Mindfulness and Meditation

The popularity of meditation is increasing as more people discover its benefits. Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. You can use it to increase awareness of yourself and your surroundings and many people think of it as a way to reduce stress and develop concentration. People also use the practice to develop other beneficial habits and feelings, such as a positive mood and outlook, self-discipline, healthy sleep patterns and even increased pain tolerance. 

Books & Videos

  • Being Love (book) / Thich Nhat Hanh.
  • Beginner's Guide to Meditation ~ Learn To Meditate in 5 Easy Steps / Eric Bartel. This video gives a basic beginners tutorial on How to Meditate. The video teaches a quick and easy 5 step guide to meditation that anyone can use to quickly begin experiencing the effects of meditation.
  • ​Meditation for Healing Negative Childhood Brainwashing / Lisa A. Romano. Do you suffer from shame? Do you carry shame from childhood? Do you suffer from anxiety related to not feeling enough? If so, this POWERFUL guided meditation can help you heal the shame that is keeping you stuck.
  • Mindfulness While Sleeping / Luck Girl Syndrome ​
  • Mindful.org . Mindful is a mission-driven non-profit. They are dedicated to inspiring, guiding, and connecting anyone who wants to explore mindfulness—to enjoy better health, more caring relationships, and a compassionate society.
  • Peace is Every Step (book) / Thich Nhat Hanh. World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make positive use of the very situations that usually pressure and antagonize us. For him a ringing telephone can be a signal to call us back to our true selves.
  • The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have / Mark Nepo. Philosopher-poet and cancer survivor, Mark Nepo opens a new season of freedom and joy--an escape from deadening, asleep-at-the wheel sameness--that is both profound and clarifying.
  • The Pocket Pema Chodron (book) / Pema Chodron. Here is a treasury of 108 short selections from the best-selling books of Pema Chödrön, the beloved Buddhist nun. Designed for on-the-go inspiration, this collection offers teachings on: becoming fearless, breaking free of destructive patterns, developing patience, kindness, and joy amid our everyday struggles, unlocking our natural warmth, intelligence, and goodness
  • The Power of Now / Eckhart Tolle. It's no wonder that The Power of Now has sold over 2 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 foreign languages. Much more than simple principles and platitudes, the book takes readers on an inspiring spiritual journey to find their true and deepest self and reach the ultimate in personal growth and spirituality: the discovery of truth and light.
  • Your True Home (book) / Thich Nhat Hanh. Bringing the energy of true presence into our lives really does change things for the better—and all it takes is a little training. This treasury is made of 365 gems of daily wisdom from one of the most beloved Buddhist teachers of our age.

Websites

Apps

  • Breath2Relax - stress management tool which provides information on the effects stress on the body and instructions to practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises.
  • Calm - free app for mini relaxation sessions.
  • Chill - daily mindfulness quotes and reminders.
  • Clue-helps tracks your period, menstrual cycle, ovulation and fertility, mood, and much more.
  • Concussion Coach - developed by Veterans Affairs for those who experience physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that may be related to mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.
  • CBT-1 Coach-developed by Veterans Affairs for those who have insomnia or would like to improve their sleep habits.
  • Guided Mind - A collection of guided meditations that aim to help deal with stresses of day-to-day life with meditations available for free or for purchase.
  • Happify - series of activities and games that train your brain and build skills for lasting happiness (helps overcome negative thoughts, worries, and everyday stress).
  • Headspace - guided-meditation app that helps achieve mindfulness (or a nonjudgmental, focused awareness of one's current emotional state).
  • iMoodJournal - this is a personal mood journal, diary, and charting tool that can help you discover the causes of you ups and downs.
  • iHeadache -app that helps you track your headaches, in order to learn more about triggers, medication usage, etc.
  • Impulse - Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (similar to CBT but with an Eastern philosophy twist).
  • Life - helps tracks your period, menstrual cycle, ovulation and fertility, mood, and much more.
  • Lumosity -offers fun games aimed at building brainpower
  • MediSafe - a "virtual pillbox" to help with medication management
  • Meditation Studio ($2.99)- in-depth app that includes step-by-step guidance and courses in meditation, as well as a large library of guided meditations for many topics
  • Mood Coach -developed by Veterans Affairs and can be used for mood monitoring and selecting and scheduling rewarding activities (behavioral activation for depression).
  • MoodTools -provides six evidence-based tools to aid against depression and negative . moods. Includes depression information, a depression test, videos, thought diary, activities, and safety plan.
  • Moving Forward -developed by Veterans Affairs for anyone dealing with stressful life problems, including balancing school/work/family life, financial difficulties, relationships problems, etc.
  • MyCalm.Beat - an app that helps improve your ability to manage stress through slow breathing
  • Mindfulness Coach - developed by Veterans Affairs to teach people how to practice mindfulness
  • MindShift - an app designed to help teens and young adults cope with various types of anxiety (including test anxiety, perfectionism, panic, social anxiety, worry, conflict, etc.)
  • Moodtrack -an app designed to track your mood as often or little as you'd like to see how it changes over time and to discover triggers.
  • Oprah and Deepak Chopra - 21 day meditation.
  • Optimism - mood-tracking app for people with depression, bipolar disorder, and those simply looking to brighter their days
  • Pacifica - includes daily tools for stress and anxiety management using CBT skills; includes meditation exercises, thought diary, etc.
  • Pain Coach - WebMD app that offers a holistic approach to balancing lifestyle with chronic pain conditions and to inspire a better day.
  • Parenting2Go - developed by Veterans Affairs and comes with quick parenting advice, relaxation tools when frustrated or stressed, and communication tools.
  • PTSD Coach -developed by Veterans Affairs and can be helpful for anyone dealing with trauma and anxiety.
  • Simple Habit
  • Simply Being - guided meditation for relaxation and presence; includes music, nature, and/or voice
  • Stop, Breathe, and Think - simple tool to guide people through vari,;ms meditations for mindfulness and compassion
  • Therapy Buddy - helps you get the most out of your therapy sessions by reminding you of appointments, takeaways form session, homework, etc.
  • Virtual Hope Box - combination of distraction, inspiration quotes, coping tools, and relaxation.