5 self-help books to feed your mind while at home
EVEN with the gradual lifting of work-from-home orders and other restrictions on public gatherings, we still have a way to go before we will truly feel comfortable going out in public as we used to. Whether we like it or not, we are spending a lot more time at home. By now many of us have watched everything good on Netflix, and have tried our hands (and failed) at baking, farming, gardening, and just about anything else we could think of to pass some time.
Perhaps it’s time to resurrect that old and treasured habit that you gave up after high school but have kept on your resume – reading. While we’re sure that if you search your home you will find a few good reads that you never got around to, we recommend these self-help books that we’ve found useful. We’re sure that each of them will leave you with a gem or two to emerge from isolation in a better mental space.
1. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F
You’ve probably heard a friend talking about this book; it’s a bestseller for a reason. Mark Manson provides a counterintuitive approach to living a good life in his own irreverent, funny and plain-as-day style. It was the most highly recommended book by our readers in terms of applicability to everyday situations and experiences.
Power quote from book:
“Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience. Any attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, only backfires. The avoidance of suffering is a form of suffering. The avoidance of struggle is a struggle. The denial of failure is a failure. Hiding what is shameful is itself a form of shame.”
2. Kill Fear: The Art of Courageous Living
Author Krystal Tomlinson describes this book as an emotional and spiritual permission slip to stand in the light. “This century has given new strength to old fears of opinions, loneliness, failure and vulnerability which is enough to cripple even the most passionate and bold soul. Fear must die hard if we are to live well and this book is the gladiator’s guide to courageous living!” she says.
Power quote from book: Fear keeps us comfortable, safe and still. Much like that body of water that has become stagnant, our lives will become a haven for parasites and bacteria and before you know it, we stink. The stench of poor performance, low or no achievement, unfulfilled dreams, failed relationships, permeate our very being and we live out our days in resentment and frustration. If you are to free yourself of its putrid scent, fear must die – daily.
3. The Art of Non-Conformity
By now we’re just about ready to accept that if ‘Art’ is in the title, it will be good (think Art of War). In this book, based on his popular online manifesto, A Brief Guide to World Domination, Chris Guillebeau provides you with the lens through which you can see life from a different, radical perspective – as a never-ending adventure. Using his personal journey, he drops gems on creative entrepreneurship, goal-setting and travel. This book inspires you to set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world.
Power quote from book:
“The concept of deferred gratification, or sacrificing now to save for the future, can be helpful in setting aside money in a retirement account for old age. It can also serve as an effective rationalization for life avoidance.”
4. We Should All Be Feminists
You will read this one in less time than it will take you to learn to pronounce the author’s name. Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie adapted this short read from her popular TEDx talk of the same name, and gives readers a modern appreciation of what feminism really is, and isn’t.
Power quote from book:
“Some people ask: ‘Why the word feminist? Why not just say you are a believer in human rights, or something like that?’ Because that would be dishonest. Feminism is, of course, part of human rights in general—but to choose to use the vague expression human rights is to deny the specific and particular problem of gender. It would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have, for centuries, been excluded.”
5. The Power of Now
If you struggle with procrastination and indecision, we definitely prescribe this book for you. Once you stop putting off actually reading the book, Eckhart Tolle will help you understand the importance of taking action in the present moment, and how this is the key to spiritual enlightenment.
Power quote from book:
“Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it’s no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.”
