The Here-and-Now Habit: How Mindfulness Can Help You Break Unhealthy Habits Once and for All

by Hugh G. Byrne PhD, Tara Brach PhD (Foreword by)

Overview

Bad habits can take a hefty toll on your health and happiness. In The Here-and-Now Habit, mindfulness expert Hugh Byrne provides powerful practices based in mindfulness and neuroscience to help you rewire your brain and finally break the habits that are holding you back from a meaningful life.

Have you found yourself doing something and thinking, Why do I keep doing this? We all have an unhealthy habit—or two, or three. Yours may be as simple as wasting time on the Internet, constantly checking your e-mail, or spending too much time in front of the TV. Or, it may be more serious, like habitual drinking, emotional overeating, constant self-criticism, or chronic worrying. Whatever your harmful habit is—you have the power to break it.

The Here-and-Now-Habit provides proven-effective techniques to help you stop existing on autopilot and start living in the here and now. You’ll learn how to cultivate mindfulness to calm and focus your mind, be aware of thoughts without identifying with them or believing they are true, deal with difficult emotions, and clarify your own intentions regarding unhealthy habits by asking yourself, What do I want? How important is it to me to make this change?

By learning to pay attention to your thoughts and actions in the moment, you’ll discover how to let go of old patterns and create healthier habits and ways of living that will make you feel good about yourself. And when you feel good about you, you can do just about anything.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626252394
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	03/01/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Hugh G. Byrne, PhD, is a guiding teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW), and cofounder of the Mindfulness Training Institute of Washington. He has worked extensively in the fields of human rights and social justice, and is committed to advocating the benefits of mindfulness and other contemplative practices to help relieve the suffering of the world. He teaches classes, retreats, and workshops in the United States and internationally. Byrne resides in Silver Spring, MD.

Foreword writer Tara Brach, PhD, has been practicing meditation since 1975 and leads Buddhist meditation retreats at centers in North America and Europe. She is a clinical psychologist and author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge.
Hugh G. Byrne, PhD, is a senior teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW), and cofounder of the Mindfulness Training Institute of Washington. He has worked extensively in the fields of human rights and social justice, and is committed to advocating the benefits of mindfulness and other contemplative practices to help relieve the suffering of the world. Byrne teaches classes, retreats, and workshops in the United States and internationally. He resides in Silver Spring, MD.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Laying the Groundwork

1 Understanding Habits 9

2 The Basics of Mindfulness 27

Part 2 Putting Wisdom into Practice

3 The Power of Intention: What Matters Most? 53

4 Welcoming Your "Guests" 65

5 Cultivating Attitudes of Mindfulness 77

6 Harnessing the Power of Attention 95

7 Untangling Yourself from Habitual Thoughts and Beliefs 117

8 Riding the Waves of Emotions, Urges, and Cravings 133

9 Taking In the Good: Cultivating Emotions That Support Well-Being and Happiness 145

10 Breaking Harmful Habits in Your Relationships and the Wider World 163

Conclusion: Making Mindfulness Your Default Habit 175

Acknowledgments 181

References 183

Interviews

Byrne resides in Silver Spring, MD.

Editorial Reviews

A wonderful thing about The Here-and-Now Habit is that it not only tells you that you can change, it tells you how to actually do it. Hugh G. Byrne brings together contemporary science, ancient teachings, and his own experience to help his readers learn to suffer less by changing unskillful habits—what a generous gift!”
—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness


“Practical and profound, this book shows how to use modern neuroscience combined with ancient wisdom to end harmful habits and grow helpful ones. With brief, doable exercises, hopeful perspectives, concrete examples, and friendly support, Hugh G. Byrne offers both freedom from old ‘stuckness’ and the cultivation of a strong and happy heart.”
—Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Buddha's Brain


“What you will appreciate in this simple yet profound book is that all of life is habit. Just as we have developed habits over time, we can exchange, improve, and transform habits through understanding and mindfulness practices. This refreshing read offers guidance that nurtures our capacity to be present, and to cultivate a quality of awareness crucial to transcending habitual reactivity, conflict, and harm. A must-read for those willing to witness their lives and deepen their personal and relational well-being.”
—Ruth King, author of Healing Rage and Mindful of Race



“Hugh G. Byrne’s book, The Here-and-Now Habit, is one of the best books I know on learning how to apply mindfulness to our everyday life. There are many books on mindfulness. The unique thing about Byrne’s book is that he clarifies the meeting place of mindfulness and the formation of habits. This is the book I would recommend for those who want to use mindfulness to change unhealthy habits and create healthier ones.”
—Loch Kelly, author of Shift into Freedom


“If you want to change your habits and become happier and more free, try the practical mindfulness and wise instruction of The Here-and-Now Habit.”
—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart



“The Here-and-Now Habit weaves together the rigor of science and the wisdom of mindfulness to support the cultivation of healthy habits and the release of unskillful ones. Hugh G. Byrne draws on decades of personal meditation practice to offer us an illuminating work that welcomes a new way of living that has the power to transform our individual and collective lives.”
—Shauna Shapiro, PhD, coauthor of The Art and Science of Mindfulness

From the Publisher