Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad

I got Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad from the library and started reading it. Within a few pages I had so many tabs I knew I needed to buy the book, so I did! That way, I could mark it as I went. I had not read anything by John Eldredge before, but I look forward to reading more from him.We've been sucked into a pace of life nobody's enjoying.Get Your Life Back is written from a Christian perspective, and there is a lot of God talk in the book. However, the practices that Eldredge suggests are useful tools for anyone. The first tool is to take a one-minute pause. To release anything and everything distracting you, to give yourself a break from the constant pull of everything. I think it's easy to say we all need a break.I had little capacity for relationships and the things that bring me life-a walk in the woods, dinner with friends, a cold plunge in a mountain lake. When I did steal a moment for something life-giving, I was so distracted I couldn't enjoy it."Another point Eldredge makes, "there's a direct link between the rise of envy, depression, and one's use of social media," is something I think we all know at a surface level. We don't take the time to really think through the impact this has on us, and our loved ones. There are so many things I could say about this book. Instead, I will leave you with a few more quotes:The world has gone completely mad, and it's trying to take our souls with it....the constant stimulation of our choatic world causes us to live in state of hyper- vigilance.Get Your Life Back is a timely book. It is full of practical wisdom that will stand the test of time. I am thankful for those who introduced me to this book. So many of our young adults are struggling with anxiety and depression. The practices in this book can help with that (it is not a cure all). I highly recommend it, and I know it is a book I will come back to again.

This book came into view for me shortly before going on a family vacation. Gods timing in bringing books to me is perfect. Not only was this book a welcomed slow down and unplug time during vacation… but it also introduced to me a new rhythm I will return back to the hustle of life with. Grateful.

Is it possible for a book to simultaneously be a fast and a slow read? That was my experience of Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge. Since it is a book to read when your soul is running at too fast of a pace, I suppose being a fast slow read is a good thing.Fast read: The stories are engaging. The content is easy to understand.Slow read: The words slowly trickle into your soul. The lessons, taken slowly, will affect you.I so appreciate the candor and self-awareness on display in this book. Get Your Life Back isn’t an equation to simplify your calendar or a program to make things all better. This book walks a journey from a frenzied soul, to moments of pause, to connection with God.It is that easy and yet so hard. I know. John shares personal experiences of being frenzied, of pause, and of re-connection. Although he talks about solo hiking in places I’ve never been and vacations to places I’ve not taken, I was still able to see myself in parts of his story.Why?Because a soul in chaos and the healing power of God is a tale as old as time.“Your soul is a beautiful instrument, like a cello or piano, capable of a vast range of expression and experience. Over time, strings get broken keys are lost. …Though we want God, [God] is forced to play one or two notes; it’s all [God] has to work with. By attending to the neglected places of our souls, we recover the lost strings and damaged keys. The more we do, the more rich and colorful our life becomes, because God has so much more to make music with. (pg. 137)Get Your Life Back reminds me of the importance of soul care. For me and for all the people around me. If you are in need of soul care, this book is a good place to start.

Soo helpful as I begin to heal from some trauma!

Life is crazy hectic these days and this book has given me some great tools for keeping my mind focused on the things that matter each day. I found it to be a great for myself but also it is my go to graduation gift for college students to help them navigate life in the “real world.”

Loved this book!Get Your Life Back has revitalized me in a lot of ways.Thank you John!

Another great book by John! I look forward to the study guide for this book. The one minute pause app is great.

Part of the challenges with modern life is the dulling of expectations for what kind of experience is available on a daily basis. I can turn down the incoming, but the related stress and anxiety is only lessened. Over time, I forget that I used to want, and hope, for more on any given day — room to breathe, space for relationships, little moments of being caught up in surprising joy.In Get your Life Back, John pulls back the current on the incoming and reminds readers what is available in terms of the daily life we can access. The daily life we were made for. The effect is an increase in desire, which adds fuel to the daily practices (which, by the way, are oh so helpful). I've read a lot of books on spiritual formation, practices, habits, etc. And while they all serve some practical, pragmatic purpose, those that fill the reservoir of desire before telling one "how to" are the ones that have had the longest lasting effect.Get your life back indeed. I'm thankful for this simple, effective book.

This book hits a topic that affects so many of us. It's encouraging to read in someone else's words about something I think so much about myself. We can really do something about the busyness we find ourselves in.

This book was a timely challenge for me about wasting time. It made me recognise the overloading damage to my spirit, mind and emotions of so much negative and traumatic news including my personal traumas and therefore my huge need for God's presence and peace. Thank you John

If you want your life back, then this is the book for you.

The Covid lockdown could not have come too soon for me. I was beginning to burnout (been there, done that), and was enjoying the solace. Then my husband was diagnosed with cancer. A friend recommended the One Minute Pause. Then I bought the book. After chapter Two I started to treat this book as my morning devotional reading. Chapter by chapter, I found the Lord used it to bring healing, comfort and peace back into our rocked world.

This book really makes you look at how modern technology has taken over our lives and helps to make you more mindful of how you use your time on social media, and helps you realize how much time it takes away from the more simplistic things in life.