Dr Stephanie Dowrick’s new book, Everyday Kindness: Short cuts to a happier and more confident life, offers short, wise and often very entertaining chapters on the great variety of experiences that we call “everyday life”. Adding kindness to the mix – or greater care, appreciation, good humour, respect – life itself takes a turn for the better. We feel better. We are far easier and more comfortable to be around.
Stephanie Dowrick offers the insight and patience we may need in a time of change or confusion. She offers vigorous, creative encouragement to help us to enjoy life more, as well as the company of our loved ones. And to be far more appreciative company also – for ourselves and for other people. In a number of chapters, she writes with surprising passion about food, moods and exercise: about feeling better from the inside out and the outside in. A long-time parent, and formerly a psychotherapist to many parents (and adult children), she offers many practical insights about more loving, confident parenting. Relationships, self-confidence, personal power: they are all explored here in ways that can’t fail to encourage and inspire her committed readers and find her many new ones.
Stephanie Dowrick will be speaking about Everyday Kindness at Mosman Library (7pm, Wed 7 Dec), Stanton Library (1pm, Thurs 8 Dec), Chatswood Library (12.30pm, Friday 9 Dec).
Many readers continue to miss Stephanie Dowrick’s “Inner Life” column that ran for almost 10 years in the Good Weekend (Sydney Morning Herald and the Age). In Everyday Kindness you will get similar short, highly focused, consistently encouraging words of wisdom from the writer described by author and advertising guru Nigel Marsh as a “godsend” and by critic and writer Claire Scobie as “empowering”.