AD | I was kindly gifted this book by the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions are honest and my own. This post also contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase something through my link, I will earn a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay for the item. I only advertise products that I have used myself and would genuinely recommend.
I was recently contacted by TCK Publishing to ask if I would be willing to review their new book, Everyday Mindfulness by Melissa Steginus in exchange for a free copy. It sounded like such a helpful book, so of course, I accepted! I received an e-book copy and was excited to start reading this book.
Who is Melissa Steginus?
Melissa Steginus is a productivity and wellness specialist and the author of two books including Everyday Mindfulness. She provides courses, coaching and resources to help you spend your time and energy in valuable ways. You can find out more about Melissa on her website.
What is Everyday Mindfulness about?
As the title suggests, this book is about mindfulness. It starts with a helpful explanation of what it means to be mindful. Then, the main portion of the book is divided into 108 exercises to help you to be more mindful in 6 different areas of your life: physical, emotional, rational, spiritual, occupation and network (relationships).
Everyday Mindfulness is designed to be read over 108 days, completing an exercise each day. The author’s intention is that by the end of the 108 days, you will have a greater sense of self-worth, a true appreciation of life, and trust in your ability to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
Each day, there is an exercise to complete, with an explanation of its purpose. Some are physical tasks, and others are more thought-based. To demonstrate the types of exercise included, here are a few examples:
- Take a deep breath
- Build a morning routine
- Declutter your space
- Reflect on happy times
- Try something new
- Ask big questions
- Do something kind
There are reflection questions to answer after you have completed the exercise.
Most of the exercises are short and simple. However, some take longer or require preparation, for example, cooking a healthy meal or meeting up with a friend. I recommend checking out the next few exercises in advance in case you need to prepare for or schedule some of them. You could always swap days around to fit in with your schedule.
I think this book has a good setup because it breaks your learning into bite-sized chunks and enables you to integrate mindfulness into your life step-by-step.
My experience with reading Everyday Mindfulness
I didn’t read Everyday Mindfulness over 108 days as it is intended for. I just read it straight through over a few days. However, I did some of the exercises and answered some of the reflection questions as I went along.
I am already familiar with the concept of mindfulness and I have already done many of the exercises in the past. Despite this, I did pick up a few helpful ideas that I hadn’t thought of before. Therefore I am glad I read this book because it has been beneficial to me.
The book was a quick read (if reading it straight through) and the language was easy to understand. It occasionally seemed repetitive, but that is probably not a bad thing because it reinforces ideas.
Because of my familiarity with mindfulness, I don’t think I personally would gain much extra benefit from completing the 108-day ‘course’. However, I think it would be hugely valuable for someone who is less familiar with mindfulness and personal development techniques.
Would I recommend this book?
If you are already familiar with mindfulness, journalling and personal development then you will probably not learn much from this book that you didn’t already know. However, it might be worth reading straight through it, like I did, because you might pick up a few extra tips. It is also a helpful reminder of mindfulness techniques and strategies.
Additionally, you might still benefit from the 108 days program if you feel you need a more organised approach to integrating positive practices into your life.
If you are completely new to mindfulness and you feel you need a boost in wellbeing, productivity and/or confidence, then I think this book would be very valuable to you. I recommend reading this book over 108 days as intended. That way, it will gradually introduce new mindfulness techniques to you and give you time to integrate them into your life.
You can purchase Everyday Mindfulness on Amazon in a paperback or kindle edition or visit TCK Publishing to find out about their other new releases and bestselling books.
I would rate this book 4 out of 5!
This sounds like a great book, especially right now when we’re all looking at our lives and reflecting on what is or isn’t working… The New Year is around the corner, a time that people associate with change and growth. Combine that with the fact the pandemic literally turned our lives upside down and it’s the perfect time to try incorporating something like everyday mindfulness in our lives!
I agree, this is the perfect time to start practising mindfulness!
This sounds like a great book and definitely one I would enjoy to boost my mental wellbeing. I enjoy your reviews! Keep up the great work!
It was a really helpful book, I hope you get a chance to read it!
Adding this to my 2021 reads!! Thank you for the recommendation 😊💕
You’re welcome – it’s definitely worth a read! Good luck with your 2021 reading xx
I think this is something that would benefit me. I am aware of mindfulness and Preach it but I am not great at making time for myself to practice it. This could be a good way to get me to make time for it.
Great and honest review x
I hope you get a chance to read this book, it introduces mindfulness exercises gradually with only a small time commitment each day so I think it would really help you 🙂 x
Great review! I feel like we all could use a little mindfulness to start out 2021 and could greatly benefit from this book
Thank you! I agree, mindfulness is so beneficial especially in these times!
This sounds really helpful! I like books which guide you over several weeks or months this way, as it gives you some ‘company’ and support while you’re learning new habits and techniques. And this is a great time of year to be thinking of trying new things. Thanks for the review!
I also like books like that, it’s much easier to remember techniques when you are guided to actually practice them, rather than just reading about them. This is definitely a great time of year to try new things!
I’ll definitely have to give this a go! Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy it if you do get a chance to read it!
I’ve been meaning to read more books on self-improvement and similar topics, so this sounds like a good book for that. I do like books that are simple to read but have an impact. I will have to add this one to my TBR and see how it works out for me.
This is definitely a good book for self-improvement, and it covers all sorts of topics besides mindfulness. I hope you get a chance to read it!
Thanks for sharing this recommendation! Recently I have really been trying to get into mindfulness to give a boost to my mental well-being. This book sounds like a great guide and motivator to help anyone down that path 🙂
That’s great that you are getting into mindfulness! I really hope this book helps you if you get a chance to read it 🙂
This sounds like the perfect book to start of the new year with! I loved reading your review! Thanks for sharing, I hope you have a happy new year! 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading my review! Happy New Year to you too 🙂
I’ve never really thought too much about mindfulness so this seems like a good place to start and would work for me. Thanks for sharing!
Tash – A Girl with a View
It’s definitely a good place to start if you are new to mindfulness 🙂
I need to get this book right now. My goal for 2021 is to be more calm and mindful!
Rosie
This book would definitely help with your goal – I hope you enjoy it if you do read it!
I haven’t heard of her before but this book sounds really interesting and something that could help with practising mindfulness. This year I really want to focus on myself and my physical and mental health. Thank you for sharing a great written review Sophie.
It was a really helpful book for anyone who wants to get into mindfulness. Good luck with your goals for this year!
I love an honest book review! So Everyday Mindfulness I think is just like a collection of all the advice and tips you generally learn from bloggers about journaling, etc. Hmmm I don’t know I don’t think it’s worth it for me. Thanks for sharing!
http://www.lifebeginsattwenty.com
Those were exactly my thoughts while reading it! It was a great collection of advice but nothing I hadn’t heard before.