Every December, while on the brink of a new year, most people claim the upcoming one to be their year — the best one yet. Changes will be made, growth will occur and greatness will be achieved. However, in agreement, 2020 involved not much of the latter.
After a year filled with what seemed like so many lows, there is truthfully nowhere to go as a society but up. Though some took time in quarantine and solidarity as an opportunity to better themselves through at-home workouts, fewer meaningless social interactions and new ways to become in touch with one’s emotions and inner thoughts, many also surrendered to wallowing in depression due to a lack of human connection and normality.
If the complexion and anxiety that embodied the past year has morosely taken over your mental state and lifestyle, there is no better time to begin to make strides toward healthier habits than a blank slate that is indeed the new year of 2021.
Yes, there are many ways to mend and progress your well-being, whether that be working out to improve your physical appearance or jotting down the quirks and ticks about you and your mindset that could use some shifting. No one is perfect.
Everyone could use some assurance and guidance in their life to aid them in becoming an enhanced version of themselves, and what better way to begin this transfiguration than indulging in the enriching leisure of reading, and specifically, reading self-help books? That being said, below is a list of six books to encourage prosperity within all aspects of life:
The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie
Although The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie was written in *009, it is more relevant than ever. Google Books notes, “As the coronavirus pandemic affects our loved ones, our cherished communities, and our own health and wellbeing, we may be tempted to return to the caretaking and codependent behaviors we've worked to leave behind.”
Beloved author Melody Beattie will help you learn the importance of “letting go.”
Just shy of 20 days into the new year, the time to grab this book is now. Each day, beginning on Jan. 1, Beattie provides daily meditations and reminders revolving around a different countenance of codependency — a concept by which too many are characterized. Beattie pushes for readers to take accountability of their actions and to recognize their pain and areas for self improvement by providing a little inspiration and encouragement each day.
Catching up on the past 20 days you’ve missed would be quite easy, or another option is to simply begin on the day you buy the book. Taking time to read a daily meditation can be extremely powerful and effective regarding how you perceive and experience the remainder of the day.
Feel Your Best by ban.do
Slightly different from the other books on the list, Feel Your Best is a wellness workbook created by the site “ban.do,” a brand created to incite joy in its customers. The workbook is designed for those who actively want to induce personal growth through pages of “artwork, tips, tear-away cards, balance charts and daily (and weekly!) check-ins,” according to the workbook’s description.
Feel Your Best consists of several sections that include and cover topics such as goals, exploration, action and relaxation. Ultimately, it is a book to help guide your intentions, calm your anxiety and celebrate your little wins. Though the book is purchased blank, it is a work in progress just like you. Let the colorful aesthetic of the interactive workbook inspire you to remain lively and joyous throughout the new year.
What a Time to Be Alone by Chidera Eggerue
British Nigerian writer and fashion blogger Chidera Eggerue is best known for her guide to why you are already enough on your own, titled What a Time to Be Alone, and also for her online campaign #SaggyBoobsMatter. If it isn’t already incredibly obvious that the 26-year-old writer is completely relatable, it should be.
So commonly, we youngins believe we are less than worthy because we are single. Additionally, we seek validation from friends, family and potential partners when, in reality, value and virtue is found within. Eggerue is the timely reminder in the form of a self-help book that the only person who can write your story and determine your fate is you. Toxic friendships and meaningless relationships do not and will not serve you. So grow healthy ones instead by healing and navigating your own self worth above all else.
Acknowledging that this current period in most college-aged students’ lives is the only time they may have going forward to focus on solely themselves, and it’s crucial for personal growth and success in future relationships. Don’t wish this pivotal period away by dwelling on not having a boyfriend/girlfriend or indulging in unrewarding friendships.
101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties by Paul Angone
Ever feel like you’re supposed to be adulting, yet you just don’t seem to have it together quite yet? Don’t fret. Navigating life’s obstacles, questioning where and who you want to be following college while also pondering more perplexing meaningful questions regarding your purpose, identity and influence on others can be weighing on confused, uncertain millennials.
Paul Angone helps those who may be a little more lost and pessimistic in respect to their futures by posing questions, such as “How do I make a choice when I don’t know what to choose?” and “What are the Pivotal Plot Points of my story?”
Angone allows readers to dig deeper into the more substantial parts of themselves in order for them to live a more meaningful life and not settle for simply grazing through the days, weeks and years. Considering one’s 20s are supposedly a part of the most defining decade of one’s life, so begin your road to self discovery now.
Small Move, Big Change by Caroline L. Arnold
According to Forbes magazine, “Studies have shown that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail.” Part of the reason being individuals set larger, too vague of goals rather than setting more specific, smaller ones.
By setting microresolutions, the reward is reaped daily, whereas larger ones, one just reminds themselves they’ll see the results “some day.” By making slight changes to your daily routine you can, in the end, transform your whole entire lifestyle, which Caroline L. Arnold helps readers do.
The Thriving Introvert by Thibaut Meurisse
This book is written for the ones who are continuously told to express exuberance through outgoing gestures, such as attending social gatherings and voicing their opinion, yet they feel as if portraying themselves in that manner is simply not them. However, as we are all different, no one person is made to look the same, behave the same or, ultimately, be the same.
In The Thriving Introvert, author Thibaut Meurisse invites readers to embrace their introversion and live a life feeling confident within themselves by addressing points, such as “How to redesign all aspects of your life such as your career and your relationships so you can thrive as an introvert” and “How to make your best contribution to the world as an introvert.”
Whereas most self help books encourage those to put themselves out there in a way where people will notice their presence, this one reminds introverts that their presence is valued whether they are shy or not.
