Vision boards, shiny new gym memberships, and blank journals. Ah, the hallmarks of a brand-new year. We’ve polished off the holiday chocolates and made room for grain-free crackers and kale. The pristine soles of our new sneakers, ready for the trails, glow enticingly by the front door. What better time for introspection than the end of one year and the beginning of the next? That said, we humans do put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do more, better, faster. If you don’t pick up a single self-help book this year, that’s completely okay. If you are in the mood for some navel-gazing, either this month or someday, maybe, here are some books to jumpstart your self-discovery
Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose, opens a new window by Martha Beck
Between everyday stressors and wider concerns, it’s easy to get stuck in a never-ending spiral of anxiety. Even if we can temporarily “think” our way out of it, the anxiety loop invariably returns. Rather than trying to power through it, Dr. Beck provides a new tool: the “creativity spiral.” By engaging in the creative process, anxiety is shut down while innovative problem-solving, a sense of meaning, and connectivity blossom, becoming a source of healing and calm.
Meditations for Mortals, opens a new window by Oliver Burkeman
The fact that we can’t possibly pack everything we want to do into one lifetime can be frustrating, but, once you accept that, you can identify and prioritize what really matters. In 28 brief lessons over four weeks, Burkeman provides gentle steps to embrace what you can do, eschewing the efficiency-maximizing principles of most self-help guides out there. For example, swapping your daily to-do list with a “done” list and treating your TBR (to be read) pile as an option, not an obligation. Burkeman provides a balance of inspiration and reassurance, making this a great resource for anyone feeling overwrought and burned out.
Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, opens a new window by Big Sean
Sean Anderson, better known as Big Sean, is a multi-platinum artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has achieved incredible success in his career. Signing with Kanye West’s record label at 18, Sean’s life was like a fairytale, yet his life was marked with extreme highs and lows from anxiety and depression. Then Sean began drawing on spiritual practices he’d witnessed his mother embrace throughout his childhood; from there, he developed his five practices: accepting, strategizing, trying, trusting, and manifesting. Go Higher presents step-by-step instructions for implementing these practices using a variety of tools, from journaling prompts to affirmations.
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions Of People Can't Stop Talking About, opens a new window by Mel Robbins
Are you exhausted from trying to manage everything and everyone around you? Tired of drama and feeling stuck or overwhelmed? It’s time to stop giving your power to other people and use it to create a life you love. New York Times-bestselling author and motivation expert Robbins has two words for you: let them! You’ll learn to apply the Let Them Theory to eight key areas of your life and discover how much of your time and energy you’ve been wasting trying to control the wrong things. This mindset shift and accompanying tools will help you take back your personal power and embrace life with gusto.
Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace, opens a new window by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Since reading best-selling author and therapist Tawwab’s first book, Set Boundaries, Find Peace, I was hooked. Her no-nonsense style is refreshing, and I enjoy her regular newsletter, “Nedra Nuggets.” In her newest book, Tawwab presents daily insights that prompt reflection on a variety of topics relevant to everyday life and the relationships we navigate with others (and ourselves). While there are other books that cover boundary settings, releasing from drama, self-expression, and finding peace, Tawwab offers fresh perspectives and food for thought in an easy-to-digest format.
The Life Brief: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living, opens a new window by Bonnie Wan
Are you living the life you’re meant to be living? Do you even know what you really want? Wan, a brand strategist for an advertising agency, helps high-profile brands identify their essential values using a tool called the “creative brief.” When facing her own existential crisis, Wan turned this organizational tool inward with great success. The Life Brief was born. You’ll use this strategic life planning tool in three phases: Get Messy, Get Clear, and Get Active. With reflective prompts that lead to action, the Life Brief will help you cut through limiting beliefs and identify what you truly want from life.
Whatever you decide to read this winter, be sure to enter the Adult Winter Reading Challenge at Central Rappahannock Regional Library for fun prizes. Get started at librarypoint.org/winter, opens a new window.
Tracy McPeck is the Director of Adult Services at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. This column first appeared in the Free Lance-Star newspaper.
