Daily Reflection is a positive habit that can bring profound change into your life. Taking time out to reflect on your day and consider what went well or not so well is the perfect way to learn from and build on successes, as well as learn from failures and find ways to make improvements, helping you to grow and do better next time. It gives you great ideas, helps you to help others, makes you happier, and it gives perspective in life. In the busyness of daily life, the feeling of overwhelm is increasingly common. A high-pressure lifestyle, whether it's trying to meet tight deadlines or simply trying to be all things to all people, can lead to a setback or a mistake becoming the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. In reflection, you gain an opportunity to step back and see the bigger picture. In the grand scheme of things, are the "end of the world" problems you're facing really insurmountable? In reflection, you find calm, and in calm you see things from a different perspective. You can't control what other people do, you can only control what you do - and how you react to what others do - so creating change in your world begins and ends with creating change in yourself. As someone wise once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Instead of wasting energy being angry at the world and frustrated by the actions of others, turn your attention to your own thoughts and actions and consider how they influence the world around you. The pages of this book provide a thought-provoking message and two reflection points for each day of the year. You may or may not agree with the reflection points, but that's the beauty of reflection and contemplation. Only through coming to your own conclusions do you begin to gain a greater understanding of how you think, and how your thoughts and beliefs may be influencing your actions and outcomes in life. Every resource you need to be and do better is already within you. Daily Reflection is the key to discovering and becoming your best self.

Recent scientific breakthroughs--demonstrating that mind body strategies can actually "switch off" or "switch on" gene activity associated with health and disease--have triggered a mind body revolution in the medical world.
In the 1970s, Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School ushered in a new era of understanding in the field of mind body medicine. Coining the term "relaxation response," Dr. Benson identified the body's physiologic reaction that is the exact opposite of the stress (fight-or-flight) response. In the four decades since that initial discovery, Benson and his colleagues have established the first effective therapy to counteract the harmful effects of stress. They have explored how the relaxation response, the power of expectation and belief, and other mind body phenomena can produce healing in your own body.
A new era has dawned. Genetic research now shows conclusively that the mind can influence the body "down to the genetic level." Your mind has the ability to change the way your body and your genes function.
We now have scientific proof that the mind can heal the body.
In "Relaxation Revolution, "Dr. Herbert Benson and William Proctor present the latest scientific endings, revealing that we have the ability to self-heal diseases, prevent life-threatening conditions, and supplement established drug and surgical procedures with mind body techniques. In a special "treatment" section, Benson and Proctor describe how these mind body techniques can be applied--and are being applied--to treat a wide variety of conditions, including:
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety and depression
- Infertility
- Insomnia
- Menopausal hot flashes
- Many pains, including backaches and headaches
- Phobias
- And much more
"Relaxation Revolution "details Dr. Benson's recent work with colleagues in the field of genetics, which links mind body treatments to the healing of a steadily expanding number of medical conditions. Mind and body have become part of a scientific and medical whole; together they represent a complete approach to healing and maximal well-being. In clear, straightforward language, Benson and Proctor cite the experiences of real people to show how mind body techniques have the potential not only to enhance healing but also to reduce health costs to individuals and to society as a whole. "Relaxation Revolution "shines a light on the future of medicine.