The beginning of the colder months can be rough for everyone. Shut inside, grinding away at our projects to keep up with the peak of school and work, it’s easy to slip into a pattern of allowing ourselves to become isolated from the rest of the world. The “sleep, work, repeat” cycle has become a completely normalized way of life and has forced us as a society to neglect our personal needs. From over-thinking our interactions with others to questioning who we are as humans, we spend so much time dwelling on problems that we don’t have answers to. The following is a list of books to curl up to that teach readers how to find answers to our big questions by putting ourselves first and getting to know what’s really going on inside our brains.
- 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, Brianna Wiest
101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think is a collection of essays by best selling author Brianna Wiest that unearth the ties between our thoughts, actions, perceptions and experiences. Wiests’ pieces tell us that the bad feelings we get when something unexpected happens aren’t the problem, it’s that we don’t yet understand what they are trying to tell us about ourselves. Including essays like “The Psychology of Daily Routine” and “The Parts of you that aren’t ‘I’”, Wiest breaks down how to respond to everyday situations in a way that allows us to get the most out of life.
2. How to Heal Toxic Thoughts: Simple Tools for Personal Transformation, Sandra Ingerman
Renowned shaman and psychotherapist Sandra Ingerman compiles an empowering list of tips that teach us how to turn our most unhelpful thoughts into our most powerful tools. Using easy-to-apply breathing and meditative techniques, Ingerman shows readers how to identify and process the negative thoughts that penetrate our minds on a daily basis and use these thoughts to create the energy we desire. Based in the ancient practices of alchemy, Ingerman demonstrates through practical examples to her readers how to find spiritual gold hiding in the cracks of everyday life.
3. The Power of Letting Go, John Purkiss
The Power of Letting Go is for anyone looking to embark on a journey towards personal freedom. Author John Purkiss demonstrates key points on how we can finally let go of the things holding us back, including those we don’t realize are doing so. A task that is often easier said than done, Purkiss explains how to navigate through layers of ourselves we have yet to encounter. Filled with tips on how to approach our own fears of uncertainty and patterns of self inhibition, Purkiss delivers a thought provoking read that will teach you how to become the freest version of yourself and enjoy life for exactly what it is.
4. Beauty in the Stillness, Karin Hadadan
Beauty in the Stillness puts into perspective the importance of dropping our expectations and living in the moment. Author Karin Hadadan gives advice on how to find peace and comfort within ourselves during times of hardship and loneliness in a stunning compilation of poetry and prose. Beauty in the Stillness offers a chance for readers to reexamine their way of viewing the world and appreciate the little things that make life beautiful.
5. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Noah Kahneman
In a fascinating read, Nobel prize winner Noah Kahneman examines how two different thought processes, thinking fast and thinking slow, can drastically alter how we experience life and what we get out of it. Kahneman teaches readers to combat a natural inclination towards “fast” thinking and to instead discover the benefits of more deliberate and logical thought processes. In a thought provoking conversation with readers, Kahneman shows that our initial judgments can often be misleading and teaches us how to find real answers. Kahneman provides advice applicable to both work and day to day living, showing readers how to master the different areas of life we are often unprepared for.