Ever go to bed after a hectic day at work and looking after the kids? Expecting to go to sleep straight away, but as soon as your head hits the pillow, you can’t sleep?  This is a common experience and can be very frustrating when you know you need to be up early the next day. Reading an easy, calm book will help to unwind and prepare you for sleep. Here are our picks of the top 5 books to read before bed.

 

Calm Book by Michael Acton Smith

 

‘’Modern life is hectic and relentless: trains delayed, endless emails filling the inbox, kids squabbling before bedtime... There has never been a more important time to rediscover your pause button. Calm is the book that will show you how to take back a little bit of peace, space and all-important calm. This book contains the simple tools, tricks and habits that will change the rest your life. It is a practical and pleasurable guide to twenty-first century mindfulness.’’

 

The little book of mindfulness by  Dr Patrizia Collard

 

‘’Mindfulness is the easy way to gently let go of stress and be in the moment. It has fast become the slow way to manage the modern world - without chanting mantras or setting aside hours of time for meditation.’’

 

The Little Book of Calm by Paul Wilson

 

‘’The Little Book of Calm is full of wise advice to follow and thoughts to inspire. Pop it in your bag or pocket and dip in to it whenever you feel anxious. Open it at any page and you'll find a path to inner peace.’’

 

Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith

 

‘’In this brilliant collection of new poems, Tracy K. Smith envisions a sci-fi future sucked clean of any real dangers, contemplates the dark matter that keeps people both close and distant and revisits kitschy concepts like 'love' and 'illness', now relegated to the museum of obsolescence. With allusions to David Bowie and interplanetary travel, Life on Mars imagines a soundtrack for the universe, accompanying the discoveries, failures and oddities of human existence and establishing Smith as one of the best poets of her generation.’’

 

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life by Jon Kabat-Zinn

 

‘’Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation. But its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to everyone. In Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon,  Kabat-Zinn maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in our lives, and awakening us to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment.’’

 

by Kristina Smith