Everyday Practices for Better Living

By Tracey Howarth Tomlinson

In today's ever fast-paced, frantic world, do you find yourself looking for more meaning and fulfilment in life? This book seeks to offer the reader various practices that one can use every day to help create a more meaningful and productive life. Packed with information, within the pages you will discover ideas and practical exercises to help y

• Language: English
• Publisher: 2QT Limited
• Release date: Oct 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913071912

Tracey Howarth Tomlinson

Tracey Howarth Tomlinson (BSc (Hons), PGDE) is an Angelic Usui Reiki Master teacher, Reiki and Seichem Master Teacher and complementary therapist with 20 years' experience.

Book preview

Title Page

First eBook edition 2020

2QT Limited (Publishing)

Settle

North Yorkshire

BD24 9RH

United Kingdom

Copyright © Tracey Howarth Tomlinson 2020

The right of Tracey Howarth Tomlinson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of this book is to be reproduced, in any shape or form. Or by way of trade, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser, without prior permission of the copyright holder.

Cover and internal graphic images: shutterstock.com and iStock

eBook ISBN 978-1-913071-91-2

This book is available as a paperback

ISBN 978-1-913071-86-8

Acknowledgements

This book is dedicated to all the spiritual and meditation teachers who have inspired me with their wisdom over the years. I thank you.

Also for my sons, Conor and Joshua, and for my husband Mark, who has supported me throughout.

Get in Touch:

Website and blog: angelreis.com

Facebook: Tracey Howarth Tomlinson Author

Instagram: @tracey_rachel

Medical Disclaimer

The information provided in this book is designed to provide helpful information and not intended to replace any medical advice nor does it offer any diagnosis or treatment for medical conditions. The publisher and author are not responsible for any specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision and are not liable for any damages or negative consequences from any treatment, action, application or preparation, to any person reading or following the information in this book.

Therefore if you have any health/mental health problems, or if you are currently taking medications of any sort, you should consult your doctor or equivalent health professional prior to undertaking any of the suggestions in this book. Reading this book does not establish a therapist-patient relationship.

References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this book may change.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Medical Disclaimer

Introduction

Chapter One - Meditation

Fight or Flight Response

Recognising Stress

How Meditation and Mindfulness Can Help

Meditation Space

Preparing a Meditation Space

Furnishing Your Space

Meditation Ideas to Get You Started

Meditation Summary

Chapter Two - Connecting with Inner Awareness

Focused Awareness

Developing Space Between Thoughts

Mindfulness on the Go

Chapter Three - Raising Your Spiritual Vibration

Vibrational Fields

Diet

Exercise

Other Ways to Raise Your Energies

Using Visualisation to Strengthen and Protect the Auric Field

Ways to Find Calm

Smudging

The Path of Least Resistance and Raising Vibrations

Writing and Using Positive Affirmations

Chapter Four - Kakeibo – The Art of Money Mindfulness

Kakeibo Journal

Chapter Five - The Abundance Mindset

Abundance Mindset Summary

Chapter Six - Finding Your Life’s Purpose

A State of Allowing

Allowing Changes

Soul’s Purpose Summary

Chapter Seven - The Importance of Gratitude

Expressing Gratitude

Gratitude Is an Element of Success

Keep a Gratitude Journal

Chapter Eight - The Power of Positivity

Practise Thinking More Positively

Positive Speech

Establish a Morning Routine

See the Good in All Situations

Forgive Others

Building a New Blueprint

Positive Affirmations

Moving Through Fear

Chapter Nine - Goal Setting

Goal Setting Steps

Visualising Goals

Creating a Vision Board

Making Your Vision Board

Chapter Ten - Journaling

The Medium

Language

Time

Privacy

Reflection

Chapter Eleven - Harmonious Relationships

Problems in Communication

Resolving Conflict

Relationships and the Law of Attraction

To Love Oneself is to Connect to the Divine

Chapter Twelve - Stopping Repetitive Thoughts

Coping Strategies

Chapter Thirteen - The Power of Prayer

Personal Form of Prayers

Belief in Prayer

Prayers for Guidance

Chapter Fourteen - Decluttering – Mind and Life

Clutter Can Be Stressful

Ways to Start Decluttering

Some Strategies

Decluttering the Mind

Chapter Fifteen - The Miracle of Early Mornings

My Miracle Morning

Miracle Morning Practices

Chapter Sixteen - Coping in Challenging Times

Coping Strategies for Stressful Times

Appendices

Introduction

If you have found this book then it is likely that you are searching for inner peace in an ever more fast-paced, frantic world. The price we pay for this faster, more technologically advanced world is stress. This book came about after my own searching for the answers to life’s deep questions. Why here? Why now? Why me?

The exercises and ideas contained within this text are to help you on your own personal journey of self-discovery.

On my journey, searching for inner peace and for the answers to these questions, I discovered ways of letting go of the anxiety that tainted my life so inextricably and the illness that it caused. Stress manifested itself in many forms within my mind and my body. I have searched in many ways over the years to live a more meaningful, balanced life, and this book was created to share the things I have discovered along the way.

It was once thought that people were born either happy or unhappy: you were born into this world with your lot and you had to just make do with it for the rest of your life. Thankfully, that thinking has now changed. Over the years modern thinkers and scientists have developed ways of overcoming an unhappy state of mind and altering the course of your mindset to one of inner peace and happiness. Indeed, many of the techniques of mindfulness and meditation have been formed from the Eastern philosophies that have been known to scholars for millennia.

