The words “self-help” make a lot of people squirm, including me. I always thought books about how to live your “best life” don’t actually help you make real changes- as if your current life wasn’t good enough. I thought self-help books just make you feel accomplished after reading about what you should be doing. Then you go back to laying on the couch with a bag of goldfish crackers in your lap mindlessly watching your tenth episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in one day. When I discovered YouTube channels dedicated to self-improvement, I realized it’s so different when you hear self-help tips from people your own age who are genuine and relatable. They simply share what they’ve learned from their own experiences and from books they’ve read about self-improvement.
I’m still not totally on board with everything related to self-help; I still cringe when things sound too weird or corny. But now I understand the value of self-improvement thanks to these YouTube channels. These ladies don’t sugarcoat things or pretend like they’re perfect. They’re overall awesome humans and I’ve slowly incorporated some of their tips into my own life. Overall, I feel that I’m more intentional, mindful, and motivated. I always turn to their videos when I need a little inspiration and hopefully now you can too!
1. Lavendaire
Lavendaire is the first self-growth channel I stumbled upon. One of my favorite videos of hers is about Morning Pages, which is writing stream of consciousness to help with productivity and creativity. I don’t do morning pages every day, but when I do I always have a calmer mind for the rest of the day. Lavendaire also has her own podcast called The Lavendaire Lifestyle and authored the Artist of Life Workbook. I love the workbook so much because it gives you space to make monthly goals, track habits, and practice self-love.
Another fave video: How to Make Time for Everything You Want to Do. (Lavendaire drops the nugget of wisdom that instead of saying “I don’t have time to do” fill-in-the-blank, acknowledge that you didn’t make time for it. Kinda changed my life.)
Images via Lavendaire.com
2. Rowena Tsai
Rowena’s channel is perfect for you if, like me, you don’t want to take all the strange sounding self-help stuff too seriously. She makes funny facial expressions while sharing deep quotes and casually dropping life wisdom. Rowena’s videos are a bit longer compared to the others on this list, but the extra time is so worth it. One of my favorite videos is How To Wake Up at 4 AM. Rowena shares how she finally accomplished waking up early after failing to do it for years. She was honest when she woke up feeling super tired and none of her tips felt like a typical life hack. Even though I don’t wake up at four in the morning, I have implemented her tips for getting everything ready the night before and knowing your reason for why you’re waking up early. As someone who used to sleep through ten alarms before waking up, this video changed my life (and my roommates’ lives).
Another fave: How to Create More and Consume Less (More Productivity, Less Potato)
Image via YouTube
3. Muchelleb
Muchelleb is Australian. Enough said. I love her voice and her aesthetic is bright pastels and I am so here for it. I’ve recently started doing weekly reviews and values reviews, as she suggested in videos. These reviews help you reevaluate your life, see how you’re spending your time, and notice what areas you would like to make improvements in. Reviewing your week also allows you to praise yourself for the areas in life you’re kicking ass in. If you’re on a time crunch, Muchelleb’s videos are great because they’re usually around four to five minutes long but still packed with great tips. Her videos have ended up being the most practical for me and helped me develop more positive habits.
Another fave: How to Figure Out What You Want to Do With Your Life
Image via YouTube