Recommendations based on "Positive Psychology in Practice"

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep.Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why its absence is so damaging to our health. Compared to the other basic drives in life - eating, drinking, and reproducing - the purpose of sleep remained elusive.Now, in this book, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves in to everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

The award-winning New York Times bestseller about the extraordinary things that can happen when we harness the power of both the brain and the heartGrowing up in the high desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb. Instead he met Ruth, a woman who taught him a series of exercises to ease his own suffering and manifest his greatest desires. Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open and teach these techniques to others. She gave him his first glimpse of the unique relationship between the brain and the heart.Doty would go on to put Ruth’s practices to work with extraordinary results—power and wealth that he could only imagine as a twelve-year-old, riding his orange Sting-Ray bike. But he neglects Ruth’s most important lesson, to keep his heart open, with disastrous results—until he has the opportunity to make a spectacular charitable contribution that will virtually ruin him. Part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction, Into the Magic Shop shows us how we can fundamentally change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.The cover design is intentional, it’s called a “stepback” .

In this unique and transformational guide to healing, bibliotherapist and counsellor Bijal Shah explores the restorative power of reading. Bibliotherapy traces the history of how therapeutic reading evolved - including the important role played by the best writers such as the Stoics, Montaigne, Eliot and Wordsworth. In doing so, Bijal offers first-hand stories from clients who have found solace in great works of literature when struggling with grief, relationships or illness. Full of practical advice and insights into how bibliotherapy really works, Bijal offers an A to Z reading list of books for every mood and need. A much-needed reminder of how comforting and life-changing reading can be, Bibliotherapy is a sumptuous celebration of books that will invite you to see them as more than just an escape, but a legitimate form of self-care.'Utterly fascinating. I have long felt that books can be medicine. Now I understand why. Read this book. Feel better.' Beth Kempton, bestselling author of Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life'One of the most fascinating books that I have read in years! Beautifully written and full of insights, this book demonstrates the healing power of stories and how you can transform your life through bibliotherapy.' Simon Alexander Ong, bestselling author of Energize, international keynote speaker and award-winning coach.

“Inspiring, refreshing and practical - a delightfully lucid guide to healing yourself.” –Bessel van der Kolk, MD., New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score From two mind-body practitioners comes the new essential self-healing bible—a revolutionary body-first guide to reducing stress, resolving long-term pain, and healing from trauma for good using your body’s own nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system is responsible for the constant but mostly subconscious communication between your brain and body. When you experience stress, anxiety, or trauma, your nervous system formulates responses to keep you alive. But you can also become trapped in survival mode if you’re consistently exposed to unsafe environments, toxic relationships, or destructive thought patterns. When this happens it’s known as nervous system dysregulation or sensitization, which can result in chronic mental and physical pain and confusion, leaving you unable to cope with life’s strains and stresses. Mind-body practitioners Jen Mann and Karden Rabin, co-founders of the Chronic Fatigue School now provide the first in-depth look at nervous system regulation, somatic therapy, Polyvagal theory, the vagus nerve, and the mind-body connection. Combining science-backed insights and hands-on techniques, The Secret Language of the Body teaches you how to move out of survival mode, regulate your nervous system, and heal your mind and body. Rabin and Mann don’t teach stress management, but something far more powerful–how to control your body’s nervous system. With this revolutionary book, you will learn to skillfully speak the language of your body and train it to not only manage stress but achieve personal transformation. The Secret Language of the Body includes helpful illustrations.

Kristin Neff, Ph.D., says that it’s time to “stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind.” Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind offers expert advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more contented, fulfilled life. More and more, psychologists are turning away from an emphasis on self-esteem and moving toward self-compassion in the treatment of their patients—and Dr. Neff’s extraordinary book offers exercises and action plans for dealing with every emotionally debilitating struggle, be it parenting, weight loss, or any of the numerous trials of everyday living.  

