10 Minute Mindfulness Book Review

I had the pleasure of reading the book 10 Minute Mindfulness: 71 Simple Habits for Living in the Present Moment by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport. This review will discuss why I selected this book and areas that peeked my interest while reading. I will also show another source that agrees with this way of thinking and teaching. Finally, I will discuss how I will implement these learned skills in my daily life. I feel that I gained knowledge from this reading that I look forward to using in my daily life long after this course is complete.

Book

10 Minute Mindfulness: 71 Simple Habits for Living in the Present Moment by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport was the book I selected for this assignment. After previewing both book suggestions

If I am thinking negatively, then I will live in a negative world. If I think positively, then I will live in a positive world. This is explained further with Scott and Davenport’s suggestion “number 2: Awaken with Gratitude….Adopting this mindfulness habit can shift your morning thoughts from those based in dread, anxiety, or apathy to more positive and contented thoughts” (Scott and Davenport, 2017, p. 39). What a simple, yet wonderful thought. The idea is to wake up each morning and think about the small blessings we have in our day. We tend to overlook the small stuff and focus on only the big things whether good or bad. Their suggestion is to have a gratitude journal where you write down something you are grateful for then direct your focus to really think about why that particular thing is something you are grateful for (Scott and Davenport, 2017). Along this same line is suggestion “number 10: Smile in the Mirror” (Scott and Davenport, 2017, p. 58). The authors discuss how something as simple as a smile “slows the heart and relaxes the body, and it releases endorphins that counteract and diminish stress hormones” (Scott and Davenport, 2017, p.58). The suggestion in to look at yourself in the mirror, no matter what mood you are in, and spend time smiling at yourself. Even a fake smile will work. Then, remind yourself to smile every time

I will admit that I was skeptical. After reading the book, I saw how some of these ideas could be useful. Then, I was curious if others had successfully used these techniques. I was pleased to find ample information on the benefits of mindfulness thinking in our daily lives. One particular article, in the Harvard Business Review, “How to practice mindfulness throughout your work day” by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter discussed very similar practices as my selected book, 10-Minute Mindfulness by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport. Hougaard and Carter state that “people spend almost 47% of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing” (Hougaard and Carter, 2016). This means that people are not focused on each task at hand and tend to be distracted by outside thoughts. They further discuss that there are “two skills that define a mindful mind: focus and awareness. More explicitly, focus is the ability to concentrate on what you’re doing in the moment, while awareness is the ability to recognize and release unnecessary distractions as they arise…Mindful working means applying focus and awareness to everything you do” (Hougaard and Carter, 2016). By doing this, mindfulness “helps increase effectiveness, decrease mistakes, and even enhance creativity” (Hougaard and Carter, 2016). This is precisely what Scott and Davenport thought when they