;
• Week 6: He teaches that tenderness and compassion through the generosity and the practice of the week's meditation is a tool to get rid of negative thoughts;
• Week 7: Explore the relationship between routine, behavior, and mood. It proposes the use of meditation to better choose what to do, limiting what you wear and increasing what gives you pleasure;
• Week 8: It consists of including mindfulness in everyday life so you can use when it is needed.

What do other authors say about it?

Daniel Goleman, the author of the books "Focus" and "Emotional Intelligence", argues that being emotionally intelligent is being able to identify one's own feelings as well as others' feelings and to manage one's inner emotions well.

In "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down" author Haemin Sumin, is a guide to mindfulness and meeting with our inner wisdom. He points out that strength and joy come when we slow down.

Finally, in "Anxiety - Facing Today's Evil" Augusto Cury addresses important topics related to mental health. He explains clearly and objectively the accelerated thinking syndrome (ACS) and brings the reflection that slowing our thoughts and knowing how to manage our mind is fundamental for a healthier life.

Okay, but how can I apply this to my life?

To test mindfulness results, you can start by:

• Include mindfulness meditation in your daily life through the eight-week program taught by the authors Mark Williams and Danny Penman;
• Persist in the program even when it seems that it is failing or things are not working out;
• Recognize bad thoughts and emotions as they arise.
• Instead of focusing on them or trying to solve them, allow them to dissipate on their own.

Did you like this summary of the book "Mindfulness"?

So, what do you think? In your opinion, is it worth learning and putting into practice the mindfulness guidelines? Can this make a difference in a person's life? Enjoy to purchase the complete work, click on the following images: