Anna Barnes > Quotes

“Mindfulness is about focusing on the magic of the present moment. Rather than fretting about the past or worrying about the future, the aim is to experience life as it unfolds moment by moment. This simple practice is immensely powerful. As we rush through our lives, mindfulness encourages us to stop constantly striving for something new or better and to embrace acceptance and gratitude. This allows us to tap into the joy and wonder in our lives, and to listen to the wisdom of our hearts. This book will show you how to experience small but beautiful moments of mindfulness every day and so guide you along the path to finding more peace and contentment in your life.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Be Mindful

“Choose a few items from your master list to tackle every week, remembering not to overload yourself. Always set aside time for enjoyable activities or relaxation.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Tidy Your Mind: Tips and Techniques to Help You Reduce Mental Clutter and Find Calm

“If a particular part of the day is taking up more energy than it should, it’s a red flag that it could be contributing to your mental clutter.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Tidy Your Mind: Tips and Techniques to Help You Reduce Mental Clutter and Find Calm

“Should” implies you have to do something, even if you don’t want to, which can add a layer of stress and additional clutter to your thinking. If you have a lot of “shoulds” cluttering your mind, they can weigh you down mentally and make you feel permanently unsettled and unsatisfied. More often than not, these “shoulds” are a sign you are expecting too much of yourself.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Tidy Your Mind: Tips and Techniques to Help You Reduce Mental Clutter and Find Calm

“Acceptance doesn’t mean you like what is happening; it just means you accept that certain things are beyond your control.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Be Mindful

“Signs that you are approaching burnout include trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and taking longer than usual to complete tasks, as well as feeling drained, overloaded, irritable, or withdrawn.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Tidy Your Mind: Tips and Techniques to Help You Reduce Mental Clutter and Find Calm

“Be alert to the times when you’re feeling slow, tired, or heavy, or periods when the days seem to be piling up with a never-ending list of things to do. When this happens, pause, prioritize your self-care, and ask friends and family for support in sharing out tasks. Delegating small jobs to others and cutting back non-essential commitments will give you the space and energy to rebuild your reserves.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Tidy Your Mind: Tips and Techniques to Help You Reduce Mental Clutter

“It is quite possible that, even if you set the most relevant, realistic goals, you may not achieve them in the way or the time you wanted to. Life may throw something unexpected in your path, which stops you from achieving what you want, when you want. This is not failure. Feeling like you have failed is bound to lead to low mood, and can often come about if things haven't quite gone according to plan. However, the best thing to do is to draw a mental line under the experience, learn from what has happened and try again. As long as you are still trying, you are working towards your long-term aims; and as long as you are doing that, you are never truly failing.”
― Anna Barnes, How to Be Confident