3 Self-Helps Books You've Got To Read
I have an appreciation for books in all genres, but there's a special place in my heart for a quality self-help book. One of the things I really appreciated about being a student back in university was constantly having my brain challenged and filled with new ideas/perspectives, and self-help books are a way for me to continue having those learning experiences outside of the school environment. Lately, I've read a few that have really struck a chord with me, so I'm sharing THREE SELF-HELP BOOKS you HAVE to read!
10% Happier by Dan Harris
I’m no newbie to the concept of meditating—it’s a practice I’ve explored over the last few years—but *10% Happier by Dan Harris was a refreshing reminder that this journey doesn’t have to be perfect. Daily meditation doesn’t make you immune to hardship/stress/etc., but it does give you the tools to navigate those situations with more awareness.
In addition to finding Dan Harris’ investigation into this world fascinating (between learning about his career as an anchor and his attempts to endure lengthy meditation retreats, there was a lot to unpack here haha), I also found myself laughing a lot. When you’re reading self-help books, there can be times when you’re reading something and thinking to yourself: “woah, this is a little out there.” I appreciated that Dan leaned into those moments with wit...it made for a book filled with “mic drop moments” that still felt approachable.
Although this isn’t a guide to mediating, I do think there’s a lot to learn and take away from it. All that to say, this was a great book to start 2021 off with. There have been numerous examples in my life lately that keep reminding me how important the breath is, so this was a perfect time to dive into this story. Highly recommend— especially if you’re a beginner to mediating and feeling skeptical 🙌✨
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
*Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is a book that I think everyone who has ever been curious about therapy should pick-up. As someone who's never been to therapy, I felt like I got some quality insights on how it works and what it aims to do.
Lori Gottlieb is a therapist and in this book, she walks through the sessions of some of her patients AND her own experience as an ongoing patient herself. To me, that was one of the most interesting parts about this book— to see how someone whose job it is to help other people still looks for help from someone else. The takeaway? We all have shi*t going on...nobody is immune to needing help at times to do some processing.
Each patient has their own complicated (and at times heartbreaking) journeys to work through. I always feel like there's a lot to learn from other people's stories, even if I can't relate to them 100%, and this book gives you good exposure to many different perspectives. There's a lot of human-ness in it….it's not always pretty and perfect… and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in it all.
Your Erroneous Zone by Wayne W. Dyer
*Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne W. Dyer is a book that challenges you to question your emotional habits. Each chapter tackles a different erroneous zone (I.e. self-destructive behaviour) and walks through why the way we ALWAYS respond to situations isn’t necessarily the BEST way to respond to situations— even if the responses are ones that we as a collective label “normal.” Some of these erroneous zones include seeking approval from others, living in the past, feeding guilt/worry, perfectionism, the justice trap, procrastination, and more (hmmm, any of those feel familiar to you?! 😅🙋♀️)
What I really appreciated about this one is the fact that it made me confront a lot of learned responses and think about how they may (or may not) be limiting me. Wayne emphasizes throughout each chapter that our emotions are choices—it often feels easier to submit to feelings of anger/sadness/doubt when they pop up, but we have the power to shift our headspace. We have a choice on what thoughts we choose to feed.
The book is direct and doesn’t attempt to cushion hard truths. Although I’m nowhere near being free of every erroneous zones for the rest of my life (the last chapter walks through the life of a person free of all erroneous zones and I have yet to meet someone that has their shit together at that level LOL), it’s left me more determined to take control over my emotions.
Overall, I’m going to be taking a look at Wayne’s other books in the future.... his writing style is really easy to follow, so I’m curious to see what other topics he explores. The book was originally published in the 70s, so there are definitely some dated examples, but still a lot of stuff relevant to 2021.
I'm always looking for book recommendations so tell me a self-help book that impacted you in the comments below! Looking for more book recommendations? I keep a list updated HERE and I'm always updating my reading progress on Goodreads :) Until next time, Xo —C.
*affiliate link
