The Mindfulness Companion – Dr Sarah Jane Arnold Review
Life is stressful, isn’t it? Whether we like to admit it or not, we all struggle sometimes to grasp and maintain a balance between every day worries and creativity. It’s why colouring books have been such a global success. They force people to evaluate their stress levels and provide a positive, creative outlet. Like countless others, I’ve enjoyed the soothing effects of putting coloured pencil to paper, which is why I adored The Mindfulness Companion the moment it arrived on my door step.Dr Sarah Jane Arnold’s elegantly designed creative journal is intended to bring calm to a person’s day, but it’s more than just a travel sized colouring book for adults. There’s a real focus on mindfulness, something that comes hand in hand with colouring. Life can sometimes feel like it’s moving a million miles a minute, and it’s important to just stop and take a breather. By drawing on ancient concepts to create an overall feeling of wellbeing, focusing on the now instead of the past or future, the companion features beautiful colouring patterns and creative exercises that aim to inspire and focus the mind. And they really do.From optimistic and inspiring quotes to colouring designs and shapes that correlate to specific themes (butterflies for embracing nature, birds for releasing tension), The Mindfulness Companion is such a handy little book. If you have a wandering mind and are adept at the art of procrastination – which, with all the distractions of modern technology, most of us are – it will help you focus and cultivate your creativity. There’s also space to write personal thoughts, to promote a feeling of inner peace. It’s not going to chase away all of life’s troubles, you’d have to pay a lot more than £9.99 for that, but it does help to encourage positive emotions and actions.
Pop it in your work bag, suitcase or simply on your bedside table, and pick it up every time you feel overwrought. If it brings just a minute of calm and creativity in a busy day, that’s a minute well spent.
★★★★
The Mindfulness Companion was published by Michael O’Mara Books on 5 May 2016.