I need to be inspired! - sagging self esteem requires tlc

[fromheretomaternity]

Am going through a bad patch at the moment with dh (will not post all the details here). It's getting me down and I am finding myself falling into bad habits - especially overeating, but also neglecting work, failing to exercise, not looking after health etc.

Can anyone recommend some inspiring reads that might help me rebuild some self esteem and oomph into my life, independently of the crap going on with dh? Self help books, biographies of great women, websites etc?

no, but let me know when you find them

"Instant confidence" by Paul McKenna: www.amazon.co.uk/Instant-Confidence-Book-Paul-McKenna/dp/0593055357/ref=pd_sim_b_1

"Change your life in 7 days" by Paul McKenna: www.amazon.co.uk/Change-Your-Life-Seven-Days/dp/059305055X

These books HUGELY helped me/ turned my attitude around and so I always recommend them now!

I was in the same place a few weeks ago. Get 'The Juice Master: Turbo charge your life in 14 days' by Jason Vale. It's really motivating. It's not a diet, it kind of encourages you to see that what your body needs is nutritious, mineral and vitamin-rich food and it's got a sort of self-help component. It's not lots of boring stuff about the nutritional make-up of various foods, it looks at attitudes and helps you see where you've got stuck and help you feel better about yourself.

Honestly, it's brilliant. I've been on the regime for about ten days, my love handles and bingo wings have disappeared, my tongue has gone pink, the whites of my eyes have gone blue. I look so much healthier and feel full of energy. There's a lot of crap in my life but it's not getting me down nearly as much.

x

If you're thinking about self-help books you might find it interesting to browse through articles in the 'This column will change your life' series from the Guardian, which tries to sort out what works and why.

If you can try and get back into the habit of getting some exercise and fresh air that might help clear your mind. I can't think of any particularly inspiring reads but will come back if I do!

Thanks for these... Have ordered the Paul McKenna 7 day thing already and looking at the rest. Quite excited about looking after myself a bit better (if 2 small ds's let me).

Wd love to hear more ideas.

This one's a bit left-field but I was inspired by the Virago Book of Women Travellers - stories of world travel when the world was not quite as small and easy to get to as it is now. The ones about climbing the alps in full Victorian frocks were amazing! The other plus is that a lot of the extracts are short, so easy for pick-up-put-down reading. Nothing to do with relationships but full of 'hurrah women are great' moments.