Have It, Enjoy It

So I had some (kind of) panic attack symptoms for the first time last month, and I read this book...it has helped so much. It got me through a really rough time.
I've tried really hard not to talk about it. This blog is not a woe is me, pity party. It can often be difficult to discuss how you feel with other people, especially if you think that no one else feels the same. Sure, there are worse things in life, but let's face it, life is...
full of ups and downs - sometimes, we can feel frustrated, upset and worried about almost everything and anything.

"What flows through your mind sculpts your brain."
In other words, you are what you think.

- excerpt from Buddha's Brain : The practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (in 25 languages) by Rick Hanson, Ph.D.

Here's another quote from the book, "Taking in the good is not about putting a happy shinny face on everything, nor is it about turning away from the hard things in life. It's about nourishing well-being, contentment, and peace inside that are refuges you can always come from and return to."

This is the first self-help type book I have ever read and it is also probably one of the most popular self-help books ever written. The book is packed with wisdom that actually makes a difference.
If you're interested in self-improvement books, this is a classic.

Another quote, "If you change your brain, you can change your life."

"We can use the mind to change the brain for the better. How? Here's the essence:
Have it, Enjoy it."

Another excerpt from the book, "Besides being more open in general to beneficial experiences, you can look for those specific experiences that will grow the particular inner strengths(s) that will help you the most these days. For example, if you're feeling anxious, look for authentic opportunities to feel supported, protected, resourced, tough-minded, relaxed, or calm. If life feels disappointing or blah, look for the genuine facts that naturally support experiences of gladness, gratitude, pleasure, accomplishment, or effectiveness. If you feel lonely or inadequate, look for the real occasions when you are included, seen, appreciated, liked, or loved - and open to feeling appropriately cared about, and valued; also look for chances to feel caring yourself, since love is love whether it is flowing in, or flowing out."  

A final quote, "...and with a mind full of good you'll have more to offer to others.
Growing the good in them, too, in widening ripples seen and unseen, perhaps reaching eventually around the whole world."

My favourite idea from this book is that you are what you think. My brain is totally different now, and I know that I can change my life.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend!