Self Help Books for a Bad Day

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:

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?

9 comments on Self Help Books for a Bad Day

  1. Melissa
    May 26, 2021 at 3:26 pm (4 years ago)

    Sorry technical difficulties ….Thank you for another great post…and oh boy sorry about your morning! I am a big fan of self-help books too. They are personal uplifters, educators, therapists and all-in-one. I want to checkout those you mentioned, and maybe some will benefit from a few that I particularly enjoyed:

  2. Melissa
    May 26, 2021 at 11:33 am (4 years ago)

    Comment

    • Melissa
      May 26, 2021 at 11:35 am (4 years ago)

      Sorry technical error lol…anyway
      Thank you for another great post…and oh boy sorry about your morning! I am a big fan of self-help books too. They are personal uplifters, educators, therapists and all-in-one. I want to checkout those you mentioned, and maybe some will benefit from a few that I particularly enjoyed:
      – Lost Connections by Johann Hari (an eye-opening and compelling perspective on the cause of depression from a non-biological standpoint).
      – The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes (valuable insight into the law of attraction and power of positivity…an “energy flows where attention goes” outlook).
      – Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Gary John Bishop (empowering advice and tools to combat negative self-talk).

    • Melissa
      May 26, 2021 at 3:28 pm (4 years ago)

      I’m having technical difficulties and can’t post a comment ?

      • Melissa
        May 26, 2021 at 3:31 pm (4 years ago)

        Let me try this again….
        Thank you for another great post and oh boy sorry about your morning! I am a fan of self-help books too. They are our personal uplifters, educators, and therapists all-in-one. I want to check out those you mentioned, and maybe some will benefit from a few I particularly enjoyed. ??

        • Melissa
          May 26, 2021 at 3:31 pm (4 years ago)

          – Lost Connections by Johann Hari (an eye-opening and compelling perspective on the cause of depression from a non-biological standpoint).
          – The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes (valuable insight into the law of attraction and power of positivity…an “energy flows where attention goes” outlook).
          – Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life by Gary John Bishop (empowering advice and tools to combat negative self-talk).

  3. DEB ANDREWS
    May 12, 2021 at 11:16 pm (4 years ago)

    I love your selection of books. I have read a couple of them. You Are A Badass is my favorite out of the list. No matter how bad the day is someone else is having a worse day. Not very uplifting but I always try to look on the brighter side. Thank you for sharing.

    • Elisa
      May 13, 2021 at 3:04 pm (4 years ago)

      Thanks for commenting!

  4. Kebba Buckley Button
    May 12, 2021 at 10:43 pm (4 years ago)

    Elissa, what a great post! I could feel your horrible frustration in each scene–and we’ve all had awful morning-starts like that. Of your key quotes, the Gilbert quote is very strong for me right now. I know I am called to do certain things, and I know my work will go on, regardless of the holdups. My favorite self-help books are those I have written, about how to trade in your stress for energy, how to find and deepen your personal peace, and how to meditate. Btw, do you want to put your name somewhere on this page? OK, blessings to you!