I know the full effects of burnout and its relationship to anxiety, and in my work as a
psychologist, I’ve seen the increased levels of anxiety amongst men and women of all ages.
The rates of poor childhood mental health in Australia is alarming, with 1 in 14 children aged
between 4-17 years diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Research tells us we do best when we feel connected, and I wanted to create a book that would help children learn how to access that sense of connection for themselves.”
You are Loved book aims to reassure kids that they are loved, no matter what.
Melbourne-based psychologist Liv Downing has recently launched a book called ‘You are Loved’, with the aim to reassure kids that they are loved, no matter what. This beautiful board book has bold and bright illustrations by Mel Matthews.
The story reinforces to kids, that it doesn’t matter if they win or lose, do what is asked of them, and even when they’re angry, they are still loved. It is an important message that is worth repeating, again and again, to help kids understand that they are loved for simply being themselves.
Complete with a nourishing meditation at the back of the book, Liv wanted to share the tool that has provided so much support to her during challenging times in her life.
See below for your chance to WIN 1 of 4 copies of the You are loved book.
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As a mother of two boys, Liv has experienced first-hand the benefits of mindfulness and meditation in parenting. Through her work, she was involved in the development of the Beyond Blue mindfulness-based parenting program, Mind the Bump, and Smiling Mind, Australia’s leading mindfulness app – which involved working directly with children and educators in schools.
Seven years ago, Liv experienced complete burnout, but found that meditation and mindfulness allowed her to get through it, and also taught her to accept herself, no matter what. The beautiful and timely book was created to help children and families navigate, or avoid, situations similar to her own. It features colourful cut-outs on each page that create a beautiful heart shape.
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Seven years ago, Liv experienced the grief of losing her mother, the stress of looking after her unwell father, and the overwhelm of starting a new business – all while parenting her two boys. This combination of factors led to complete burnout.
This was not the first time that Liv had felt like this. She had also been gripped by burnout fifteen years earlier, when starting her career as a graduate psychologist. She found herself in bed, completely exhausted, and feeling disconnected, lonely and unworthy.
When it happened for the second time in 2015 however, the key difference was that she had built a strong mindfulness meditation practice into her daily life, and rather than feeling disconnected or unworthy, she felt a deep sense of unconditional love carrying her through the physical exhaustion.
“I reflected on why these two experiences were so vastly different, I came to the conclusion
that meditation helped me to fully accept myself, no matter what was going on in my life. I
wanted to share this discovery. My vision is that kids know, and parents show, that love
does not need to be earned and that we are all worthy of love and belonging, no matter
what. Decades of research tell us that it is the quality of our relationships and how we are
loved that has the biggest impact on our mental health. For me, mindfulness meditation
was the pathway to accessing that unconditional love.”
Liv Downing
psychologist, meditation teacher and mindfulness educator. Liv Mindfully.
This is a gorgeous board book has an incredibly positive message for kids. You are Loved is now available from leading bookstores for RRP $24.99.
PURCHASE HERE
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GIVEAWAY
To celebrate the launch of the You are Loved children’s book, Kiddiehood is giving away 4 copies.
How to enter:
– Like the ‘You are Loved book aims to reassure kids that they are loved, no matter what’ Kiddiehood Facebook post
– Comment on why you would like to win a copy
– Follow Kiddiehood on Facebook
The competition ends Saturday 3 December 2022.
Good luck!
Terms & Conditions.
The winner will be notified by messenger and must claim their prize within 48 hours. Any prizes that are not claimed within 48 hours may be reallocated to another winner. Open to Australian Residents only. You must be aged 18 years or over to enter. Those who Like the ‘You are Loved book aims to reassure kids that they are loved, no matter what’ Kiddiehood Facebook post, comment on why they would like to win a copy and follow Kiddiehood on Facebook by midnight Saturday 3 December 2022, will be entered into the competition. The winner will be randomly selected. There are 4 books to win. The prize is non-transferable. In the event that Kiddiehood postpones or varies the competition prize, Kiddiehood will not be liable to any person for any loss, damage or personal injury suffered or sustained as a result of entering the competition. While Kiddiehood takes care to ensure all information relating to the Competition is correct, it does not warrant the accuracy of all information provided and will not be liable for any inaccuracy or error.
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