The Little Book of Self-Care presents a wide-range of tips for taking care of the mind, body, and spirit. It is a great book to read on the go due to it's small size.
Personal Rating: 8/10
Favorite Pages:
Learn to Meditate (79)
Be Positive (88)
Set Personal Boundaries (138)
Create a Relaxation Room (200)
Tip from the book:
Close your eyes and breathe as deeply and slowly as you can three times.
The Language of Letting Go explains how we must take responsibility to address our pain and overwhelming emotions and to provide ourselves with the self-care we need. The book offers various meditation techniques and affirmations.
Personal Rating:7/10
Favorite Topics:
Stay open to your feelings (let go of the “don't feel” mindset)
Good things will find you (don’t obsess or search for it)
Take care of yourself emotionally (don’t take them with shame or blame yourself for the way you feel)
Quotes from the book:
“Today, I will not wait for others to see and care; I will take responsibility for being aware of my pain and problems, and caring about myself.”
“Recovery is not about being right; it’s about allowing ourselves to be who we are and accepting others as they are."
The Self-Love Workbook is about building your confidence and transforming your attitude, emotions, and overall outlook on life! It highlights awareness of your own needs and goals. It includes tips, exercises, and tricks like interactive activities and reflection prompts.
Personal Rating: 8/10
Favorite Topics:
Self-Love & Self-Care
Self-Awareness &Self-Exploration
Self-Esteem & Self-Respect
Best quotes from the book:
“Self Love is wondrously empowering and validating, yet is not always an easy task. It is more than indulging in your favorite food and escaping to an island paradise” (Shainna Ali, PhD).
“The full process of self love includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. Self love includes the decision to recognize areas for growth, tailoring a potentially difficult yet necessary plan of attack, and bravely tackling it head on” (Shainna Ali, PhD).
Don’t Overthink It is a mindfulness book that focuses on teaching strategies to help you not to overthink normal, day-to-day decisions. Overthinking can rob you of joy and deplete your mental energy. Anne Bogel shares real life stories in an easy to read way to help you make overthinking a thing of the past.
Personal Rating:8/10
Favorite Pages
Nolen-Hoeksema on getting your foot in the door (31)
Advice from her dad after she was overthinking her paint job on the interior of her house (42)
Bogel’s advice on ‘completing the cycle’ (69)
Favorite Quotes:
“An unexpected turn of events may throw us into momentary disarray, but if we can push through the messy middle of renegotiating our decisions in a hurry, we may find joy on the other side” (147).
“With thoughtfulness and practice, all of us can develop consistent filters for making decisions. It may not be easy, but it’s simple, because it starts with us - with who we are and what we care about” (59).
Emotional First Aidexplains the fallout that can result from the “emotional” injuries we acquire and how to use exercises to recover from them. The book highlights how to deal with day-to-day emotions.
Personal Rating: 7/10
Favorite sections:
Rejection: The Emotional Cuts and Scrapes of Daily Life
Loneliness: Relationship Muscle Weakness
Loss and Trauma: Walking on Broken Bones
Tips from the book:
“Failure is so common a human experience that what distinguishes us from one another is not that we fail but rather how we respond when we do."
“Unlike real hurricanes, heartbreak has no eye—it offers no reprieve and it leaves no place to take shelter. We thus remain exposed, drenched, and miserable until it passes.”
Breath focuses on the scientific history of something we don’t usually have our minds on: Breathing. It examines how incorrect breathing in our modern world can affect other parts of our life, health, and wellbeing.
Personal Rating: 8/10
Favorite Topics:
Discussion of how modern day humans have unhealthy lifestyles that are further exacerbated by incorrect breathing practices (3)
Significance of breathing methods in ancient cultures and religions (82)
How conscious breathing in regular intervals can improve our lives emotionally and physically (137)
Favorite Quotes/Tips:
“Right nostril is a gas pedal. When you’re inhaling primarily through this channel, circulation speeds up, your body gets hotter, and cortisol levels, blood pressure, and heart rate all increase[...] The left nostril is more deeply connected to the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest-and-relax side that lowers blood pressure, cools the body, and reduces anxiety.” (41)
“Each breath we draw in should take about three seconds, and each breath out should take four. We’ll then continue the same short inhales while lengthening the exhales to a five, six, and seven count as the run progresses” (88)