It's been many years since I've had kids at home who are starting a new school year, yet come September I always think about new beginnings.
The past month my mailbox has been filled with new books that can help you reinvent yourself and make positive changes. Since it's September (can you believe it), I thought I'd share a few of the titles that resonated with me, in the hope that they may resonate with you too.
The Power of Positive Energy by Tanaaz Chubb
This paperback includes "everything you need to awaken your soul, raise your vibration, and manifest an inspired life."
As a yogi, I really like this book. It's an easy read with techniques to invite positive energy and gratitude into your life. Tanaaz is the founder of ForeverConscious.com, a site that promotes spiritual well-being.
According to Tanaaz, "Positive energy is anything that makes you feel good, and feeling good happens when a vibration resonates with your soul."
She says your energetic vibration dictates how you see the world: "People who are vibrating on a higher frequency tend to be able to see the positive side to any situation, whereas people operating on a lower frequency tend to only be able to focus on negatives."
How are your vibrations today? Most days I'm positive.
By following her exercises, "readers can adjust their auras to emit calm, peaceful, and positive energy instead of unhappiness or stress," Tanaaz says. No wonder I like Tanaaz's book!
Writing for Bliss by Diana Raab, PhD
If you like to use writing as a creative outlet or have thought about writing a memoir during your life after 50, Diana's book is for you. Diana is an award-winning memoirist, poet, speaker, educator and survivor.
The subhead for her book is "A Seven-Step Plan for Telling Your Story and Transforming Your Life." To master this plan, she provides prompts in each chapter for both the seasoned writer and novice writer, and she does it in a mindful way. As you follow the prompts you may feel like you are going through a therapy session with the written word.
For example, in Writing Prompt 3:5 – Being Aware of Your Feelings, Diana presents a way to practice what research psychologist Rosemarie Anderson (2011) calls embodied writing, a powerful tool for transformation. "While engaged in embodied writing, the writer becomes more involved in their own story because they feel the emotions of the experience in their physical being," says Diana.
If you want to try a writing exercise, here's the prompt:
Writing Prompt 3:5 – Being Aware of Your Feelings
"Sit still with your eyes closed. Ask yourself how you are feeling today. Try to pinpoint where the emotion you are feeling is located in your body. Just feel it. Don't read into it or analyze it. Simply write about your experience."
Can you tell why I like this book? Did you try writing about your feelings? How did it go? Be easy on yourself.
Drawing Calm by Susan Evenson
If you favor art and design over writing, you'll enjoy Susan's book. As an artist and author, Susan shows you how to channel your energy to "relax, refresh and refocus" with 20 drawing, painting and collage workshops inspired by Klimt, Klee, Monet and other artists.
Susan shares ways to connect with your inner calm using engaging warm-ups, such as drawing your grocery list, dream house doodling and creating stacks of calm. The 20 art projects require some paints, pencils and other arts and crafts items—there's nothing major to purchase.
Creative Healing Educator Mary Rockwood Lane, RN, MSN, PhD, adds commentary throughout the book. Mary says, "The time we set aside to create and make art has powerful healing benefits. It allows us to tap into our interior healing resources that shift us from the state of stress to the state of calmness."
Even if you're not a great artist, you will enjoy Susan's book. Go ahead and be creative—it's fun.
Do One Thing Every Day That Makes You Happy by Robie Rogge and Dian G. Smith.
This yearlong journal will bring you up on a down day if you just flip through the pages and read quotes about happiness. It's a cute volume with thought-provoking questions to answer about what brings you joy.
You can measure your happiness on a thermometer at the beginning of your journey and gauge your progress along the way.
I like the way the quotes and questions help you reflect on sources of joy in your life, such as love, nature, food, friendship, kindness, learning, action and work. Here are a few of my favorites. Can you fill in the blanks?
- "I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life that are the real ones after all." Laura Ingalls Wilder
Q: Reflect on a sweet, simple thing that made me happy today:________. - "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
Q: How someone made me feel happy today:_________. - "All you need is love." John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Q: How love brought me happiness today:________. - "A smile is the best makeup any girl can wear." Marilyn Monroe
Q: Where I wore my smile today:________.
Happy September! Be happy!
Disclaimer: I received all these books compliments of the author or publisher. I received Do One Thing Every Day That Makes Me Happy from Blogging for Books for this review.
This post originally appeared on aboomerslifeafter50.com.
