Recommendations based on "It Didn't Start With You"

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A vital approach to combating climate change and creating a better world for us and our future generations—from beloved Buddhist and environmental activist Thich Nhat Hanh We face a potent intersection of crises: ecological destruction, global warming, inflation, rising inequality, racial injustice, and the lasting impacts of a devastating pandemic. As shown time and time again, the situation is beyond urgent. To face these challenges, we need to find ways to strengthen our clarity, compassion, and courage to act. As beloved Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh said, “When you wake up and you see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing.” He is blazingly clear: there’s one thing we all have the power to change, which can make all the difference, and that is our mind. Our way of looking, seeing, and thinking determines every choice we make, the everyday actions we take or avoid, how we relate to those we love or oppose, and how we react in a crisis. This book is for anyone who cares about the growing and devastating impacts of climate change, mindful consumption, how human and nature’s interconnectedness is paramount for the well-being of all humanity, and creating a better, regenerative world for us future generations. Energetic and altruistic, and filled of Thich Nhat Hanh’s inspiring meditations, Zen stories and experiences from his own activism, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet shows us individual actions help guide institutional change, and bring healing and harmony to ourselves, our relationships, and our planet Earth.

From the creator of the Healthier Together podcast comes this holistic guide to self-improvement, with 150 actionable, science-backed strategies for making life healthier and happier, one step at a time. In a culture obsessed with "wellness," what does it mean to truly be well? Liz Moody, a veteran health journalist who has been working in the wellness industry for more than a decade, believes that wellness touches every aspect of our lives. And through her interviews with top scientists, clinicians, and thinkers for her hit podcast, Healthier Together, she's discovered that sometimes it only takes a little bit of effort to make our lives a lot better. In How to Build Your Best Life, Moody shares the go-to strategies of world class experts and provides simple, practical steps to improve your life in myriad ways. From gut health to personal finance, sleep to relationships, mental clarity to movement--How to Build Your Best Life offers 150 science-backed strategies for enhancing total wellbeing. How to Build Your Best Life is a new kind of wellness book--one that empowers readers to craft their best life based on the habits they want to form, the problems they want to solve, and the qualities they want to take to the next level. With a variety of tips that span the spectrum of health, and Liz's friendly voice serving as a supportive guide, this timeless resource offers a trusted roadmap to becoming healthier and happier.

By the longtime Guardian science journalist, a groundbreaking exploration of the science of enlightenment and mental wellness, illuminated by twin perspectives, ancient and modern: the spiritual wisdom of Siddhartha Gautama and the revelations of today’s scientists, who are confirming the Buddha’s profound insights into the human mindIn the fifth century BCE, in northern India, Siddhartha, the wandering sage who became the Buddha, developed a program, rooted in meditation and mindfulness, for mastering the mind and achieving lasting peace and contentment. Twenty-five centuries later, humans have transformed everything about our world—except our brains, which remain the same powerful yet flawed instruments possessed by our ancestors. What if the solution we seek to the psychological problems of life in the digital age—distraction, anxiety, addiction, loss of deep meaning—had already been worked out by the Buddha in ancient India? Appealing to readers of Eastern wisdom and Jon Kabat-Zinn, as well as to fans of bestsellers by Oliver Sacks and Malcolm Gladwell, acclaimed science writer and practicing Buddhist James Kingsland reveals how scientists are now unlocking the remarkable secrets of Siddhartha’s brain.Moving effortlessly between science and scripture, Kingsland charts Siddhartha’s spiritual journey and explains how new research by leading neuroscientists and clinical psychologists—many of whom are interviewed in these pages—suggests that mindfulness practice reconfigures our brains to make us sharper, smarter, healthier, and happier, and that it can help treat stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, hypertension, and substance abuse. There have even been hints that meditation can enhance immune function, slow cellular aging, and keep dementia at bay. Featuring six guided meditations, Siddhartha’s Brain is a practical and inspiring odyssey of mind and spirit.“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.”—Siddhartha

The New York Times bestselling author and renowned clinical psychologist teaches women how to transcend their fears and illusions, break free from societal expectations, and rediscover the person they were always meant to be: fully present, conscious, and fulfilled.A Radical Awakening lays out a path for women to discover their inner truth and powers to help heal others and the planet.Dr. Shefali helps women uncover the purpose that already exists within them and harness the power of authenticity in every area of their lives. The result is an eloquent and inspiring, practical and accessible book, backed with real-life examples and personal stories, that unlocks the extraordinary power necessary to awaken the conscious self.

