I used to read tonnes of autobiographies and memoirs on MH. Not to discourage others who find that helps, but I don't think it really did much for me, ebecause sometimes those ppl had resources and funds I didn't have, so their journeys were different.... a lot of them had supportive friends and family who aided their recovery, and it just made me sad

Now I read more self help stuff , not first person stories

Sleepy I think some memoirs are helpful and some self help books can be patronising or they promise the world but don’t deliver.

I think the balance is to find a story you can relate to.

Someone told me all you need is to get

one idea that helps you.

Thanks sleepy for your comments.

I find some memoirs helpful, but overall would have to agree - many I found triggering, or even glorifying mental illness.

I read a lot meditation and mindfulness books in therapy, which has been huge for my recovery. There's a lot out there, I personally follow buddhist principles and the book "Buddhism plain and simple" was great.

I listened to the podcast "10% happier" by Dan Harris which is really inspiring. I have also used the "Smiling Mind" podcast for mindfulness techniques.

I definitely find some books more helpful than others but when I do find one that I connect with, it resonates with me so much more.

I do find it hard sometimes to finish MH books because unfortunately I am a very avid fictional reader!

Hello All,

Books make you travel to different places and reframe your mindset. One of my recent readings that are so powerful is "The Power of your Subconscious Mind" by Dr Joseph Murphy. This book helped me rewire my thought patterns because it is not that easy to be in lockdown mode for some months. I thought that reading this kind of book will help my mental health. This book triggered for me to buy more inspirational and best-selling books.

Happy Life!

Maria.B

I do agree just for me personally it could lead to a dark place or feel like glorifying certain states of unwellmess. Also sometimes the recovery was just unrealistic and didn't show the hard work that goes into it, made it look easy.

I discover that too many self help books are in fact just means to vehicle the act of self promoting ones own success... and assume that what the author does for themselves will work for everyone.

Some books do actually work quite well. but the best books give processes that we can do each day that work us forward towards satisfying our own needs/wants/desires.

I like Ur point quirky, which is realistic and true. Rather than asking, did book x or y change Ur life, we could ask was there one idea you took from it?

I liked the Body Keeps the Score, because I identified myself with one of the case studies , I had similar symptoms to them, so it helped me consider that I had PTSD. In that one way, by sharing a relative case study , that book helped tonnes.

Does anyone have any good book recommendations for self-doubt?

I am finding that whenever I apply for jobs I am self-excluding myself which is very challenging because I know in my heart I am a very good candidate but sometimes it is a battle for me to believe it!

Hi Missep123,

Becoming, by Michelle Obama.

Truly inspirational. The key takeaways for me was her drive, self-belief, confidence and determination to succeed while still remaining true to her authentic self.

Enjoy📖

Hi Baljit!

Thank you so much for your reply. What a great recommendation, I have put it on my to-read list.

Michelle Obama truly seems like such a strong and determined woman!

My first time posting today. I came on this website as I was feeling sad and lonely. Funny word lonely as you can be surrounded by your family and pets and still feel that. But going through the forum I realized how many people were in the same situation as me. When I feel this way I go looking for help on Google. On youtube, I found the talks by Sadhguru. I am in no way religious and neither is this guy. But he has made me feel so much better than I was an hour before so I came back to this forum and wanted to share this with the rest of the community.

There is also a book called I AM ENOUGH by Marissa peer. It's a great read. But please don't just take my word for it but do listen to Sadhguru. And meditation plus joining some meetup groups with activities has helped me in my times of loneliness.

Hi standing tall,

I hope you felt comforted knowing that so many people are in the same situation. I completely hear you!

Thank you so much for your recommendation, I actually have never heard of Sadhguru before but I just searched him up and I found so many videos I want to watch. Especially ones like 'how to overcome compulsive emotional patterns'.Sometimes people say things exactly the way that you need to hear it and it just 'clicks'. I hope that happens to me with these!

I am also very interested about 'I AM ENOUGH' by Marissa Peer - what were the best parts of it?

Thanks again for the recommendations!