Mrs D is Going Within

by Lotta Dann

Despite outward appearances, three years after getting sober Lotta is struggling. She's often on edge, battles to cope with the busyness and constant upheavals of life, and is eating sugar like crazy to deal with tough emotions. It's becoming clear what people mean when they say "putting down the drink is just the beginning." The truth is, Lotta's life-long drinking habit has left her as a fledgling emotionally. She's slowly accepting that she needs to do some more work on herself. But what? Turn into a hippie and go all mindful and zen? Isn't all that stuff boring, introspective, and weird? Can't she just comfort herself with another chocolate muffin, distract herself on Instagram, and hope for the best? It would appear not. Here, Lotta outlines the practices she developed and strategies she worked on to start establishing herself as an emotionally robust woman.

Genres: Nonfiction

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[madam0wl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love! Lotta is basically the Southern Hemisphere version of me (same age, 3 boys, quit drinking) only she made a go of her blog and has now written two memoirs. I am only a little jealous (but mindfully & compassionately). This "within" memoir almost perfectly paralleled my immersion into mindfulness as well, as I had heard of Tara Brach around the same time during recovery and had started reading Lotta's "within" side blog as it all happened, i.e. I sat in on the same Mindfulness Summit Lotta describes and so on. So this was a great summary and refresher and I identified with her struggles and insights. Looked forward to this book release and googled to see how to get ebook version (Google Books) when Kindle didn't seem to have it yet. Read it in a handful of sittings. Will most likely reread this one.

[Jennifer Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lotta Dann's quest to find sober mindfulness in a chaotic world is touching and informative. I can relate to Lotta as she tries to navigate a crazy and busy world while maintaining her sobriety and sanity. After reading Lotta's first book Mrs D is Going Without, I too quit drinking - over 7 months ago - and it's been such a blessing. Lotta is inspiring and endearing; her writing style is humorous yet vulnerable - I read her blog and site often. This book is a great introduction to the concept of mindfulness and Lotta has done lots of homework on the subject. I am looking forward to the next chapter in her journey. Thanks, Lotta for all that you do!

[Julie Schooler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the writing style and unflinching honesty of Mrs D's previous book, so I was excited to see this kind of sequel. The same brutal honesty and humourous anecdotes encompassing some life lessons appeared throughout this book as well. I thought it was a little simplified in terms of explanations for meditation and mindfulness, but only because I have been a student in those areas for a while. If, like Mrs D, you have never really tried yoga or meditation, then this is a good beginners guide for you. There were some good takeaways like immersing myself in my senses more often, so it was a worthy read.

[Nicole Nation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim from the library and really enjoyed it. She's made the journey of mindfulness seem very accessible because of its messiness. I've already checked out some of the other books she recommends, and I've been taking more moments in my day to just notice what is going on around me.

[Jacqui Schischka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the authentic no-holes barred voice of Lotta. She speaks to the "everywoman" who is trying to figure out how to be comfortable in their own skin and makes no apologies about who she is. I got some great mindfulness tips to go with a quick, enjoyable read too :)

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't read Mrs D Goes Without and instead dived straight into Going Within. I loved Lotta's honest and relatable communicating style. Showing her vulnerabilities and how she carried on to embed tools that worked for her into her life through trial and error, was so inspiring. Thank you Lotta!

[Madeleine Booth-Smits · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Lotta's openness and honestly! I love her writing style and had so many ah ha moments!! Her books are a pleasure to read and so insightful especially for us just trying to be human! Can't with for more. 💜

[Melissa Fogarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny and real.
I am a normal woman with a messy range of emotions, navigating as best I can this ever changing, highly challenging experience called life.

[Helen Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this, lots of excellent ideas and resources about mindfulness. Mrs D writes to honestly and authentically. it's easy to feel a connection with her.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found this one a little boring.

[Cheryl Newth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very inspirational book. I loved it and read it in 1 day.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved her first book. This was not her first book. I stuck with it and it got better near the end.

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read. Really enjoyed it.

[Natalie O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good advice overall in this book and I’m glad I read it. A good place to start on looking at mindfulness.

Could have done with a more brutal edit as was a bit repetitive.

[Kate Feider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. She has a witty, conversational style that makes it a page turner 👏

[Isabel Wyllie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read easy to understand

I have been in a path to mindfulness and meditation for a few years now, and this book is so relatable to me (and I would guess humans in general) it has kick started my passion to heal myself again, and not to force it or beat myself up with a stick if I don't do it to the letter, the writing style is honest and easy to absorb, me and 2 friends recently did a weekend walking the lovley west highland way, and I did a huge part mindful. What an experience!!! Mindfulness brings back the peace of mind I am alway searching for, a huge Thankyou lotta for sharing your journey, I can't begin to tell you how both your books have helped me on my journey. A big heartfelt thankyou. Wishing you future success in helping other humans realize their own truth and peace of mind. 🧡

[Simon Sweetman]

Perhaps the biggest pile of shit I've ever read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good on mindfulness . preferred the one about giving up drinking