12/21/11

Book of the Week #51

Shortcuts to Inner Peace: 70 Simple Paths to Everyday Serenity by Ashley Davis Bush (NY: Berkley Books, 2011)

Ashley Davis Bush, a writer and psychotherapist who lives in Epping, NH has written a wonderful, practical book to help all of us find our inner serenity. Mixed in with the shortcuts are anecdotes about how the tools have helped the author develop her own path. Bush does not live a calm quiet life--there are 5 kids living at her house--but has found ways to bring serenity to the chaos of modern life.

This book would make a great gift for someone who could use more serenity (you maybe?)

This excerpt explains the premise of the book, it isn't particularly representative of the warm and engaging tone that the author brings to her stories and which make this book a pleasure to read.

"So, can we train ourselves to pause? Can we learn to actually derail the habituated response and proceed intentionally? Can we develop new reactions to stress, new habits that not only lessen our suffering but actually increase our inner peace?
Yes! Practicing Shortcuts, that is, well-being exercises that are linked to established daily patterns, makes our lives more peaceful. Shortcuts (tools linked to triggers) allow us to experience calm and clarity, acceptance and gratitude, love and connection on a regular basis. They help us develop new habits of pausing, habits of redirection away from stress, and habits of "waking up" to life's riches. Moreover, when we're in a potentially downward stress spiral (and it happens to all of us) we can use Shortcuts to react differently ... to respond peacefully." (p. 3)

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