Over the past year, I have found myself buying and reading more self-help books. This may have been because of my anxiety about the pandemic, but I also wanted to handle things better and forget new paths for myself.
I like these books because they make me feel normal in my time of need. This is important because, during moments of frustration, I think this feeling only happens to me and no one else. Right? It must be true because many self-help books are bestsellers.
Yesterday, I needed to be reminded of some of the lessons I’ve gleaned from reading these books.
My day started bad and got worse. At 6:30 am, I chased my dog down the street when she took off after another dog. It doesn’t sound so bad except that I had literally just rolled out of bed to let her out, hadn’t bothered to put on a bra or pour myself a cup of coffee, and had zero patience (or time) for this act of disobedience. So, I gave my neighbors a little show of me running down the street still in my pajamas, no bra, and no shoes yelling after the dog. (She is so lucky that she is cute).
Determined not to let this be the way I start my day, I self-administered my first dose of caffeine and decided to run a load of laundry. That was when the lid came crashing down on my ring and pinky fingers. As a result, I spent an incredibly unproductive 30 minutes with an ice pack on top of my hand.
To make matters worse, when I finally sat down to start my workday, I felt completely paralyzed by my to-do lists for both my job and my life. I didn’t know where to turn first. I managed to snap out of it enough to get more than a few things accomplished. But, it helped to remember some lessons I have learned from the following self-help books:
- “Do one thing at a time.”
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, and It’s All Small Stuff, Dr. Richard Carlson. - “From the second you have an idea, you only have 5 seconds to take action; otherwise, you won’t want to do it anymore. 5-4-3-2-1, Go!
The 5-Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins - “Human beings are flawed and limited—not everybody can be extraordinary. There are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault.”
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson - “Begin anywhere. The work wants to be made, and it wants to be made through you (me).”
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert - “Roll up your sleeves, take some risks, and totally go for it.
You are a Badass, by Jen Sincero
I’m a big fan of self-help books. How about you? Which ones do you recommend, and what advice have you learned recently from a book that may help you deal with a bad day?
The New York Times did a wonderful interview with a British author I’ve never heard of, but I loved her answers to the questions. I thought I’d take some of the same questions and answer them for this post. I hope you read this to the end because there is a bonus question I’d love you to answer.
Here is a piece of advice for you. Don’t bring a real page-turner kind of book on your honeymoon. Yes, I admit that while we were enjoying the sandy beaches in Mykonos, Greece, my mind sometimes wandered elsewhere. In between seeing the larger-than-life windmills, enjoying authentic Mediterranean cuisine, and drinking copious amounts of ouzo, I was also lost in the streets of Washington, D.C. I was reading