The Mindful Life: Finding peace in a busy world

Gemma Birch. PgDip. Counselling & Psychotherapy, Bsc Psychology and Counselling, and Mindfulness Level 3 is a qualified and practising psychotherapist, who realised the benefits of Mindfulness practice in 2014 and now wants to ensure that as many people as possible can benefit from everything that it has to offer. She lives with her partner, Arun in Southport where she owns and operates a private psychotherapy practice and is the Founder and Managing Director of 'Wellbeing Chat', an online counselling platform and the most accessible and affordable counselling in the UK. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, reading, travelling the world and has a huge love for animals.Personal Account"I first came across Mindfulness when I was going through a traumatic time in my life. In July 2014, after being diagnosed with food poisoning, my body got progressively worse and I woke up in the middle of the night not being able to feel my legs. In hospital I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder called Guillain Barre Syndrome, which attacks the body's tissue and muscles when it doesn't know how to attack the infection inside of you. In just twenty-four hours I became paralysed from the neck down and I was told that I may not ever walk again. I couldn't feed myself; I couldn't write, I couldn't do the most basic things. Life seemed to hit "pause" and I needed help to accept what was happening to me. I came across Jon Kabat Zinn's book, "Wherever you go, there you are" and my love for Mindfulness began. I cried for help and that was my answer. I learned to pause, I learned to listen to my body. It helped me to de-stress and after reading the book I stopped getting worse and instead started to get progressively better. I was in hospital for a year and when I was discharged, I left on my own two feet; something that my physio team considered to be nothing short of a miracle. Even though it was a distressing time, I was thankful for the lessons I had learnt; to practice gratitude and be more mindful. I hope my story inspires others and it doesn't take a traumatic event to have a "mindful life"'.

Author: Gemma Birch

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: May 21, 2020

Number of Pages: 102 pages

Binding: Paperback or Softback

ISBN-10: NA

ISBN-13: 9798647676382