Seeking Serenity: The 10 New Rules for Health and Happiness in the Age of Anxiety Paperback – 5 Jan. 2016

Seeking SerenityThe 10 New Rules For Health And Happiness In The Age Of Anxiety By Amanda EnayatiReviewed by Jay Gilbertson Since for many of my readers this time of year is all about back to school, I figured it would be terrific for students and teachers alike to consider a new approach to that nasty little constant in our lives--stress! Author Enayati examines this way-too-prevalent condition in which we live, through the use of story, creating a novel path to serenity. The author suggests that from our health (or lack of) to jobs, money, relationships, social media, and about another million other challenges, stress seems to show its ugly head no matter where we try to hide. Let's leap right into the meat of Enayati's work and not get all stressed out wondering about those ten rules. Here's the list and I'll share some details of several in a second. Be Resilient, Belong, Be Creative, Be Free, Be Happy, Be Giving, Be Kind, Be Healthy, Be Uncluttered and my favorite, Be Present. Ta dum! Now for the hard part, the work to reshape stress into a more peaceful and productive you. Most of the rules are pretty straight forward, but some, once Enayati expanded on them, had a few nuances you may find useful in your search for inner as well as outer serenity. One I found particularly interesting was Rule 3, Be Creative. "Creativity is not just about painting or drawing or art. It is about problem solving. It's the flexibility of your mind, the ability to see things that no one can see and envision something entirely different. We are creating the future, bringing about change." Be Healthy. Simple, right? Not so in our current dash-and-dine world of zap it, drive-through-rush-lunches and killer-carb everything. If we think before we eat, we could avoid the following. "...A simple carb overload sets off a physiological chain reaction that wreaks havoc on the body. It taxes the adrenal glands, suppresses the immune system for hours after intake and generally leaves a person feeling sluggish and off-kilter. And then there's the sugar crash." As Michael Pollen suggests, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Which leads me to the tenth rule; Be Present. Sounds kind of hokey pokey, but it is really important if you want to make a serious go of this. One of the very best ways to be present is to meditate. Hold on, don't turn the page yet. There is a very simple and fast and yet really effective way to do this. "Close your eyes, put your body in a balanced, stable position and simply focus on your breathing for a full minute...The important thing is to get your mind back to breathing and not to judge yourself. After a minute, you will notice a shift in your state of mind toward greater peace." In closing, Enayati suggests a roundup of breaks and buffers to consider; Exercise, take herbs, sniff some scents, laugh, spend time in nature, hang out with a pet, slow down time, sleep, pray, read a book, listen to music. Remember, we're in this thing called life together. "Unity. In infinite diversity. With a separation that is only imagined. And so we are."Now breathe.