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Reading lists

8 books to help you survive and thrive

The Power of Mindful Parenting

Five Deep Breaths

A simple, supportive, down-to-earth guide for real-life parenting.

Gillian Anderson, actress, activist and mother

Five Deep Breaths is a lifeline for parents. Wouldn't it be great if family life was calm, easy and loving? But anyone who has dealt with toddlers or teenagers, (or any child on a stroppy day), knows how hard it can be. In this kind, practical book, Genevieve von Lob draws on a lifetime of personal and professional experience. She teaches deceptively simple techniques, which can bring about profound changes. Tools as simple as breathing can reconnect you with your intuition, alleviate stress and dissolve old patterns. This is a great book that champions confidence, kindness and compassion.

Georgia Coleridge, author, healer and mother

I absolutely loved this book. The author really ‘gets’ the challenges of modern parenting and through her extensive contact with parents and hearing first-hand about their experiences, for the first time I really felt understood. I am going to treasure this book and keep it by my side, so I can dip into it any time I am feeling overwhelmed or stressed. It makes you feel like you suddenly have a wise friend helping you along this difficult parenting journey, full of useful, practical tips. This book is about the power of mindfulness and self-awareness, and it’s so much more than that; it shows you how to develop a deeper connection with yourself and your child – and leads you both on the path to resilience.

Josie Jacobs, positive psychologist and mother

The messages and learnings inside are helpful for any parent who feels held back by feelings of inadequacy, stress and anxiety… there were sections which resonated with me immediately, and I can’t believe they won’t also with a great number of mums and dads out there, who find themselves struggling a little bit. [This] step-by-step guide navigates the demands of being a parent alongside the demands you put on yourself – and those of others – and coming out of it feeling like you’re on top, instead of always fighting a rearguard action.

‘The messages and learnings inside are helpful for any parent who feels held back by feelings of inadequacy, stress and anxiety… there were sections which resonated with me immediately, and I can’t believe they won’t also with a great number of mums and dads out there, who find themselves struggling a little bit. [This] step-by-step guide navigates the demands of being a parent alongside the demands you put on yourself – and those of others – and coming out of it feeling like you’re on top, instead of always fighting a rearguard action.

Dr Genevieve von Lob is a clinical psychologist who has worked with families from every type of background during a 10-year career spanning private practice, NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and work for local authorities. She has been widely quoted in the media, including in the Telegraph, Financial Times, Top Santé and Grazia, and featured as a consultant therapist in an episode of Channel Four’s Dispatches. She lives in southwest London and enjoys playing piano and singing in her spare time. www.drvonlob.com

'Five Deep Breaths is a lifeline for parents' - Georgia Coleridge 
 
'A wonderful book' - Gillian Anderson 
 
A simple, supportive, down-to-earth guide for real-life parenting. 
 
Every parent is doing the best they can, but there are times when it feels like nothing you do is ever good enough. Everyone seems to have an opinion and there’s no shortage of advice on how to be a better parent. Raising happy, confident, and resilient children is the most important job in the world – but in our fast-paced, twenty-first-century society, the challenges can feel overwhelming and exhausting: 
 
· Do you feel like you’re constantly being judged for the decisions you make? 
· Are you forever fretting about whether you’re doing enough to help your child through their problems? 
· Are you struggling to navigate your child’s school pressures or the pitfalls of social media? 
· Has your home become a combat zone? 
 
If you recognise any of these stress points, give yourself a break: this book really can help you. 
 
In Five Deep Breaths, clinical psychologist Dr Genevieve von Lob draws on her extensive experience with hundreds of families from all walks of life to provide simple, practical support for parents. Based on mindfulness, psychology and neuroscience, this reassuring guide will show you how to be kinder to yourself and trust your own judgement when dealing with dilemmas every parent faces. Examples based on real mums and dads show how to defuse tension, drama and anxiety in the home. Stressed-out parents will discover a sense of confidence, calm and balance – both for themselves and their children.

Genevieve Von Lob

This is a must-read for any parent who feels stressed out and living in an environment often rife with tension and anxiety.

I absolutely loved this book. The author really ‘gets’ the challenges of modern parenting and through her extensive contact with parents and hearing first-hand about their experiences, for the first time I really felt understood.

[This] step-by-step guide navigates the demands of being a parent alongside the demands you put on yourself – and those of others – and coming out of it feeling like you’re on top, instead of always fighting a rearguard action.

10 Steps to Stress-free Family Life

As heard on BBC R4's Woman's Hour 
 
'A must-read for any parent who feels stressed out and living in an environment often rife with tension and anxiety.' Evening Standard 
 
An essential 10-step plan for a stress-free family life. 
 
We all know that raising happy, confident and resilient children can be a tough job in this fast-paced world – and there’s never any shortage of well-meaning advice on how to be a better parent. So, if you’re anxious and struggling to cope with the pressures of school and family life – or if you worry that you’re not doing enough to support your child through their problems – give yourself a break: this book really can help you. 
 
Clinical psychologist Dr Genevieve von Lob draws on her extensive experience working with hundreds of families to provide a simple 10-step plan for a stress-free family life. As she helps you to tackle the dilemmas every parent faces and defuse tension and anxiety in the home, Genevieve also aims to bring a sense of confidence, calm and balance both to you and your child. 
 
This is a practical, down-to-earth guide – and essential reading for every parent.

Genevieve Von Lob

Books by Genevieve Von Lob

Articles featuring Genevieve Von Lob

8 books to help you survive and thrive

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