Five Good Minutes »

Jeffrey Brantley, MD, is a consulting associate in the Duke University Department of Psychiatry in Durham, NC. He is founder and director of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program at Duke University's Center for Integrative Medicine, as a spokesperson for which he has given many radio, television and print media interviews. He is the author of Calming Your Anxious Mind.

Wendy Millstine is a Bay-Area-based freelance writer, published poet, and performance artist.

What difference can five minutes make in the crazy, nonstop course of a sixteen-hour day? For people feeling overwhelmed with responsibility, bored with the same tired routine, or frustrated about how to create meaning in their lives, a little time well spent can lead to extraordinary changes. This book shows readers how to dramatically improve their lives in just a few moments each day. The concept is powerfully simple: Readers take the time each morning to be fully present, to set a clear intention for themselves, and to really engage in any of 100 fun and easy-to-follow practices. Soon they will discover that amazing things can happen in just five minutes.

The book provides guided imagery, relaxation, mindfulness, and meditation practices-fun activities that relieve stress and create meaning and purpose in the reader's day. These practices help readers feel good, get motivated, and become inspired to change their lives for the better. Over time, these activities become guideposts readers will return to throughout the day, providing energy and inspiration when they need them most. In other words, the time readers of this book take for themselves in the morning might just be the five good minutes that change their lives.