Self-help is a sensitive topic for a lot of us. Cultural, psychological, emotional, embracing, or dismissive attitudes toward self-improvement aside, we deserve the best versions of ourselves. There are only so many times you can grab the remote before you catch your reflection in the black screen. If you’ve been thinking about that person you see and how their life can be better, self-help books are a great and cost-effective method for developing the strategies for improvement. Turn the page on your well-being with these self-help books which, whether audio, digital, or physical, have something important to take in.

Inhale, exhale. Let us begin.

10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice by Dan Harris

“Your demons may have been ejected from the building, but they’re out in the parking lot, doing push-ups.”

If making big steps is too much for you right now, dip your toes into Nightline anchor Dan Harris’ 10% Happier. This book is designed for skeptics of self-help, focusing on one simple thing we can all do better – breathe. Harris posits that meditation, hokey though it may be, is the key to helping your internal processes perform better. He sees your eye rolls and raises you a “what have you got to lose?”

self-help books

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

“What do you love doing so much that the words failure and success essentially become irrelevant?”

The author of Eat, Pray, Love is no stranger to self-improvement. In Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert doubles down on her passion for allowing your creative spirit to guide you. Mining what is already inside of you, those magic little gems, and polishing them into priceless precious stones, if you will. Gilbert means business, but with a smile, and this is the perky sister-book to any tough-talk you’ve been absorbing lately.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, & Body in the Healing of Trauma By Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk

“The greatest sources of our suffering are the lies we tell ourselves.”

Trauma is a word most people avoid. It’s a painful word all on its own, conjuring up war veterans, abusive parents, victims of all ilk. What if you flipped the script of victimhood and saw those with trauma, including ourselves, as survivors? Dr. Bessel explores the roads to peace for survivors of trauma in an impossibly uplifting manner with the reassurance that neuroplasticity is a survival trait for a reason.

self-help

Insight: Why We’re Not as Self-Aware as We Think, and How Seeing Ourselves Clearly Helps Us Succeed at Work and in Life by Tasha Eurich

“If I glance over my shoulder and there’s nobody back there, that’s called feedback. If I glance over my shoulder and people are following me, that’s probably a good sign.”

Do you really know yourself as well as you think you do? Using insight into our own minds is a skill that many have in their toolbox, but what if your tools are rusty? If you’re trying to focus on your career or want to prime the tools you need to be a leader in life and at work, Tasha Eurich’s Insight is here to help. By looking at what makes you tick, you can better unlock the needs, wants, and expectations of those who surround you in your 9 to 5. A great book to become the success you’re striving to be.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

“To other people, it sometimes seems like nothing at all. You are walking around with your head on fire and no one can see the flames.”

Quarantine, social unrest and upheaval, and a global health crisis looming over us all do not make for a calm and happy mind. Worse still, depression rates are soaring in the U.S. among all age groups. If you are suffering from depression or just love someone who is, Reasons to Stay Alive is a powerful and unflinching guide to regaining your inner warrior to fight back. Depression is not an unwinnable battle, and Reasons to Stay Alive has the weapons you need to come out the other side a better, stronger person.

If you are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, reach out. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is here to help and listen 24 hours a day.

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Have self-help suggestions you want to share? Which books worked to help you be the best version of yourself? Tell us below and share the love and support.