An inspiring guide to contemplative photography and a slow creative process, including hands-on assignments, and inspirational stories, illustrated with fifty photographs.In a world where millions of images are shot every day and fast-paced environments can exhaust and stifle creativity, The Mindful Photographer proposes a simple antidote: slowing down. Through twenty concepts as varied as “Confidence,” “Gratitude,” and “Compassion,” combined with hands-on assignments, author Sophie Howarth invites readers to reflect on their photographic practice and learn to pause, pay attention, and become more attuned with the world around them.Ranging from the canonical to the contemporary, The Mindful Photographer features the work of photographers including Edward Weston, Kali Spitzer, Nadav Kander, Thomas Merton, Sarker Protick, and many more. Their photographs are accompanied by quotes, stories, and anecdotes to both inspire the reader, and broaden their photographic knowledge and creative perspectives.Putting aside preconceived ideas and the competitive pressures of picture-perfect Instagram posts, this book rewires our relationship to photographic practice as one to be understood as unconditionally joyful and rewarding. Howarth’s insightful texts work as a guide to both a mindful approach to photography, and as a photographic approach to meditation. Offered in an affordable format, this will be the must-have companion for anyone seeking a more mindful approach to engaging with their world through photography. 50 color illustrations

Epictetus was born into slavery about A.D. 55 in the eastern outreaches of the Roman Empire. Sold as a child and crippled from the beatings of his master, Epictetus was eventually freed, rising from his humble roots to establish an influential school of Stoic philosophy. Stressing that human beings cannot control life, only how they respond to it, Epictetus dedicated his life to outlining the simple way to happiness, fulfillment, and tranquility. By putting into practice the ninety-three witty, wise, and razor-sharp instructions that make up The Art of Living, readers learn to successfully meet the challenges of everyday life and face life's inevitable losses and disappointments with grace.Epictetus's teachings rank among the greatest wisdom texts of human civilization. Sharon Lebell presents this esteemed philosopher's invaluable insights for the first time in a splendidly down-to-earth rendition. The result is the West's first and best primer for living the best possible life -- as helpful in the twenty-first century as it was in the first.

THE RECORD-BREAKING, #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER – OVER 35 MILLION COPIES SOLDThe first book by Wayne Dyer, author of the multimillion-copy bestseller Pulling Your Own Strings and national bestsellers There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem and Wisdom of the Ages, a positive and practical guide to breaking free from the trap of negative thinking and enjoying life to the fullest.If you're plagued by guilt or worry and find yourself unwittingly falling into the same old self-destructive patterns, then you have "erroneous zones" – whole facets of your approach to life that act as barriers to your success and happiness.Perhaps you believe that you have no control over your feelings and reactions – Dyer shows how you can take charge of yourself and manage how much you will let difficult times and people affect you. Or maybe you spend more time worrying what others think than working on what you want and need – Dyer points the way to true self-reliance. From self-image problems to over-dependence on others, Dyer gives you the tools you need to break free from negative thinking and enjoy life to the fullest.

Discover how Tapping can help you release your negative beliefs about money and open the door to more wealth than you ever imagined.Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), also known as Tapping, has become a popular tool for realizing goals, as evidenced by the recent New York Times bestseller The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner. For many of us, one of our main aspirations is to flourish in our careers and, by extension, in our finances. Yet limiting beliefs and fears keep people stuck in their current financial states. EFT uses the fingertips to tap on acupuncture points while emotionally tuning in to negative attitudes and past experiences, allowing people to transform their thoughts and feelings. Margaret M. Lynch teaches people how to harness the power of Tapping to identify and clear the blocks to prosperity.This book also features QR codes and URLs linking to video demonstrations of Tapping exercises.

A lively exploration of contemporary Buddhism from one of its most admired teachersDo you feel at home right now? Or do you sense a hovering anxiety or uncertainty, an underlying unease that makes you feel just a bit uncomfortable, a bit distracted and disconnected from those around you?In The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern, a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, investigates the journey each of us takes to find where we belong. Drawing from contemporary research on meditation and mindfulness and his experience as a Buddhist teacher and practitioner, Nichtern describes in fresh and deeply resonant terms the basic existential experience that gives rise to spiritual seeking―and also to its potentially dangerous counterpart, spiritual materialism. He reveals how our individual quests for self-awareness ripple forward into relationships, communities, and society at large. And he explains exactly how, by turning our awareness to what's happening around us and inside us, we become able to enhance our sense of connection with others and, at the same time, change for the better our individual and collective patterns of greed, apathy, and inattention.In this wise and witty invitation to Buddhist meditation, Nichtern shows how, in order to create a truly compassionate and enlightened society, we must start with ourselves. And this means beginning by working with our own minds―in whatever state we find them in.