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READ ‘EM & KEEP
RUBY WAX’S TWO BEST-SELLING BOOKS ON MINDFULNESS AND MENTAL
HEALTH HAVE BEEN WIDELY ACCLAIMED AND ARE WELL WORTH A LOOK FOR
ALL THOSE FEELING A LITTLE FRAZZLEDA Mindfulness Guide For The Frazzled
This new book – for the Frazzled generation – offers the
antidote and answer to the epidemic of stress in modern
life. It offers advice for relationships, parents, children
and teenagers on how to cope with the pressures of
everyday life via mindfulness.WHAT SHE SAYS:
“My definition of mindfulness isn’t about sitting erect
on a hillock, legs in a knot, humming a mantra that’s
probably the phone book sung backwards, it’s something that can help us
all: learning to notice your thoughts and feelings so you can truly
experience life.”WHAT THEY SAY:
“Ruby Wax has an extraordinary mind, and she has brought it to bear with
trademark with and searing honesty.” - Stephen Fry, actor, comedian, writer
and mental health campaignerSane New World: Taming The Mind
£8.99
Hodder
First published 2013In this first book, Wax shows us just how our minds
can send us mad as our internal critics play on a
permanent loop tape. Here she helps us all understand
why we sabotage our sanity, how our brains work
and how we can rewire our thinking to find calm in a
frenetic world. A manual to saner living, helping you to become the master,
not the slave, of your mind.WHAT SHE SAYS:
“The brain is like a pliable three-pound piece of play dough; you can re-
sculpt it by breaking old mental habits and creating new, more flexible ways
of thinking.”WHAT THEY SAY:
“Extremely funny and deeply moving...many people will be grateful for her
courage, openness, humour and wisdom” - Prof. Mark Williams, author of
Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic WorldThat frazzled feeling
Wax is currently busy touring with her
Frazzled live shows, bringing mindfulness
and comedy together to audiences, including
a one month stint in June in the West End, at
the Leicester Square Theatre.
Most importantly, she says that people
‘get it’ - the mindfulness concept - when they
see the shows.
“If people are interested in mindfulness,
or they’re interested in something amusing,
then I like to put comedy together with some
information and so far the big audiences -
and they’re not yoga audiences here - they
really get it. You know, if the theatre’s full
then something must be okay; and they
learn how to do this - whether people keep
it up - but people say ‘oh I get it now’. They
come in, and they might be sceptical...butyou can’t argue with science.”
In addition, she’s also busy with Frazzled
Cafes, which she says aren’t for people
with mental illness, but for people who are
frazzled, “which is everybody”.
And if you are Frazzled, it’s important to
deal with it.
“If you are frazzled, go and find
something, you know, it’s not going to go
away by accident. You have to do yoga,
you have to do mindfulness, or martial
arts, pilates - find what works for you.
But you have to find it to cool down your
brain because it’s not going to happen by
accident.”
The great thing about mindfulness,
she says, is that you can take it with you
anywhere.
While anything you use to distract
yourself, like jogging or mountain climbing,
may give you some endorphin hits while
you’re doing it or stop you ruminating, “you
can’t do it when you’re sitting in the office or
you’re just about to take an exam.”
Although mindfulness, like yoga, may not
be for everyone, there’s a lot of evidence to
back it up as a counter to stress and that
frazzled feeling.
She adds: “You have to learn when you’re
hitting your tipping point and then adjust
your breathing; I mean you learn this from
yoga and you just bring it into the classroom
or wherever, so it’s more complicated... it’s
exercising your mind not just your body.”Catch Ruby Wax live on stage in her Frazzled
tour. Visit: rubywax.net/tourPhoto: Steve Ullathorne