Books that help you feel better
There are so many books out there that offer to help you. A lot of them will make big promises or offer you something you can’t ignore. It’s safe to say that the quality and effectiveness of these books vary and some of them could even set you back. To help you, I’ve listed the ones I’ve come to rely on.
Rip it Up by Richard Wiseman
This is a very special book. It’s helped me so much and it’s the first book I recommend to anyone who is struggling.
Rip It Up is a self-help book that’s written by a professional and backed up by science.
Richard Wiseman was concerned about the quality and validity of what a lot of people turn to as self-help and often rely on. He set out to write a self-help book from an academic perspective, that was backed up by extensive research and studies. The result is an amazing book that could quite simply change your life.
All of this is based on the ‘As If’ Principle, that suggests that changing the way you act can change the way you feel.
The notion may seem a little odd at first, but it was actually devised by one of the founders of modern psychology, William James. For me, the ‘As-If’ Principle is one of the key things that could help you maintain and improve your mental health.
A great example is the ‘Ekman Smile’. This is a simple technique where forcing yourself to smile will in turn, make you feel better. You’ll also learn a lot about how your posture can affect the way you feel and how you could actually make yourself fall in love with someone. It really is that amazing.
When you get to see how effective these ideas are, you can put them to use right away.
In addition to all this amazing help and advice, practical exercises are presented throughout Rip It Up. You will literally rip this book up if you buy a physical copy.
Three easy things you’ll get from Rip It Up:
Simple suggestions to help you improve your mental health
A great new way to approach your life
Psychological studies and experiments clearly explained
Professor Richard Wiseman is a Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He’s also worked with Derren Brown and has been a consultant on the US TV show, The Mentalist. In addition to this, he’s also a magician and author. I can’t recommend his books enough.
Happy by Derren Brown
In this book, Derren Brown takes a close look at what it really means to be happy. It’s so good, I consider it required reading for anyone who wants to feel better.
Happy will take you on a journey through the history of happiness and deliver some great ideas and inspiration.
You’ll be introduced to Stoicism, a philosophy that flourished in the Greek and Roman worlds. It’s based around an extremely practical way of thinking, that places an emphasis on reason and logic over emotions. That’s right, Mr Spock from Star Trek is probably the best analogy.
I know I’m not alone in my belief that this ancient philosophy still has so much value for us today. The most important thing for me is that it emphasises the responsibility of the individual and the importance of accepting things as they are.
This book provides a fantastic introduction to Stoicism and it could really help change your perspective.
We then learn how people went on to place their fate, happiness and situation in the hands of something that was far beyond their control, and continued to do so for over a thousand years.
The main reason you need to read Happy is to learn more about the narratives we create around our lives. It focusses on the stories we tell ourselves, where we either play the role of the hero or the villain. This is so important, but so many people never think about it.
Three easy things you’ll get from Happy:
New perspectives and ideas about what it means to be happy
Encouragement to really think about the story you tell yourself
An explanation of why I have a blue cup on display in my room
Yes, this is THE Derren Brown and I’m sure you’re aware of his TV work and stunning stage shows. He’s far more than a magician and mentalist though, as you can see for yourself by his paintings and books like this. I’m a huge fan, as he’s definitely someone worth listening to.
Why Diets Make Us Fat by Sandra Aamodt
This book completely changed the way I approached dieting and weight loss. It’s the first one I recommend to anyone who is worried about their weight and would like to do something about it.
Why Diets Make Us Fat presents a startling suggestion, that we have a set weight our bodies keep bouncing back to.
When you think about it, this makes sense. This could be the reason why so many people put their weight back on after losing it and why the diet industry is such a lucrative business.
This book focusses on the way we feel about ourselves. It’s about acceptance and understanding what’s happening. Some key myths about diet and weight loss are well and truly busted along the way as well.
The best thing about this book is that it makes it clear you don’t have to just accept your fate when it comes to your weight and you can move past what may have happed before.
Why Diets Make Us Fat explores the things you can do lose weight and keep it off over time. It’s not a foregone conclusion. We also need to understand that ‘boom and bust’ dieting can be really unhealthy in the long run.
Three easy things you’ll get from Why Diets Make Us Fat:
A new way to look at weight loss
Reassurance that you may be ok where you are
Some great ideas to help you
Sandra Aamodt is a neuroscientist and science writer. I strongly suggest you take a look at her impressive Ted Talk when you can.
Night School by Richard Wiseman
An amazing book about sleep. You'll find out why it's so important, how much you need and what to do if you can’t sleep.
This is one of those books that can really change your life.
Night School takes you on a journey through the history of sleep research. On the way, you'll find out why one of the most important research tools, the EEG machine, came about by accident while studying psychic powers. You'll also hear an amusing story about a lady who only seems to need about an hour’s sleep each night.
The most important thing this book taught me is that we're all different, and there’s no set level of sleep we all require.
There are also practical ideas to help you. It's worth reading to find out how wearing a pair of yellow glasses before bed can help you get a great night's sleep. That’s just one idea.
I genuinely got a lot out of this book and it really did change my life in many respects.
These are things we all need to be aware of, as sleep can change our understanding of mental health. It certainly did in my case.
If you're still not convinced, it also shares ten things everyone should know about sleep and dreaming. You’re sure to be shocked when you learn how a lack of sleep can impact you, and you probably won’t realise it.
Three easy things you'll get from Night School:
Simple ideas to help you sleep
An awareness of when you're not at your best
Tips to see how much sleep you need
This is the second book by Richard Wiseman on this fairly short list, and that isn’t a coincidence. Anyone interested in improving their mental health should take a look at his work.
Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney
This book could really change the way you look at things. It introduces something that influences all of our lives, but most people aren’t aware of it.
Willpower will explain how we all have a finite supply of natural energy and show us what we can do about it.
The best thing about this book is that it clearly explains all the biology. This is important, as willpower isn’t something in our heads or an external force. It all comes down to the glucose our body produces to fuel us, and we have a limited supply.
The key message this book delivers is that we’re all different. It explains how each of us will have a set amount of willpower we can draw on when we need to knuckle down, resist a temptation or a negative thought. While this may sound like something negative, we’re shown what we can achieve when we understand how willpower works in the real world.
I honestly believe that understanding willpower is essential if we want to feel better and achieve more and I can’t think of a better introduction.
Willpower will also demonstrate the dangers of ‘decision fatigue’ and the critical errors we can make when we don’t realise our willpower is depleted. This is so important and it’s something everyone should be aware of. There’s also a helpful chapter on parenting that should help a lot of people.
Three easy things you’ll get from Willpower:
An understanding of how willpower works
Simple and effective explanations and examples
Ideas to help you reach your goals and feel better
Roy F. Baumeister is an influential social psychologist who has written more than 500 scientific articles and over 30 books. He is currently a Professor of Psychology at Florida State University. John Tierney is a science writer who has worked for over two decades at the New York Times.
I hope this list helped you. These books have done so much for me and I know they could do a lot for you.
Please keep checking back to this post, as I’ll keep it updated and add anything else I find.
I hope it goes without saying that I don’t participant in any affiliate schemes and don’t benefit from you choosing these in any way. They have simply helped me and I know they can help you too.