Mindful living is a challenge in our modern world. Workplace expectations make balance difficult while social media provides a stream of perfectly curated lives to compare with our own. We won't even speak to the madness of cable news and our current political environment.
Headwinds abound if you seek to live with more intention, more gratitude, and more self-care and acceptance. Fortunately, we can take steps to combat the negative current. Curating your media consumption can make a significant difference in your day to day mindset.
Starting your day consuming contentious political bickering does little to prepare you for a hectic schedule filled with delays, interruptions, and difficult coworkers. However, a few minutes reading a self-affirming article that encourages thoughtfulness and consideration can provide ballast that will keep you steady in choppy waters. We've recently discovered two magazines that have become part of our own rituals.
Project calm is a UK periodical (available at Barnes & Noble) that encourages mindfulness through making. Calm is filled with thoughtful voices that both instruct and encourage. It also provides inspiring photography and creative projects that challenge you to engage all of your senses.
Breathe is another UK magazine (also available at Barnes & Noble) that aims for a calmer and more relaxed you. In the most recent issue Breathe tackles living with claustrophobia, the root causes of guilt and the power of anger. These weighty topics are balanced with breathtaking photography, words of encouragement and wonderful little life hacks.
We find calm and Breathe to be complimentary with calm engaging on a very tactile level while Breathe gives you ideas to mull over for days. Adding these to your reading routine will be a solid step forward on your journey to a healthy, peaceful, and balanced life.
Be Well,
Wayne & Julia
P.S. If you have a favorite publication that you find speaks to you, please share it in the comments section below.