Not a fan of meditation? Here’s a more practical way to stay calm…

There are times in our lives when we want to make changes – to habits, to attitudes or ways of feeling. Too often the task can seem overwhelming.

In Today, I Will (a compact book, newly re-issued book with calming colours) Carmen Warrington gives us 100 hundred things we can do to start to make those changes in easy, achievable steps.

When I spoke with Carmen over the phone she explained that the book was designed so that people could dip in and out of it, finding something that they felt they could do or that appealed to them. There is no order or steps to carry out. Some things you might never do, others might become ingrained habits.

The book is a series of affirmations, each one beginning ‘Today I will …’. Carmen explained that it was important to phrase the messages to ourselves in a positive way focusing on the best person we can be and reconnecting with our well being.  We need to do this to live, and to receive and share the best of ourselves and other people.

The affirmations are varied but are about several different aspects of our lives.

There are affirmations about our relationships with others, e.g. Today I will resist the urge to gossip.

Breathing deeply for five minutes is an affirmation to be calm and peaceful within ourselves.

So often it is hard to let go of past negative messages and hurts. There are a number of affirmations that assist in releasing yourself from the past.

Creativity has great benefits, Carmen Warrington believes, and she spoke to me of the fear that people have that being creative involves producing a masterpiece. Being creative means you become involved in being creative with words, crayons or instruments. The process of being creative can bring great joy and enrichment.

Some of the affirmations are there to help us get out of our ruts and see things with fresh eyes. This may be as simple as sitting in a different chair, walking somewhere different and carefully observing, putting fresh flowers in a room. A new perspective can lead to creativity.

There are ideas for meditation. In fact, Carmen Warrington, in conjunction with the ABC, has produced a series of CDs on meditation.

Carmen Warrington also has a website. She is also a funeral celebrant and the website has a beautiful and wide-ranging selection of poetry suitable to be read at funerals.

The format of the book is small, so that it will easily slip in a bag, or sit on a desk or bedside table. It is the sort of book to browse through and muse on as you go about daily routine tasks.

For example: Today I will admit to myself I could have been partly to blame. Certainly, we have all been in the wrong at some time, but then while we admit to ourselves, we can muse on what lesson is to be learned and what action we can take.

Today I will give recognition to the people who have influenced my life. While we can remember people with joy if they are no longer with us there are practical things to do – ring up that elderly uncle, send a photo to a cousin, make contact on Facebook with an old school friend or colleague.

Many of the creative affirmations could develop into a long term project, or last just a brief time. There is something for everyone.

I am very grateful to Hachette for my review copy of this book and the chance to discuss it with the author, Carmen Warrington.

So if you’re feeling like a new start, I can recommend this book as a way to help you make those changes in easy, achievable steps.

Today I Will by Carmen Warrington is published by Hachette Australia and available now from Dymocks.

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