It’s no surprise that life can be stressful. Whether it’s because of what you see on your screens, personal issues, challenges in your professional life, or a mix of these factors and beyond, now is a good time to get into the rhythm of practicing mindfulness if you’re not already deep into the cycle. Learning to be grounded in the present is easier said than done, especially during an age when we’re swarmed with information and negative news from all fronts. Let’s take a step back and breathe. In this post, we’ll be looking at a bunch of mindfulness books that will hopefully help you with different avenues of life, whether it’s personal- or work-related mindfulness tips. There’s no time like the present to be mindful!
Just a few minutes of consistent mindfulness makes a world of difference. Starting off with Five-Minute Mindfulness: Walking: Essays and Exercises for Mindfully Moving through the World by Douglas Baker, don’t underestimate how mindful going on a quick walk can be. This small book is loaded with adorable illustrations painted in an aqua green or viridian-ish theme. The content itself can help us engage with ourselves and our surroundings; for example, we can take a few minutes to do a slow mindful walk as outlined on page 20, where we’ll begin by deliberately recognizing the sensations we feel while standing, particularly at our feet. As someone who loves to gaze at what’s around me while going on a walk with my dog, there’s a powerful mindful quality that comes with breathing in the outdoorsy air and being present within our surroundings.
March only has 31 days, but that doesn’t mean mindfulness should only be practiced during this month — hence the title of this post! Here’s a book with 365 meditations, as succinctly noted in the subtitle, which is enough for a whole year. One Mindful Day at a Time by Alan D. Wolfelt offers daily wise words that are preceded by an equally wise quote. The book is sorted by month and day, meaning each page contains an individual quote and piece of wisdom for your standard calendar year. One of my favourite bits is the entry for September 3, which asks readers to make a list of what makes you unique. Recognizing yourself for your own unique greatness should supercharge you to be yourself! If you’re like me, you’ll also flip to your birthday to see what wisdom the author has written seemingly for you. I think it’s important to recognize multiple avenues of mindful thinking/actions, so definitely check out this book and make mindfulness a routine!
Inhale the beauty of art with Looking at Mindfulness: 25 Ways to Live in the Moment Through Art by Christophe André. The lessons about mindfulness are accompanied by stunning pieces of art, which cultivate an easy atmosphere that’s perfect for times when you want to slow down and envelop yourself in different lessons that touch upon a multitude of feelings and senses, as mindfulness inevitably dives into. Mix that with an assortment of gorgeous artworks for a hot beverage-worthy mindful reading session — because it’s hard not to be lost in the beauty of art and the wisdom of each segment. The author does a marvelous job at describing the artwork before transitioning into lessons about mindfulness that connect with the art, making it engrossing and easy to comprehend if you’re an art newbie like me!
Is your tummy growling? It might be after flipping through My Healthy Dish: Simple, Delicious & Nutritious Recipes for the Whole Family by My Nguyen. For many of us, cooking can be quite therapeutic; for others like me who aren’t as skilled in the kitchen, eating delicious food with the family is still a recipe for mindfulness and relaxation. As Nguyen notes on page 19, how we define what’s healthy differs from person to person. I vaguely remember learning about the food pyramid at a young age, although now the discourse about nutrition and healthy eating seems to have altered. Still, cooking and/or eating foods like the ones listed in this book would likely be a nice pick-me-up for those who find comfort in eating healthier.
Feeling stressed at work? Is there a lot on your mind? Try to be present and not overthink too much about the future! I know, it’s easier said than done. Mindfulness at Work: Turn Your Job Into a Gateway to Joy, Contentment and Stress-free Living by Oli Doyle offers daily tips and activities that you can read before or after every shift — because practicing work-related mindfulness can be equally important as practicing other forms of mindfulness within other realms of your life. While some of the advice in the book may be obvious, the activities are nice reminders to keep practicing mindfulness, because to me, consistency helps snowball your efforts closer towards the goals that you set. The book is broken into six weeks with a new section per day, which can help get you into a routine to live life with more clarity and empower you to tackle an assortment of challenges. Give it a shot!
If you’re a philosophy enthusiast, Mindfulness and the Big Questions: Philosophy for Now by Ben Irvine will get you out of a cave and into the sunlight of enlightenment (this was supposed to be a reference to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave; if this sounds too hyperbolic or flowery, please don’t let it affect your thoughts on this eloquently written book). Philosophical questions and topics can be quite daunting. From existentialism to the discourse on whether a higher power exists, sometimes pondering these big questions can flare up an overwhelming sense of dread and lack of comfortability. While reading through the first few bits of the book, the role of mindfulness helped me tackle any overwhelming feelings. Irvine packs lots of knowledge into this brilliantly written book, exploring a number of philosophical ideas that tie into mindful practices and theories.
If you’ve ever come across my older posts, it’s no secret that I enjoy indulging in the cozy. That’s why The Simplicity of Cozy: Hygge, Lagom & the Energy of Everyday Pleasures by Melissa Alvarez struck a chord — because taking the time to experience the simple, everyday joys of life, as indicated in the first chapter on hygge, is what I find makes ordinary experiences so calm and blissful. While the concept of hygge was sprouted in Danish culture, Alvarez does a remarkable job at tying in similar cozy concepts from other cultures in the first chapter, which include koselig (Norwegian) and mys (Swedish). Exercises are sprawled throughout the book that readers can pick and choose from if you want to partake in certain mindful practices. Revel in simplicity and recognize what ordinary things around us bring you a sense of tranquility!
What comes to mind when you hear about social media? Is it a way for people to connect or does it do the opposite? Perhaps it’s both? The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt delves into how social media causes anxiety, especially for Gen Z. Rapidly developing technologies continue to run the lives of many, particularly young people who are especially vulnerable to its ramifications. This isn’t a book that’s just for young people, but rather a cautionary tale for parents, people who want to do a deep dive into how human relationships are being rewired, and our society at large. Our lives are drastically changing, especially with each new generation, and social media is playing a role that shouldn’t be ignored. Perhaps this book can set some of us on a path towards more mindful decisions in terms of the use of social media and our smartphones.
While we’ve touched upon different approaches to mindfulness, including examining mindfulness through art and practicing mindfulness as a working professional, I’m sure there are other topics that can be applied to other areas of our lives that may be beneficial to practice. Check out our collections for more mindfulness-related books! I hope the first quarter of your 2026 is going smoothly so far — and if you’re experiencing any hurdles, as life never fails to throw at us, then hopefully a dose of mindfulness will help!