Still and Quiet Mind

by Esther Smith

Well, I dropped out of the Brighter Winter challenge.  Which is both a good thing and a bad thing.  

The good thing is that it encourages me to stay off of Inst*gr*m and it takes another thing off of my plate, which in this season is a must.

But it is also a bummer because I LOVE the Brighter Winter challenge.

Before I decided I just couldn't keep up with it, I started three books, two of which I was determined to finish : Anne of Green Gables and Still and Quiet Mind this week.

Still and Quiet Mind has been on my TBR list since I first read about it on the "Best Books of 2022 List" posted on Tim Challies' blog.  

I am SO glad I read it.

This is the BEST book.  

It balances Biblical and medical and practical responses to mental health struggles, specifically OCD and intrusive thinking.  But it also touches on anxiety, depression, and trauma.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.  It is packed full of guided Biblical meditation and that is SO very helpful. (I LOVE books that walk you through their ideas so that you have a framework to reference)

Here are the chapter titles :

Know Your Thoughts

Pray Your Thoughts

Rest Your Thoughts

Disentangle Your Thoughts

Focus Your Thoughts

Capture Your Thoughts

Calm Your Thoughts

Repair Your Thoughts

Set Aside Your Thoughts

Dismiss Your Thoughts

Medicate Your Thoughts

and 

Sit With Your Thoughts

While it is always tempting to skip to the "what can I do about _____" portion of books like this one (especially if you, or someone you love struggles with the topic being covered), it is SO beneficial to take the time to start on page one and read through to the end - taking the time to complete the exercises along the way.