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Self help book that changed your life

16 replies

Tinkywee · 18/05/2021 19:51

Would love some recommendations for books to promote positive mental health, motivation, self esteem etc. Thanks

OP posts:
anon5678 · 18/05/2021 19:52

The road less travelled by M Scott peck. It's a few years old now but it helped me a lot during a dark period in my life

Cozytoesandtoast00 · 18/05/2021 20:00

The Unthethered Soul by Michael Singer and The Power of Now by Ekchart Tolle. Changed my life. You do need to be ready to hear the message though and it may not resinate with you today but may do tomorrow. Sounds hippy but it's true! 😂
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a brilliant motivational book.
The Wim Hoff Method for also massively improving mental Health.

badlydrawnbear · 18/05/2021 21:02

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis.
I saw it recommended on a few threads earlier this year. I described it to a friend as a book about how to deal with your house being an overwhelming mess when your life is an overwhelming mess generally and be nice to yourself about it. It's very short but it did help. It helps if the chaotic mess of your house and your inability to keep a perfectly clean and tidy house affects your self-esteem and/ or is affected by your poor self-esteem. There are tips on how to tackle it in a manageable way, and also reminders that your self-worth is not dependant on how much housework you have done.

Remember This When You Are Sad by Maggie van Eijk
I am sure I am much older than the target audience in my late 30s, but a lot of what the author describes was very much like my experiences. It helps me remember that I am not the only one that feels like this and that this is hope out there that it can get better.

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HerBigChance · 19/05/2021 09:20

A proper classic and quite old now, but still very good:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

BertieBotts · 19/05/2021 09:22

I don't know if it changed my life but I loved it. The happiness project by Gretchen rubin.

HowToBringABlushToTheSnow · 19/05/2021 09:23

The Happiness Trap.

Amazing, life-changing book.

HowToBringABlushToTheSnow · 19/05/2021 09:24

@HerBigChance

A proper classic and quite old now, but still very good:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Such a wonderful book.
paralysedbyinertia · 19/05/2021 09:25

I liked the Stephen Covey book - 7 habits of highly effective people.

Iheartbed · 19/05/2021 09:30

“The subtle art of not giving a fuck” is a good one

BarbaraofSeville · 19/05/2021 09:43

If by motivation, you mean getting shit done, especially running your house while not drowning, but can be applied to other areas of your life then The Organised Time Technique by Gemma Bray.

www.theorganisedmum.blog/tott/

All very obvious but sometimes we need these things spelling out to us. Eg - we all have the same amount of time available in the day, and we need to manage it in the best way we can

Clearly some people have more demands on their time than others, but usually there's some things that can be changed - eg not spending 4 hours a day cleaning when 1 would be enough. Being honest about the amount of time we waste on the internet. Being more efficient with our time - eg getting groceries delivered, combining errands, using the time while waiting at clubs for DC to either do something useful like life admin, or to do something nice for ourselves to recharge - nice coffee and a book, chat with a friend, whatever.

The description of the three types of people is useful and you should be able to identify yourself as one of an overachiever - trying to cram too much in and always being rushed and stressed, the dreamer - good intentions, likes making plans but then gets distracted and falls at the first hurdle so then either gets stressed, or spends time redoing the plan and getting back into the getting distraction circle of stress instead of just getting on with it. Then the spendthrift who doesn't achieve much and doesn't really know where her time goes, as in she's not necessarily got too much to do like the overachiever and she doesn't know what's her personal time suck like the dreamer, she just knows she's stressed and late but not sure why.

I'm definitely a dreamer but I'm working on it. Hopefully I'll get there one day. I have the app and there's also podcasts and some bits on youtube.

niceupthedance · 19/05/2021 09:59

The body keeps the score

KateMidd · 19/05/2021 10:10

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius.

ImFree2doasiwant · 19/05/2021 10:15

Following for ideas too

ImNotShpanishImEgyptshun · 19/05/2021 10:21

Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck. All about the growth mindset. Reading that, all sorts of things about my life and what I have or could have achieved fell into place.

SirenSays · 19/05/2021 10:24

Buy yourself the fucking lilies.
Reasons to stay alive.
The subtle art of not giving a fuck.
How to win friends and influence people.
Mad girl - Bryony Gordon

MrsLCSofLichfield · 19/05/2021 23:32

I have a soft spot for The Bitch Rules by Elizabeth Wurtzel. She was probably the last person you should take advice from, but everything in this book is sensible and practical Confused

I have added Buy Yourself the Fucking Lilies to my wishlist - worth it for the title alone. It reminded me that although I still miss my cat who died 18 months ago, I can now have lilies if I want to!

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