MINDFULNESS Is All The Rage These Days - #FREE book #amwriting #amreading

Thank you so much for visiting Smart Girls Read Romance today. We're talking about a topic that is not only very popular but beneficial health-wise to readers and writers. I hope you enjoy it! Check out the books on Mindfulness on Amazon - last week there were one or two that were #FREE. I hope this one is still #FREE as you read this post. Give it a try! Be a part of the Mindfulness rage. MINDFULNESS FOR BEGINNERS

Meditation can seem a daunting task, can I do it? Will I be good enough? I can’t settle my mind to do what needs to be done. A common misconception about mindfulness is that you have to be into meditation, or have to practice long hours to get any benefit from it. Neither could be further from the truth.

A simple form of mindful meditation has you taking the time to scan your body part by part and acknowledge each part in turn. You start at the top of your head and end with the tips of your toes. Let’s say you start your practice and the first thing you notice is that you have a headache. The purpose of mindfulness is not to dwell on the fact that you HAVE a headache and to dwell on how painful it is, but instead to acknowledge it and to continue on. It’s not about trying to come up with the “right” answer or trying to fix something, it’s just trying to realize what it is and say, “Yes, my head hurts but there’s more to me than that. I am more than just a headache.”

When scanning your body there are many distractions that can come up. Kids running around making noise, cars honking, thoughts of things going on at the office, that’s when you pull your thoughts back to your body scan, not with reproach but gently and kindly.

Even authors and readers use mindfulness. When you take each word as it is written and focus solely on each one as it’s written. You can hear the silence from when the birds stop chirping, the growl that paralyzes you in fear. Everything you write, everything you read can be a practice in mindfulness if you take the time to focus on each word. Take this passage for example:

First, the birds went silent and then the bushes rustled to her right. A guttural growl sent raw fear pedaling through her veins. Had she flushed out a bear, worse, a mama bear protecting her cub? Her hands went to the straps around her neck, a foolish instinct that overrode the alarm bells roaring in her head. She slipped the camera over her shoulder, her hands shaking like leaves caught up in an eddy. When the scrub brush parted, a mountain lion strolled onto the trail. The alarm bells morphed into paralyzing fear. Holy crap, what is a mountain lion doing in this neck of the woods?

When you read that you could almost put yourself in that situation, it's as if you were almost there. If you want to take some more time getting into this story check out Season, Unforgettable by Keta Diablo.

What Reviewers Are Saying . . .
"So much action. The plot kept winding around and had me guessing the whole second part of the book. This is my first book by this author. It was so good I plan to read more. I give this five BIG stars. I loved it so much!"

"Diablo made me laugh, cry and mostly, bite my fingernails down to the quick. I thoroughly enjoyed every nail-biting page, and award Season, Unforgettable five unforgettable stars!"

About Season, Unforgettable
Her land is not for sale, not even to the gorgeous man who saved her from a mountain lion attack. Both will discover that sometimes love blooms between enemies and sometimes it's even lethal.

AVAILABLE HERE - .99 CENTS

Thanks so much for visiting today, 

 

April is National Autism Awareness Month by Susan Sheehey

April is National Autism Awareness Month.

But it’s every day in our house, every month of the year.

Our 9yr old was diagnosed when he was 4.

April 2^nd is the official World Autism Awareness Day. Coincidentally, I was sitting in the parking lot of the developmental pediatrician’s office that morning, waiting to go in to have our second child assessed for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

I understand this month is supposed to bring awareness and acceptance to the world for those who suffer from ASD. And this post is quite different than what I normally share.

But I actually have something important to say.

First and foremost, I love my boys. I will do anything for them.

But I don’t celebrate my eldest son’s autism.

Autism is not like it’s displayed in the movies.

Those are clichés. Or extreme rarities, like the savants.

Our Autism is hard. I won’t go into specifics. That would take FAR too long. Your eyes would glaze over, and you’d probably move on to the next email in your inbox.

But sitting in the parking lot of the developmental pediatrician’s office for my younger son’s evaluation was extremely difficult.

Because I know where this path goes.

We’ve lived it for years.

There is nothing more personal.

My younger son just turned 4. If he does end up on the spectrum, he has completely different symptoms than my eldest son. Different areas that effect how he interacts with the world. Or lack of interaction.

But of all the research I’ve done, everything we’ve experienced, every therapist/ doctor/ expert I’ve spoken to in both the medical field and educational field…

It’s hard to sit in that car and not cry.

But I can’t cry. My son is in the backseat. I don’t want him to freak out. I don’t want him to think I’m taking him some place that will hurt him. Because why else would mommy be crying in the front seat?

April is National Autism Awareness Month. I know many Autism mothers, fathers, grandparents that celebrate it, and enjoy getting to share their lives with the world. I am all for spreading awareness. I congratulate those parents and individuals for having that optimism and that enthusiasm. For reaching that point.

I know even more Autism Warrior parents that do not celebrate it. Because it’s freaking hard. I would use another F word if I could. There are things we see and deal with that is extremely jarring to ‘outsiders.’ It’s heartbreaking. Because the only thing I want to do is help my son lead the most full and loving life he possibly can. Some days, the world is viciously unkind. Some days, the world is just too much, and we struggle to help make it smaller for him, or less painful.

So, for this National Autism Awareness Month, I guess the only piece of advice I would ask everyone is don’t judge. Not the child, nor the parent. You have no idea what these kids are going through, what their parents are going through, and you have no idea what it’s like living

their lives. Don’t make fun. Don’t judge, and certainly don’t apologize.

Try to include. Try to understand. If you can’t understand, that’s fine, too. Then at least, try to

help. Any small gesture. If you see a child having a tantrum in the grocery store, don’t give them

strange looks or place blame. Offer to help the parent. (Not the child, the parent is focusing on their needs). If the parent seems testy, don’t take it personally. It’s weeks and week and months and months of stress coming out at the wrong moment. Honestly, we’re not used to people offering to help.

So, it’s April 10^th, now. And he has another assessment (6 total over the course of the month). Here we go again.

I hope you all have a great week.

To all my fellow warrior parents: