Quick Calm: Easy Meditations to Short-Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience

by Jennifer R. Wolkin

"A quick and easy, neuroscience-based mindfulness program to help readers calm the chaos and rewire their brain in just five minutes a day. Written by a neuropsychologist, Quick Calm is a collection of five-minute meditations for kick-starting a mindfulness practice, making it a habit, and finding lasting relief for stress and difficult emotions"--

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Spirituality, Self Help, Adhd

175 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2021

Reviews

[CottageShadowWitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle really nails this book’s essence: “Easy Meditations to Short Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience”.

There were a few huge points about this book that I really enjoyed. First how often Jennifer Wolkin points out how important it is to seek professional help if you are having mental health problems, how to proceed with caution in doing certain meditations if you’re for example experiencing PTSD.

I’m all for using witchcraft to support your health and mental wellbeing but it can’t be done without professional help in semi to serious cases. Using certain teas to treat symptoms of a cold for example, yes, totally. Having a stomach ache that won’t go away? Go to the fucking doctor’s - and yes, I’m speaking from a priviledged point of having a functioning health system. But still.

Second point of enjoyment? Science. There are a lot of footnotes and sources the author studied to prove her points in how meditation or mindfulness practise help stress. Since I’m suffering from chronic migraines as well as other health and mental health issues I especially enjoyed how she speaks from experience with having migraines as well.

Third point: The very do-whatever-fits-you-approach. The only set thing is that you should start with the breathing exercise first, since most meditation/mindfulness exercises kinda built onto this one. But other than that? Skip exercises, repeat the same one forever, do a certain one never.

It’s a very easy to follow book and the concept is especially inviting to beginners I think. But even if you’re practising meditation for years, like I do (on and off tbh) it*s fun to read and Quick Calm even gave me a few new ideas. What can I say, I’m a sucker for journaling prompts.

ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. You can preorder it or wait until April 2021.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title might sound like Dr Jen is offering yet another gimmicky fast miracle cure for what ails you, but don’t worry, she is not. Not at all!

Quick Calm offers very practical and useful information and advice on how to use many wonderful mindfulness training exercises to retrain your response to anxiety and stress over time. Not instantly. Not magically. Dr. Jen is teaching common sense lessons about practicing consistently as part of an active process to enact real change in your life.

I loved the background explanations and the accessible way Dr Jen presented the neuroscience behind her assertions.

If you’re willing to accept that change and improvement is truly possible but that it requires action and time to happen, Quick Calm is an excellent resource.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

THERAPISTS- This is a good one to have in your arsenal to assist with introducing clients to mindfulness. The topics are covered in clear terms without any 'woo' that might turn some people off. My favorite part is the one on Mindful Living, which details how to take mindfulness into daily life and in your relationships.

[Grimoireofselfcare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der Untertitel fasst das Buch perfekt zusammen.

Das Buch hält einige große Punkte für dich bereit, die ich immens genossen habe. Zum einen wie oft Jennifer Wolkin klarstellt, wie wichtig es ist, sich professionelle Hilfe zu holen, wenn man Probleme mit seiner Mental Health hat, dass man gewisse Mediationen mit Vorsicht – und damit stellenweise auch gar nicht – genießen sollte, wenn man beispielsweise PTSD/PTBS hat.

Ich bin ein großer Fan davon, Hexerei als Unterstützung für die eigene Gesundheit und das mentale Wohlbefinden zu nutzen, aber in halb bis ernsten Fällen ist damit nicht genug getan und man ist einfach auf professionelle Hilfe angewiesen. Manche Erkältungssymtome lassen sich super mit verschiedenen Tees behandeln. Magenschmerzen, die nicht weggehen? Ab zur Ärztin/zum Arzt!

Zweiter Punkt, warum ich Quick Calm so sehr mag? Wissenschaft. Du erhältst zahlreiche Fußnoten und Quellen, die Jennifer Wolkin studiert hat, um ihre Argumente, inwieweit Meditation oder ein mindfulness Ansatz bei Stress helfen können, untermauern. Da ich neben chronischer Migräne auch andere Probleme habe, fand ich es besonders spannend, dass sie auch von ihrer Erfahrung mit Migräne in diesem Zusammenhang spricht.

Der dritte Punkt: Tu-was-dir-entspricht-Ansatz. Im Endeffekt ist der einzige Punkt, zu dem sie dir rät, dass du mit der Atem-Technik beginnen solltest, weil die meisten Meditationen mehr oder wenige darauf aufbauen. Aber davon abgesehen? Lass Übungen aus, wiederhole eine einzige für immer und ewig, versuche eine Übung niemals. Alles ist dir überlassen.

Den Inhalten des Buches kann man leicht folgen und ich glaube, das Konzept ist besonders einladend für den Beginnende der Meditation. Aber auch wenn du seit Jahren meditierst – oder on and off wie ich es tue –macht es Spaß Quick Calm zu lesen. Ich habe sogar einige neue Ideen mit nehmen können. Was soll ich sagen, ich liebe Journal Prompts.

Disclaimer: Kostenloses Exemplar für eine ehrliche Rezension erhalten. Dankeschön. | Übersetze Rezension (Original ebenfalls von mir)

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well organized book with information about why/how to be mindful. It's broken down into sections: pre-practice, formal practice, informal practice, and mindful living. The pre-practice section gives you more of the basics. What I like is that you just need 5 minutes a day. You could do more, but you don't have to make a big time commitment to have this work. There are several formal practice outlines such as progressive body relaxation and guided imagery. The informal practice section gives you a lot of things you can do more mindfully like brushing your teeth or showering. I like that the mindfulness can be integrated into daily tasks and the author even mentions that this can count toward the mindfulness that helps you feel better, and that it doesn't have to be a sit down session like meditation for it to be beneficial. The last section on mindful living takes you through more concepts like gratitude and self-love. Personally, I really liked the ideas around informal practice and doing things in life more mindfully because it seems to me that while a once a day session of formal practice may be helpful, it would be even more helpful to be mindful during all your tasks.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Quick Calm to be a helpful resource. The author shares easy meditations to short circuit stress using mindfulness and neuroscience. I was thrilled that the author was including neuroscience in the book to help you understand how it impacts you physical body and mind.

The author helps you find ways to be mindful in everyday tasks. She calls this informal meditation practices. This book is extremely helpful for people new to the practice. She is encouraging and provides simple solutions that are not overwhelming to help you start the practice.

She includes the how to practice in detail for each option. Once you read a few of them you can adapt it to any informal practice. Or you can skip to the one that you find easiest to implement. And it is good reference to go back to.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've picked up a lot of mindfulness books and often start off feeling motivated but quickly peter out because it doesn't feel practical to set aside as much time as is expected for practice. This book breaks down the science in accessible, digestible language and then offers an array of brief five-minute exercises that anyone can fit in to their day to build a mindfulness habit. I'm excited to build up my practice and to share this book with others - it's my new go-to gift for the many folks in my life overwhelmed by stress who "don't have time" for self care.

[Mandy Hazen · Rating 5 out of 5]

How frustrating is it to be told by all the different sources the things you must do to be successful in life? This book definitely does NOT do that. It instead takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sandra]

I'll need to revisit this one. I really appreciate the straightforward presentation and integrating into your daily life aspects, but I think I'm not in the right headspace for a lot of them. For example, I walk daily so I thought I could fit that one easily but it ended up stressing me out and making my walks less enjoyable. That's on me, not the book. I'm mostly putting it here so I have the information to come back to it later!

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really lovely toolkit of so many different ways to approach mindfulness for calm and grounding! I find it especially helpful for people who may struggle with the more traditional sitting still and closing your eyes type of meditation. Very helpful for getting in touch with your inner self, deepening relationship to your emotions and wellbeing, and grounding through tough times.

[Carol Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick Calm: Easy Meditations to Short Circuit Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroscience by Jennifer Wolkin is a well-organized and extremely practical guide that includes information on mindfulness – both formal and informal practices – as well as the positive effects mindfulness can have in your life. Highly recommended. #QuickCalm #NetGalley

[Homa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an easy to follow and useful guide to meditation. The science has shown that mindfulness meditation reduces stress levels. This book provides easy to follow steps one could take during the day to practice mindfulness meditation, e.g. during shower, eating food, dish washing and etc.
I highly recommend this book to any one looking for a calmer lifer😌😌😌

[Lindsay Smith-Munoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this little book. It is the second book on meditation that I have read, and is good for a beginner. I liked the different types of meditation, and the simplicity of the book. That said, I am glad I read "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics" first, not because it was a better book, but because it prepared my skeptical side better for a book like this one.

[beth | blissandbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this practical approach to everyday mindfulness. I definitely picked this book up at the right time. I would recommend this to beginners or to anyone looking to rejuvenate their practice.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting ways to reduce stress focus and find your calm. I'm not sure I intend to practice most of this, but I did enjoying hear technics to be more in the moment and notice tension, feelings, and mindfulness.

[miranda ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it. has a lot of helpful exercises that go along with DBT. super helpful and definitely recommend to anyone and everyone

[Jennifer Louden · Rating 5 out of 5]

smart science-based ways to bring mindfulness into you life!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly quick calm meditations that you can do anywhere. I booked marked the ones that I really thought would benefit me, especially at work.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with easy-to-use and practical application. I love this book and have recommended it to many of my clients.

[Bobbi Galvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on meditation. The author gives unusual suggestions for meditation such as when coloring, walking, reading, sweeping, etc. It was good to hear that it's ok for the mind to wander.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Useless, nothing you can’t learn from a simple google search. Don’t waste your money.

[Nuur · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the worst book ever

[Jyoti Dhanota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me through a panic attack at night

[Barbara Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick Calm is one of those books I know I’ll keep coming back to—it's a must-read, re-read, bookmark, and pick up whenever life feels a little too much. Dr. Jennifer R. Wolkin has crafted a well-organized guide to mindfulness, with clear sections that walk you through every part of the practice: pre-practice, formal practice, informal practice, and mindful living. It doesn’t overwhelm; it’s approachable, easy to read, and a great introduction to mindfulness.

I also appreciated that Dr. Wolkin supports her points with science and research, grounding the book in neuroscience and showing that mindfulness is more than just a trend. She includes an important reminder too—if you’re struggling with something like PTSD, this book alone isn’t a solution. Mindfulness is part of a bigger, holistic approach, and seeking professional help when you need it is key. This realistic perspective is something I found refreshing, and it makes Quick Calm both practical and genuinely helpful for managing everyday stress.