Wellness is not just about physical health; it’s also about having a healthy mind and relationships. Madison Public Library can help you stay informed through our free resources and help you reach your wellness goals through our workshops by the community, for the community.
Want to stay in the know about future wellness events at your library? Sign up for the Live Well @ Your Library Insider email newsletter.
Wellness At Home: Make Your Own Gratitude Journal
The practice of daily gratitude is perfect for the cold, winter months. While you're reflecting on the previous year or gearing up for the new one, take a little time out to make your own gratitude journal! Artist Angela Johnson created this helpful kit so that you can design your journal using watercolor techniques and common materials found around the house. Each kit also includes 30 journal prompts to guide your gratitude practice. Download the instructions by clicking the images below and get started today!
This kit is intended for older adults as part of the Live Well @ Your Library Senior Initiative.
Kit Components
Wellness Books
A few highlights of new and newer wellness books available at your library.
In this thought-provoking book, part memoir, part journalistic investigation, the acclaimed writer and poet, a Muslim queer Bangladeshi, reveals how wellness culture has become a luxury good built on the wisdom of Black, brown and Indigenous people--while ignoring and excluding them.
I Didn't Do the Thing Today is the inspiring call to take productivity off its pedestal--by dismantling our comparison to others, aspirational routines, and the unrealistic notions of what can be done in a day, we can finally embrace the joyful messiness and unpredictability of life.
The Peloton instructor, fitness star, and founder of Speak shares her transformative personal journey, during which she learned lessons about loss, love, body image, and self-confidence, offering an accessible blueprint for anyone looking to make a positive in their lives.
Every Body is a collection of anonymous stories, essays, and interviews touching on a wide array of topics, including first times, open relationships, body acceptance, accidental pregnancies, sex toys, pleasure, fear and trauma, sexual discovery, and more. Framed by dozens of artists' illustrations, deeply personal interviews, and expert essays that address stigmas and clichés, this book is an informative, welcoming, and inclusive user's guide to your body, no matter its shape, size, or preferences.
Check out even more great wellness reads!
Community Wellness Survey
Community responses from a wellness survey conducted in summer 2021 as part of the Live Well @ Your Library series, in collaboration with Be Well Madison and Midwest Mujeres.
Highlights:
- 84% respondents said they would use wellness services if they were offered in their neighborhood
- In response to the question "What do you feel gets in your way of accessing wellness services three stood out: cost/financial (25.7%), cultural stigma (15.8%) lack of trust in providers (12/9%)
