02. "self help" or brain food?
My top 5 self-help books; What is "self help"?
Happy Monday, I hope this newsletter helps to start the week with a little smile and can become a part of your routine. Maybe give it a read while drinking your morning tea or coffee, or when you’re sat on the toilet - who am I to judge?
In this newsletter, I’m going to be talking to you about my 5 favourite Brain Food books, aka (self help books) and what I liked about them in case you’re interested in giving them a go. If you’ve already read any of them, I’d love to hear your opinions or have a chat about it! Let’s get to it…
BOOKS! (my favourite )
I’ve been reading loads this summer and I’m super happy about that. I’ve almost totally gone off novels which is kinda sad but I’m pretty sure that I’ll get that love back soon, I’m just on a different vibe at the moment and my brain needs other things. I feel like I’m in love with learning new things and studying things that interest me.
Last week I spoke to you about giving yourself daily challenges and this is one I’ve set myself: to learn something new every day. Last week I learned about stuff like seed cycling, transcendental meditation, and meridians and organs in Chinese Traditional Medicine.
Back to books, in June when I finished work and uni, I decided that I wanted to spend until August reading self-help books or books that would teach me things and let me tell you, I’ve done really well! So I’ll give myself a little pat on the back for that.
While I was on a little holiday/ house-hunting, I spent time with family and read a novel called The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, and let me tell you, it was amazing!!!! It was such a quick read and is written in a really lovely way but the message you take from the novel is so big and so deep. It made me take a step back and really reflect on life. Here’s a little blurb from Google: The Midnight Library is about Nora, a thirty-something woman who is regretful about her life and feels alienated and unneeded in this world. In the depths of her wallowing, she comes across the Midnight Library. In it, each book represents a portal into another variation of what her life could have been.
I’ll leave that one there…
TOP 5 “SELF HELP BOOKS” LIST AND REVIEWS
Reinventarse; Dr. Mario Alonso Puig - I don’t even know where to begin with this book, it was just amazing page after page. It’s written by a doctor specialised in the digestive system and general surgery, who has also done a lot of research in how our feelings and mental processes can impact our physical body and life. He mixes really well scientific details with psychological and spiritual ideas to create a holistic point of view of the human body. I’d give this book 5/5 stars to be honest, it’s one of those books that I wish were longer.
El Buen Amor: un camino hacia los encuentros posibles; Sergio Sinai - This book is all about self love and loving yourself when in a relationship. We tend to have this idea that when we fall in love, we find our “other half” and what Sergio Sinai tries to tell us that we are both halves. We don’t need to find another person to be complete because we already are, and when we’re ready to feel and accept that thought, we become so empowered and we really can change our lives. He goes through different steps that build a path that head towards “el buen amor” (a good/healthy love).
I’d give this book 5/5 too, maybe to be fair I’d leave it at 4/5 because it’s not the easiest book to read and I think maybe his writing can be a bit too philosophical but that’s down to you to decide.Los Cuatro Acuerdos; Dr. Miguel Ruiz - In English “The Four Agreements”.
I’m pretty sure this book is well-known and most people have probably heard about it but, if not, I’d recommend looking into what the four agreements are. Even if you’re not super interested in self-help books or books at all, the four principles given can be applied to anybodies life and to be honest, if we all took these ideas more into account: life would be so much easier.
It’s a very short read and be prepared for a bit of a mind blow (in a great way!). You’ll most probably find yourself questioning your own thoughts and words a little bit more, being a bit more careful with what you say and how you say it. And you’ll probably also realise that we humans tend to over-complicate everything!!!!! 5/5 stars.¿Quién se ha llevado mi queso? : Cómo adaptarnos en un mundo de constante cambio; Dr. Spencer Johnson - In English Who moved my cheese? An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life.
Yes, that is a long title.
This book is definitely well known, it’s sold like 2.5 million copies worldwide!
It’s a simple parable that reveals new ways of looking at change throughout our lives. “Cheese” is a metaphor which refers to whatever you want in your life (love, work, friendships, money…). There are four characters that live in the maze and have to look for cheese to eat. They’re all extremely comfortable and happy with their daily dose of cheese in this exact spot, until one day, the cheese is gone. How does each character react to the cheese being gone? …..
5/5 stars, I loved the parable and the way of telling the story. I loved the message the book gives you and how easy it is to actually take a step back and look at things from another perspective.Before the coffee gets cold; Toshikazu Kawaguchi - The blurb says: In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. I absolutely loved this book, 200 pages of time travelling, feeling what each character feels, imagining the tiny café in Tokyo and slowly learning that the past is the past and we cannot control it, but we can control something else…
5/5 stars and thanks to Googling this book again, I’ve realised that there’s a sequel! Oops, I’ll be buying a new book soon 🤭So these are my top 5 self-help books! I’m reading more and plan to read a few others so maybe this list will grow next month, we’ll see! I hope you enjoyed it and if you read any, let me know!
“SELF HELP” ???????
Seeing as I’ve just given you my top 5 “self help” books, I’d like to actually talk a little bit about this. The term “self help” is one that I’m not massively a fan of. It usually has a weird connotation to it and people think you’ve got problems or you’re depressed if you’re reading these types of books. But, I’ve also come to realise that even in the self help genre, there’s loads of different sub-genres.
I personally class self help as wanting to help your brain by giving it the tools and knowledge to be able to grow and change things in your life. It’s almost like giving your software a new update each time you read one of these books. You’re learning new ways to grow as a person and getting closer and closer to becoming the version of yourself that you actually want to be; not who you’ve been told you should or could be.
So, maybe I could christen this genre with a new name, instead of self help books, from now on, they’re going to be brain food books. I love feeding my brain and maybe if you give yourself the chance, you’ll love it too. And if not, totally cool too!
And on that note, thanks for being here with me and reading what I have to say, see you next week!
Next Monday’s entry will be something new for me and I’m super excited sharing it with you all, so stay tuned!