Any good Self-Help Books? I am on a real downer !

[zippyb]

Help! Feeling really low - not helped by the fact I am full of cold, my throat is closing up & I have an upset tum! Feeling quite despondent & feel stuck in a rut - marriage, work, losing patience with DS etc. Need some advice & a good book to get me feeling positive again - something which will make me laugh too would be a bonus - my "chuckle" muscles are definitley on stike!

Meant STRIKE of couse - aagh!!

zippyb - Sorry you're feeling so cr*p just now! I bought that new yogalates video to get fit and allegedly 'promote inner well-being and happiness' Hmmm.... needless to say it's still in the wrapper. I'm too miserable and grumpy to open it..

Can't help with a suggested book, just have a good whinge on Mumsnet and somebody usually cheers you up...

Cyber hugs to both of you but I wouldn't go for the self-help stuff if I were you. One of my friends is a complete convert and has bookshelves full of the stuff, but I can no longer understand her - she talks all this American self-help jingo which is a bit heavy going. I find chocolate helps (maybe thats why I need to go to the gym...). Otherwise, re the funny stuff, the Darwin awards always make me laugh- www.darwinawards.com. HTH

Not really self-help - but you could try either Bridget Jones books, or "Does my bum look big in this?" - both have the same effect I think and are really funny!

If you're thinking of going down the chocolate route to recovery, I'd really recommend going for the high-quality, at least 70% proof (though personally find 85% a bit bitter) type ? pref Green & Black's Organic. Less sugar to play havoc with your blood-sugar levels & make you feel worse afterwards, plus more of the endorphin-inducing pure chocolate.
If it were me, I'd go for a quick video pick-me-up for those chuckle muscles. Not everyone's taste, I'm sure, but I'd go for something like Wayne' s World (I & II) or Le Diner aux Cons.
Don't suppose there's any chance of a weekend away at a health spa?
Hope you're feeling more positive soon. xx

I've just read a book called "You can heal your life" by Louise Hay. Might be everybodies cuppa tea but gives you something to think about!

woops, meant might NOT be everybodies cuppa tea!

Zippyb, sorry you are feeling so low. Part of my dh's job is as a trainer/motivational speaker and he's read so many of those books (we have them stacked on shelves all over the house). Perhaps I can ask him which one he'd recommend.

Personally, I find that reading biographies of people who have had some really tough experiences in their lives helps to bring everything into perspective. I love reading but mostly I enjoy real-life stories, I find them inspirational and sometimes it helps you to see what changes you can make in your own life. Best of luck with everything.

If you need a laugh, anything by Gretel Killeen Kathy Lette or Olivia Goldsmith...For inspiration, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff for Mothers is EXCELLENT or the any of the "Chicken Soup" series. I started to read "Something More - Excavating Your Authentic Self" by Sarah Ban Breathnach, but it's pretty heavy going. My favourite book, which will inspire you, make you think, laugh and cry, is "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. I love that book. Hope you feel better soon and find something great to immerse yourself in!

Thanks everybody for all the tips - this really is a great site! I do really need to sort myself out though - my 4 yr old said today - I want to take a picture of you smiling mammy! How sad is that? Feeling physically quite a bit better this afternoon so its working on all my 'other problems' that is going to be priority soon. Hasn't been helped by DH not taking blind notice of the fact I have been ill & stuck indoors with DS for 3 days! DS is everything to me but 'aagh' - actually locked myself in bathroom for 5 minutes this afternoon - hope that doesn't sound too nuts..

zippyb, sorry you're feeling down. Re locking yourself in the loo for 5 minutes peace/calming down, I've done that many a time. So if you're nuts then me too. Hope this gets better. I had a big spate of buying self help books when I was depressed. What I was really looking for was a book called "how to deal with how incredibly shocked and stressed you feel about being a parent and how to regain your lovely old rose-tinted view of yourself and have a laugh again and lose 2 stone in the process". Hmmmm, but if your child is 4 then you're a bit beyond that! For a laugh I'd recommend "The Best a man can get" by John O'Farrell, very funny I thought on parenthood. I don't know what else to suggest. I read 'Change Your Life in 7 Days', did 2 exercises from it and went back to my old ways, found that 'How to Stop Worrying and Live Your Life' made me feel better for about 5 minutes and 'Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and it's all small stuff)' made me puke. I eventually hid all my self help books out of embarrassment after a new friend said "my god, you are Bridget Jones" Oh no!!! Away they went, immediately. I've come to the conclusion that I was searching for something that can't necessarily be found between the covers of any book. Do you have good friends you could talk to? Do you get any time to yourself? Could you get a break to do something just for you? Hope things improve.

Zippyb,do you like AlanPartridge?I can recommend you buying his series on video.I find it so funny I often find myself smiling about it the next day wherever I am.

If your DS is 4 (same as my two), I find getting out and doing fun things together a good pick-me-up. They are so much easier to take out now, and very good company.Yesterday, the weather was a bit goomy, so we went to the cinema to see a film, then really piged out in Old Orleans after, and Mummy had a Hot chocolate fudge brownie for afters !!!
Also, if you do manage to get sometime to relax, have you tried, listening books, I used to use them alot when I could not sleep, they really help you switch off.

Thanks for the messages of encourgement - have just logged back on - spent last two days in bed - nursing nasty case of flu - not helping my mood! DH was good yesterday & took ds to see Wild Thronberrys at the cinema so managed to have a good rest which has helped me put a few things into prospective. I think as a family we need to 'lighten up' & have more fun together & dh & I have had a chat & promised to try and do just that. Money is a bit of an issue (orlack of it) but am sure if we put our heads together we can come up with a few non-expensive family activities but any suggestions gratefully received.

My two love picnics, throw anything together and they will be happy, I don't know where your from or if you drive, but a day at the seaside can be cheap if you take your own food. Let your son help make it with you.

Try all going for a nature trail walk and asking him to find certain things.

Have you seen the home page of mumsnet about cooking with your child, it's great, with some tips on what they can do, I'm going to start as soon as we have a cooker (no cooker or oven for 7 days, all had to be takeout, what a shame ).

Buy some very cheap paints and let yr ds paint picture for you , do you have an old roll of wallpaper).

Are there any parks near you, take a frisbie or a ball or something and go mad and act like kids yourself (Knickers to everyone else)

Hope this helps

Good luck and I hope things work out soon