From novelist and master psychotherapist Irvin Yalom, author of Lying on the Couch and When Nietzsche Wept, comes the world's first accurate group-therapy novel, a mesmerizing story of two men's search for meaning.At one time or another, all of us have wondered what we'd do in the face of death. Suddenly confronted with his own mortality after a routine checkup, distinguished psychotherapist Julius Hertzfeld is forced to reexamine his life and work. Has he really made an enduring difference in the lives of his patients? And what about the patients he's failed? What has happened to them? Now that he is wiser and riper, can he rescue them yet?Reaching beyond the safety of his thriving San Francisco practice, Julius feels compelled to seek out Philip Slate, whom he treated for sex addiction some twenty-three years earlier. At that time, Philip's only means of connecting to humans was through brief sexual interludes with countless women, and Julius's therapy did not change that. He meets with Philip, who claims to have cured himself -- by reading the pessimistic and misanthropic philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.Much to Julius's surprise, Philip has become a philosophical counselor and requests that Julius provide him with the supervisory hours he needs to obtain a license to practice. In return, Philip offers to tutor Julius in the work of Schopenhauer. Julius hesitates. How can Philip possibly become a therapist? He is still the same arrogant, uncaring, self-absorbed person he had always been. In fact, in every way he resembles his mentor, Schopenhauer. But eventually they strike a Faustian bargain: Julius agrees to supervise Philip, provided that Philip first joins his therapy group. Julius is hoping that six months with the group will address Philip's misanthropy and that by being part of a circle of fellow patients, he will develop the relationship skills necessary to become a therapist.Philip enters the group, but he is more interested in educating the members in Schopenhauer's philosophy -- which he claims is all the therapy anyone should need -- than he is in their individual problems. Soon Julius and Philip, using very different therapeutic approaches, are competing for the hearts and minds of the group members.Is this going to be Julius's swan song -- a splintered group and years of good work down the drain? Or will all the members, including Philip, find a way to rise to the occasion that brings with it the potential for extraordinary change? In The Schopenhauer Cure, Irvin Yalom elegantly weaves the true story of Schopenhauer's psychological life throughout the narrative, knitting together fact and fiction to form a compellingly readable tale.

The culmination of a lifetime of counselling, lecturing and writing, M. Scott Peck's book leads us to a deeper awareness of how to live rich, fulfilling lives in a world fraught with stress and anxiety. Writing with a depth of understanding that comes with the seasoned perspective of age, Dr Peck continues the journey of spiritual growth that began with The Road Less Travelled, one of the most influential books of modern times. To the famous opening line of that book - 'Life is difficult' he now adds 'Life is complex'. But the greatest challenge, he reminds us, is to learn to deal with life's conflicts, problems and paradoxes to find the true simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity. The journey to serenity and peace, Dr Peck writes, can only be made with increasing self-awareness and social awareness. There are no easy answers for complex problems. The work of learning and growth is hard. And yet he shows us that there is a way to think with integrity, to know the difference between good and evil, to overcome narcissism, to love and be loved, to live with paradox, to accept the consequences of our actions all through life, and to come to terms with dying and death.0000000000.

A revelatory primer on what it means to be human and a mind-opening manual of initiation into the central mystery of existence, by “perhaps the foremost interpreter of Eastern disciplines for the contemporary West" (Los Angeles Times). At the root of human conflict is our fundamental misunderstanding of who we are. The illusion that we are isolated beings, unconnected to the rest of the universe, has led us to view the “outside” world with hostility, and has fueled our misuse of technology and our violent and hostile subjugation of the natural world. To help us understand that the self is in fact the root and ground of the universe, Alan Watts provides us with a much-needed answer to the problem of personal identity, distilling and adapting the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta.