It is seemingly increasingly difficult to find inner peace in a world that moves at an incredibly fast pace and where we are continually bombarded with choices, information and stimuli. This book aims to present ideas and exercises to achieve more calmness and a state of mindfulness in all areas, even finances, through mindfulness with money (by using a Japanese budgeting method known as kakeibo). It is hoped that the ideas in this book will help you in achieving a higher perspective, an inner awareness, and that ultimately you will find a greater sense of inner peace.

All the practices in this book are ones that I have personally implemented in my life to help me become a more peaceful and productive person. I’m not perfect. Far from it. However, I carry out most of the strategies presented in this book daily, to put my mindset on a smoother course: one that is more positive, focused and aligned.

Some days will be better than others, but with a more positive and calm mindset, great things can be achieved and difficulties negotiated in a more rounded way.

In this text, I draw on some concepts that have been explored in my previous work, and also on the wisdom of my favourite authors, such as the late Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle and Joseph Murphy, among others. Many of these writers are part of the new thought movement. These writers brought about new concepts of living by examining the benefits of positive thinking, the law of attraction, creative visualisation and personal power, thereby unlocking the secrets to a better life. All these themes are explored throughout the text.

The ideas, concepts and exercises explored in the text offer ways in which mindfulness, positive thinking and the law of attraction can be applied to daily life, in order to live a more mindful, peaceful, balanced and yet productive life.

Many similar themes run through the book, so in some chapters some themes may be touched on but then revisited and looked at in depth later. There is a reason for this. Firstly, it is to introduce concepts in certain chapters, particularly if the reader chooses to read some chapters but not others. Secondly, I have found through my years of learning and study that there are common themes and strategies used in various concepts, particularly in relation to journaling, meditation and mindfulness, and the use of positive affirmations. Indeed, the chapter on the miracle of mornings uses many of the strategies that have been looked at in depth in the preceding chapters.

Meditation and mindfulness are key to changing your mindset as a whole. Meditation calms and clarifies the mind, removes the brain fog that clouds thinking and puts the practitioner on a path of greater awareness of the self and the world around them. Many therapists use meditation and visualisation to tap into the inner core of a person’s being. These techniques can be used to release past hurts, alleviate repetitive thinking, help with anxiety, reduce stress and, overall, improve your health, both mental and physical. I’m witness to that: through meditation and changing my mindset I got through some of the darkest times in my life. This is why I’m so passionate about meditation and the other topics explored in the text.

One common theme presented in the text is journaling. I suggest you buy a journal specifically for the task. Of course, you may wish to do it digitally, but I feel that a physical journal is much better for organising thoughts and ideas and for creative flow. Journaling is a wonderful tool in sorting out feelings and ideas, and can help tap into creative solutions to problems too. If you are struggling with a particular situation that is giving you problems, writing about it can help you come to terms with it and can get any anger, angst or frustration out on to paper rather than storing it up.

Another common theme is organisational skills. The most successful people I know are highly organised. They are people who are up early, who have structured lives and who are focused, constantly setting goals. Their success doesn’t come at the expense of others. They don’t constantly moan, nor do they belittle others. They live in a constant state of harmony, focused intention and gratitude for everything that they have.

Life is a journey, not a destination. You have the power within you to create the life you truly want. We have within us the ability to transcend the illusion of life to create our own reality, one greater than we could ever think possible.

We are all born with unlimited potential. Choose your thoughts the same way you would choose your clothes each day. This book is about changing your mindset and becoming the best version of you.

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Chapter One

Meditation

So, why meditate? Many people meditate as a way of reducing stress, of clearing the mind, of reducing anxiety, and as a way of improving mood, concentration and clarity of thought. Don’t get me wrong. Meditation and sitting in stillness are acquired skills. It can be testing to try and still the mind while in the act of meditation. However, the benefits that meditation can give make the regular commitment to meditation practice worthwhile. Meditation can have a positive impact on your health and well-being.

The regular practice of sitting quietly in meditation can assist in making those connections to the inner peace that exists within the recesses of the mind. Sitting quietly and focusing on the breath are crucial to stilling the mind and connecting to the subconscious part of the self that holds higher wisdom and creative ideas. Meditation is a doorway to connecting to the guidance and inner wisdom which exist within our subconscious mind that you would not normally access in the fast-paced lives we live today. That is, unless we learn to still the mind and body in periods of quiet reflection and contemplation.

Meditation is very useful in helping reverse the effects of stress, in addition to calming the mind and the emotions.

In today’s fast-paced world, many demands can be put on our daily personal and working lives, especially if high standards and high expectations are part of your lifestyle. We can end up living very full and often stressful lives, with little time to focus on our own sense of self and well-being. While a little stress can be OK, in fact some stress can be beneficial, continued stress can make us emotionally and/or physically sick. Prolonged stress can affect our bodies, moods and behaviour, and can ultimately lead to many health problems, both physical and emotional.

Fight or Flight Response

When under threat the glands in the body release certain hormones so that we can prepare to fight or run away from danger. This in turn causes reactions in the body, making the heart beat faster.

This response is part of our ancestral make-up and been present in humans since the time when we had to run from wild animals or were faced with real danger, at which point the choice was taken to either to stay and fight or flee to safety. The physiological and psychological response to stress enables the body to react. In today’s society, because of the fast pace of life and the stresses and strains of daily living, some people find that this response is provoked not only at times of real danger but also when they are faced with what they perceive as stressful situations. An example of this is when faced with an imminent physical