March 28, 2016

Should you Thrive?

It’s the book that was raved about and became an international bestseller, but we don’t want to tell you to read it (you can make your own choices on literature). Instead, here are the five types of women who we think would benefit from reading Arianna Huffington’s Thrive. If you’re one of them, well, we heavily suggest picking up a copy…

The always tired woman

The beauty of Thrive is that it’s a mix of science, advice and autobiographical anecdotes, but the science behind why we should get enough sleep – and what happens when we don’t – is a (excuse the pun) wake-up call to all of us. Time is precious but so is sleep, and if you’re treating it like a guilty pleasure or one of life’s luxuries then you could be risking elements of your health.

The tied-to-her-tech woman

We won’t be first to tell you this isn’t healthy, but let Arianna persuade you of the power of being able to see and take in what’s actually, physically happening around you right now and not just what others are doing several miles away. Meet your family, don’t message them; tell your friends you like their photos, don’t just click a button; smile at people, not just at what you see on your screen. Immerse yourself in the here and now.

The always-rushing-woman

Which brings us on to why the always-rushing-around woman should read this book. Being in the moment is something Huffington strongly advocates and with her mixture of anecdotes and science about the powers of meditation, it’s something we should all be backing. Taking as little as 5 minutes out of your day to focus on, well, nothing, has huge benefits for us mentally and physically. And if Huffington, with all her responsibilities can do it, so can you.

The juggler

Don’t see this book as another thing ‘to do’ and don’t you dare add it to your ever-increasing to-do list. Please. The aim of reading this should be for pleasure. And why should you be reading it? Because it will teach you that not everything or everyone deserves your full attention. Because it will teach you to prioritise. Because it will show you that juggling achieves nothing – giving one thing at a time your all is the way to get things done, better and quicker.

Because it will show you the benefits of slowing down. And we all need that.

Ms ambitious

Arianna’s story of her own wake-up call (she fell and hit her head due to sleep deprivation) should be a warning to everyone that ambition needs to be kept in check. Your career might be the most important thing to you, but it shouldn’t be – it should be your health. If you put your health first, over everything, you will do much better at everything else. And it’s not just us saying that, it’s her. The woman who, yes, does it all, but does it whilst getting enough sleep, eating the right things and taking time out for herself.

A lesson we can all learn from.

Stephanie Bolton

@StephanieBolton