--- title: "Book: Full Catastrophe Living" description: "Book: Full Catastrophe Living" --- [![Main-Logo-01-1](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Main-Logo-01-1.png?width=250&height=43&name=Main-Logo-01-1.png "Main-Logo-01-1")](https://www.thebusinessofgood.org) # Tim McCarthy and the Business of Good ## [Book: Full Catastrophe Living](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/articles/book-full-catastrophe-living) ** Jun 1, 2009 9:03:00 AM / by [Tim McCarthy](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/author/tim-mccarthy) ![](https://blog.thebusinessofgood.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/june09_JonKabatZinn_FullCatastropheLiving-2.png)Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn [more] Preface: Hopefully, my dear reader, you do not suffer anxiety and stress like I do. But if you do, this book could change your life. It did mine. Kabat-Zinn's primary point is that we all suffer "life's full catastrophe" in one form or another. That is, we all have pain, mental and physical, to deal with. Always, though, our stress is caused by what we "perceive" to be happening, as opposed to what "is" happening. I attended a retreat that John opened by saying, "Our pain is mandatory - our suffering is optional". This book helped me learn the truth of that statement and how to live more "in the moment." A favorite quote: "Our thoughts are so overpowering, especially in times of crisis or emotional upheaval, that they easily cloud our awareness of the present." 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