Zabawa - A restful mind : daily meditations for enhancing mental health

Recovery from mental illness is a process. It means taking care of ourselves each and every dayspiritually, emotionally, and physically. It means actively working to make change. It means making health and stability a priority. Although we each recover in our own way and on our own schedule, we all need help, and help comes in many forms.

Some of us go to therapy, for example. Many of us use prescription medication under the care of a doctor. Some of us attend regular support group meetings and work with mentors or sponsors. These and the many other ways we take care of ourselves are sometimes called the tools of recovery. We choose the ones that work best for us.

Millions of people in recovery from various illnesses have used a tool called bibliotherapy, which means reading to promote growth and understanding. A meditation book, like this one, is a common form of bibliotherapy. Because it can help with immediate issues, it works like an aspirin. Because it promotes psychological and spiritual growth, it works like a vitamin. Like other recovery tools, it works best when used on a regular basis.

A Restful Mind is a testament to experience, strength, and hope. Its daily meditations speak to all of us, regardless of our diagnosis. Topics include having setbacks, reducing anxiety, taking medication, asking for help, experiencing inpatient treatment, and being gentle with ourselves. Each one-page meditation has three parts: a reflection, a question to promote awareness, and a thought for the day. It helps to read each meditation more than once.

We read a meditation book like this one for many reasons. It can offer reassurance. It can help us feel normal. It can help us see where weve been and where we want to go. It can help us think more clearly and understand ourselves better. Though not every topic may seem to apply to our situation on any given day, we can still gain new insights and perspectives on mental illness from the ideas and experiences of others.

Like doing anything new, reading this book might feel strange at first. Be sure to give it a fair chance. Use it to start your day or end your day. Or carry it with you and read it when you have time. The idea is to make reading this book a daily ritual on your recovery journey. The goal is growth, support, and understanding.

Reading a meditation is like listening to someone who knows us and accepts us even though we have never met. With time, may A Restful Mind become a comfort, a companion, and a touchstone for you.

Tim Mc, author of Today I Will Do One Thing