Giving someone the gift of reading will empower them for life.

A lot of time we take our ability to read for granted. Not everyone in the world has had the same access to books and education as we have. Sometimes we forget this. We also forget that access to information needs to come in many forms such as audio, video, as well as the written format.

I was lucky I come from a long line of bookworms. Avid reading is in the blood so to speak. Generations of women in my family did receive an education even in times when women generally did not. They encouraged the next generation to read, write, etc.

I remember being read to and watching different generations of women in my family avidly reading daily. It stuck with me and to this day I rarely let a day go by when I’m not reading some kind of book.

So I firming believe that if you can in still the love of reading in a child you empower them for life. But we do need to encourage that spark of interest and get them hooked at first. We also need to make it as easy as possible for children to access the books.

For me, as a parent, I used various means to spark that interest. This ranged from reading books to my children, giving them books to read, using easy readers or audio books and comic books to films or TV series about the book.

For me it’s simple. If I gave my children the love and ability to read I empowered them to educate themselves throughout their lives. They could access information they needed at any time to help themselves into the future. Plus they now have the ability to make up their own minds and form their own opinions.

Someone being able to access the right information when they need it can also help them mentally and physically just when they need it. This is one reason I decided to write this blog.

4 Self-Help Books I Thought Could Help Someone Else.

I don’t normally recommend books or products on the blog. But I thought someone else might benefit from reading the following self-help books.

The list has more than four books in this blog. Some of them below are older and you may be able pick them up in your library. But I do still think these could also benefit someone as they have stood the test of time.

I’ve tried to link to the books below so you can find out more information. So I have also checked to see if they were available through library services in Ireland and what formats they come in. Therefore where possible I’ve mentioned the formats beside each book as best as I could.

None of the books listed or links are affiliated to me, except my own book of course.

Feel Better In 5 by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

I found this book to have some very useful tips on making small changes to our daily lives. It works from the premise that we all want to make those healthier lifestyle changes in our lives. But we usually try to make too many or ones that are too big at a time. They just don’t stick even if we start off well in the beginning. Not good for our mental health as we feel like we have failed yet again.

Dr. Chatterjee gives an alternative option for those seeking to make healthier choices. Instead of making those big New Year’s resolutions take only five minutes three times a day to make small lasting changes in your life. Thus making them easier to adopt and fit into our busy lives.

These small habits don’t just cover physical health either. The author also takes a holistic approach covering the body, mind and heart which is something I completely agree with when making any kind of lifestyle change.

Small changes like the tips given in the book work extremely well at getting us to step outside of our comfort zone. These small habits are so small that our mind and body are more likely to co-operate with the changes we are making. Thus making the habits more likely to be permanent one we need in order to maintain a new healthier lifestyle.

(This book is available in the Library in Ireland in both audio and eBook format.)

Another book which uses the same ideas is Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results by Stephen Guise

7 C’s Of Calm by Caroline Cunningham

I found this book extremely helpful for anxiety and recommend it to my clients. Ms. Cunningham wrote this book and workbook out of her own experiences around anxiety. It outlines specific ways you can help yourself manage your anxiety better.

This book includes a workbook of exercises you can use as you follow through on a three month plan back to calm. The author uses what she calls the 7 C’s as your guide: Comfort, Comprehend, Challenge, Commitment, Check-in, Conquer and Celebrate.

Each chapter can be taken at your own pace. Plus it includes a follow on workbook section where you can record your observations and actions as you take them which I think is very helpful.

(This book is available on Amazon – linked above)

Battle Ready: Eliminate Doubt, Embrace Courage, Transform Your Life by Ollie Ollerton

Not one I would have normally picked up for myself. But I work with men as well as women and thought it might stick a cord with my male patients. I have to say it has and I also found this book full of insightful tips.

Mr. Ollerton speaks about his own journey, particular out of addiction and depression. The ideas he puts forward have helped him on his road to recovery. I thought the exercises in the book could be very helpful to others facing a similar journey.

(This book is available in the Library in Ireland in both audio and eBook format.)

Money A Love Story by Kate Northrup

Issues with money are never just about the money. It’s always about something else going on inside us. Ms. Northrup’s book takes the reader through practical exercises on money. But it discusses also the inner journey we need to make at times to right the relationship we all have with money.

The author writes about her own experience with money and debt as well as others she has worked with. All the exercises in the book are extremely helpful in getting the reader to shift their belief about money and its relationship in our lives.

(This book is available on Amazon – linked above)

A similar book to this one is Get Rich, Lucky Bitch: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First-Class Life by Denise Duffield Thomas.

The Building Blocks Of Self-Care by Deborah Byrne

I couldn’t write a blog like this without mentioning my own workbooks. I wrote this workbook using the exercises I used to recover after being diagnosed with complex PTSD. My own recovery started with a wonderful therapist who introduced me to mindfulness. That is why it was the first chapter in the book and workbook.

The first twelve chapters in the book are steps I took on my road to recovery. To me they are the building blocks of basic self-care everyone should have in their life. I also based my ideas for this book on starting small with one change and building your new lifestyle from there. For me that was with mindfulness and then dealing with my sleep issues. I’ve included worksheets for each chapter to help.

In the second part of the book I build on from the first twelve blocks. I’ve included tips on how to set boundaries, deal with stress, improve communications, build your self-esteem and get back into some creativity

(This book is available on my website – linked above or on Amazon)

My other workbooks.

I offer a variety of tips and discuss a range of topics in my other workbooks Moving Towards Self-forgiveness, The Little Book Of Reflection And Gratitude and Building Acceptance Into Your Life. You can purchase them on Amazon or here.

Other Self-Help Books I Think Are Very Helpful.

These books I’ve used myself in the past and I’d recommend them to clients. Some should be used in conjunction with a therapist but I mention this with those books. But that choice is up to you. They are older books and could be available in your local library.

Codependent No More by Melody Beattie. Or any of her books and workbooks based on co-dependency you will find useful if you have lived or live with an addict. These can be used if you attend Al-anon also. Available on Amazon

Being Happy by Andrew Matthews. A really good book on getting us to look at our lives and our happiness. Available on Amazon.

Two books by Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life and Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook. Two classics that I read many decades ago but I always find myself going back to them. It’s lovely to see that the science is finally catching up with these original ideas.

Home Coming by John Bradshaw. Use this one with a therapist who specialises in inner child work. I’ve outlined before what inner child work is here.

Two books on Mindfulness: The Mindful Way Through Depression by Williams, Teasdale, Segal and Kabat-Zinn and The Mindful Way Workbook (An 8 week program) by Teasdale, Williams and Segal. Use these books in conjunction with you therapist or while taking a course in MDSR.

Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. Another classic but still great. The eBook is available in the Library.

Mother Daughter Wisdom by Dr Christina Northrup. A holistic approach to our live plus the relationships with past generations. Really great book as are her other books: Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom and The Wisdom Of Menopause.

Freedom From Pain (includes a CD of exercises you can use) by Peter A Levine and Maggie Phillips. Based on the authors work with Somatic Experiencing, a body-based approach to trauma recovery. Use this one with a specially trained therapist as part of healing trauma and inner child work.

Remember none of the books listed should be used in lieu of therapy.

Reach Out For Support.

Remember you are allowed to ask for support. No one is an island. In fact I would strongly advice you make sure you create a positive support system before you start to make any changes in your life. One part of that positive support system is working a therapist. Please reach out to a local therapist if you need to.