A groundbreaking work of science that confirms, for the first time, the independent existence of the mind–and demonstrates the possibilities for human control over the workings of the brain.Conventional science has long held the position that 'the mind' is merely an illusion, a side effect of electrochemical activity in the physical brain. Now in paperback, Dr Jeffrey Schwartz and Sharon Begley's groundbreaking work, The Mind and the Brain, argues exactly the opposite: that the mind has a life of its own.Dr Schwartz, a leading researcher in brain dysfunctions, and Wall Street Journal science columnist Sharon Begley demonstrate that the human mind is an independent entity that can shape and control the functioning of the physical brain. Their work has its basis in our emerging understanding of adult neuroplasticity–the brain's ability to be rewired not just in childhood, but throughout life, a trait only recently established by neuroscientists. Through decades of work treating patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), Schwartz made an extraordinary finding: while following the therapy he developed, his patients were effecting significant and lasting changes in their own neural pathways. It was a scientific first: by actively focusing their attention away from negative behaviors and toward more positive ones, Schwartz's patients were using their minds to reshape their brains–and discovering a thrilling new dimension to the concept of neuroplasticity. The Mind and the Brain follows Schwartz as he investigates this newly discovered power, which he calls self–directed neuroplasticity or, more simply, mental force. It describes his work with noted physicist Henry Stapp and connects the concept of 'mental force' with the ancient practice of mindfulness in Buddhist tradition. And it points to potential new applications that could transform the treatment of almost every variety of neurological dysfunction, from dyslexia to stroke–and could lead to new strategies to help us harness our mental powers. Yet as wondrous as these implications are, perhaps even more important is the philosophical dimension of Schwartz's work. For the existence of mental force offers convincing scientific evidence of human free will, and thus of man's inherent capacity for moral choice.

How far would you go to obey orders? Why do many people - even some scientists - believe in miracles? Find out the answers to these questions and much more in this visual guide to applied psychology. Lying at the intersection of biology, philosophy, and medicine, psychology is at the heart of what makes us human. Perfect both for students and people new to the topic, How Psychology Works has a unique graphic approach and uses direct, jargon-free language. It explores various approaches that psychologists use to study how people think and behave, such as behaviourism, cognitive psychology, and humanism. This indispensable guide describes a wide range of mental health conditons, including bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It then takes you through treatments, from cognitive behavioural therapy and psychoanalysis to group therapy and art therapy. This book also explores the role of psychology in everyday situations. Discover what makes you, you - the unique blend of nature and nurture that makes up your sense of who you are - and pyschology's role in relationships, sport, work, and education. How Psychology Works is a fascinating read that will quickly hone your emotional intelligence and give you perceptive insights into both your own and other people's feelings and behaviour.

An indispensable guide to more peaceful and enjoyable parenting 'This isn't a parenting advice book, it's a book about you. The words you read in this book, however, will have a far greater impact on your children, than those contained in any parenting book you could read (and I count my own in that too).' How many times have you asked yourself 'what's wrong with me? Why can't I stay calm?'. So many of us would love to follow a gentler, more positive style of parenting, but we don't think we're cut out for it, because we aren't naturally calm. We feel that there is something wrong with us, that we're not good enough. We believe we are failing our children by not controlling our own emotions adequately. What we don't realise is that this describes almost every parent there ever was - and ever will be. In her trademark gentle, supportive and reassuring style, bestselling author Sarah Ockwell-Smith shows that while we all lose it at times, everyone can become a calmer parent. Based on her many years' experience working with parents, Sarah provides research, advice and practical exercises that will set you on the path to calmer parenting that will benefit both you and your child. Covering everything from the impact of your own upbringing on your parenting style to work and home life balance and letting go of the quest for perfection to ensuring your own basic needs are met, How to Be a Calm Parent is for any parent who knows that they need to be calmer to raise well adjusted, happy children, but struggles with their own emotions and stress levels.