What I’m reading ... JAZZ THORNTON

‘I always want to know the “how”

Mind, body and spirit books are by far some of my favourites. As a mental health advocate and given my own extensive history with mental health, I love books that dig into the ways in which the brain functions and responds.

Gwendoline Smith’s The Book of Overthinking is a favourite of mine. It dives into how to stop the process of overthinking (something I do daily).

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt

Haig goes into detail on real-life experiences with depression and anxiety. Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-zinn, which looks into stress and the impact that it has on our lives, is also fantastic.

Caroline Leaf has a large range of informative, inspirational and wonderful books, including one called Switch On Your Brain.

These books are some of many that have had an impact in my life and motivated me to write my own book, Stop Surviving Start Fighting.

The biggest standout for me is that they all provide practical tools. I love inspirational stories, but I always want to know the “how”. How a person got from A to B; how to be mindful; how to insert behaviours into my life that will alter it for the better.

Reading is a wonderful tool. Remember to take time to stop, to breathe and to learn. The brain is forever moving, learning and developing; fill it with things that matter.

Jazz Thornton is a finalist in the 2020 Ashton Wylie Mind Body Spirit Book Awards for her book Stop Surviving Start Fighting (Penguin, $38). Winners will be announced on August 14. awct.org.nz