Alert on Elizabeth Reid Boyd, The Secrets of Mindful Beauty

This week the alert is on author Elizabeth Reid Boyd and her new book, The Secrets of Mindful Beauty.

The Secrets of Mindful Beauty: Revolutionary Techniques in Anti-Aging and Self-Care

If you think the answer to anti-aging and looking good comes from a jar, a salon, or a surgical procedure: think again. The best beauty treatment is in your own mind.

Did you know

Depression can give you wrinkles

Insomnia can cause sagging skin

Anxiety can increase reddening and skin rashes

Stress can result in acne and hair loss

and much more?

Discover the secrets of mindful beauty. Lose your permanent frown. Smooth your worried brow without Botox. Turn your sag lines into smile lines. These age-defying techniques have been specially created for a happier, more beautiful you.

Mindful beauty is a way of applying the practices of mindfulness to our physical health and well-being. Many of our routines around beauty lend themselves to mindfulness, and this will not only enhance the experience, but also have ongoing positive beautifying effects by reducing the stress and anxiety that can affect how we look and feel.

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Thank you for inviting me to speak to your readers about THE SECRETS OF MINDFUL BEAUTY published by Skyhorse Publishing.

I’m Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd. I’m an author and academic in the field of gender studies. My natural pen name Eliza Redgold is based upon the Gaelic meaning of my full name, Elizabeth Reid Boyd. I write contemporary and historical fiction published by Harlequin and St Martin’s Press (as Eliza Redgold) and non-fiction (as Elizabeth Reid Boyd).

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? 

I practice mindfulness and meditation, and teach these practices to my university students. I’m fascinated by how much more creative we are when we slow down and let ideas grow. Our minds are truly magical.

The most difficult part of my artistic process is that it is sometimes stressful moving in and out of different roles. I’ve found mindfulness can help. Here’s a short exercise from The Secrets of Mindful Beauty that might help you too:

Mindful Muscle Relaxation

Muscle relaxation is a great way to reduce stress, helping both the body and the mind relax. With regular practice (even just ten minutes a day) physical strain can be eased and the mind can be calmed.

• Sit or lie down somewhere quiet and not too hot or cold.
• Start by closing your eyes and paying attention to your breathing. Count through five breaths, noticing the rise and fall of your chest, and seeing if you can expand your breath right to the bottom of your abdomen.
• Tighten and release different parts of your body in turn, starting with your toes. Move to your feet, tightening and releasing. Move up to your legs, abdomen, shoulders, and so on throughout your body. Include your face muscles, your mouth and eye area.
• Now move your focus back to your feet. Imagine a ray of light moving slowly upwards, through the bottom of your feet, up through your legs and thighs, into your torso, down the lengths of your arms and up your neck, until the light reaches the top of your head and continues shining upward and outward. Picture yourself aglow and shining with this light.
• Finish the exercise by returning to your breathing, counting your breaths slowly and drawing your breath deeply into your body.

It’s very normal to find your mind wandering during a relaxation exercise like this. If you notice your thoughts drifting back to something worrying you, or something you have to do later on, acknowledge the thought and gently return your focus to your breathing.

Does your family support your career as a writer? 

My husband and daughter have been incredibly supportive of my career as a writer – so supportive that my daughter Jessica helped me write THE SECRETS OF MINDFUL BEAUTY! She has a PhD in psychology, and she’s an advocate of mindfulness. She’s also my biggest inspiration.

If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do? 

I wish I had learnt about mindfulness and meditation in my teens. It helps creativity as well as relaxation and focus (great for exam stress). Lots of schools are encouraging it now, and I teach it to my university students. Those teenage years can be tough.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

About a year or two on average, although the ideas can come to mind much earlier. Perhaps if I meditate more I’ll get faster!

Meet the Author Dr. Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd has degrees in psychology and gender studies. She has taught interpersonal, communication, and personal development skills including meditation, self-awareness, self-care and mindfulness at the university level for almost two decades. She writes fiction as Eliza Redgold.

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