Catharine Hannay - Being You: A Girls Guide to Mindfulness

Copyright 2019, Prufrock Press Inc.

Edited by Katy McDowall

Cover and layout design by Allegra Denbo

ePub ISBN: 978-1-61821-918-3

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Ive been blessed with so much support that adequately expressing my gratitude would take a whole book in and of itself.

The Prufrock team has been a pleasure to work with, especially editor Katy McDowall, designer Allegra Denbo, and publisher Joel McIntosh.

Colleagues in the mindfulness community have helped in countless ways, both in their contributions to the Mindful Teachers website and in making improvements to this book. In particular, I owe a great deal to Christine Fonseca, Sam Himelstein, Jennifer Howd, Deborah Kehoe, Barbara Larrivee, Brandi Lust, Julie Mann, Amiee Peri, Ira Rabois, Pete Reilly, Mary Cay Ricci, Dzung Vo, and Sara Weis.

Ive also had tremendous support from my family. My sister, Rev. Deborah Sunoo, helped deepen my understanding of secular and faith-based perspectives on mindfulness and compassion. My niece Alina shared her perspective as a near-peer role model for teen girls. My father, David Hannay, provided essential computer equipment and support. Last but not least, my husband, Eric Peterman, was with me every step of the way, from when I was first thinking through my ideas to when I was making the very last corrections to the final version of the manuscript.

I am deeply grateful to you all.

Introduction

You are you! That is truer than true!

There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

Dr. Seuss

I wish I had a book like this when I was your age. I was so stressed! I spent the whole day worrying about doing something wrong. I had nightmares almost every night. And I had no idea what to do when I felt flooded or overwhelmed by my emotions.

On top of feeling anxious most of the time, I was really confused. It seemed like my parents, teachers, boys, and other girls all had different ideas about how I should behave and even how I should think. It was hard to determine what I really wanted to do and who I really wanted to be.

Do you want to know the worst part? I thought I was the only girl who felt this way.

Now that Im older, I realize that I definitely wasnt the only girl who felt stressed and confused. In fact, Im pretty sure that ALL teen girls feel stressed and confused. Theres so much to deal with at once:

your changing body;

pressure to do well in school;

expectations from parents and other adults;

a social scene full of gossip, frenemies, and bullying;

other responsibilities, like a part-time job or taking care of younger siblings; and

serious issues in your family or your community.

When I started learning about mindfulness a few years ago, I thought, This is so helpful! Why didnt I know about this sooner? Ive talked to several other women who had the same reaction, wishing theyd learned about mindfulness when they were teens.

Mindfulness is for everyone, but it isnt one size fits all. Ill tell you about my favorite activities, but Im not going to tell you The One and Only Way to practice mindfulness. Instead, my goal is to help you develop a personal mindfulness practice. Its not just about being present; its about being you.

Ive included quotes from girls, ages 1519, who answered a survey about their favorite ways to practice mindfulness and how it has benefitted them. Youll also hear from my niece Alina, who will turn 20 and start her third year of university a couple of weeks before this book is published.

Plus, there are a lot of different activities. Some of them are traditional types of mindfulness meditation. Others are worksheets to help you connect what youre learning to your own life. Ive also included what I do personally, as well as my favorite mindfulness practices from a few of my colleagues.

There are 52 activities, so you could try a different one every week for a whole year. You might want to start a journal of your experiences with the mindfulness activities, especially if you borrowed this book from the library or youre reading the eBook, so that you have a place to write your answers.

Start with : How Much Do I Know About Mindfulness? (see p. 4). Each question relates to a particular chapter, so that will give you a quick way to see what you already know and what youll learn in this book.

how much do i know about mindfulness?

Directions: Circle the answer that shows how much you agree with each statement, from not at all (0%) to definitely (100%).

1.I understand what mindfulness is and how it can help me.

2.I pay attention to my surroundings and to what Im eating.

3.I always understand exactly how Im feeling, and I never get overwhelmed by my emotions.

4.I understand how the brain works and how it can be affected by mindfulness practice.

5.I know several different types of breathing practices for mindfulness or relaxation.