The Self help book
Every year there are thousands upon thousands of self help books that a released, they all promise to help you through life and its many obstacles; love, marriage, grief, children etc. Some of these books are great, they live up to watch they claim they are, and can/have really helped people and then on the other hand some are not worth the money, in fact a waste of money in some cases. What works for you will be different to what works for a friend, relative, college etc, but instead of finding that out having brought nearly the whole self help isle, here we are going to give you a low down on some of what we think are the best self help books around. Even for those self help book haters out there, take a read through, you might be surprised!
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway - Susan Jeffers
This book is all about fear, the fear that everyone faces throughout their lives, everyday, fear of losing things, people, the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of growing old, the fear of decisions etc. The book looks at 3 levels of fear; the first is the fear of something happening the event, the second is the fear of the result of the first happening, e.g loosing your job, how would you feel, upset, rejected, hurt that would be the second level of fear.
Finally the third and ultimate level of fear is being able to cope, the fear of not being able to cope if what ultimately everything comes down to. The book doesn't advise you to shy any from this that scare you but instead to take them on, the more things we fear that we face the less there is to fear. Throughout the book are stories of events in peoples like that they feared and how they coped. It also offers advice and exercises on how to train yourself to think more of the positive than the negative of life's ups and downs, making you realise that ultimately the outcome of every situation is down to us to, why not turn it into a positive one?
The Break-Up Survival Kit - Dr Pam Spurr
The self help books on how to cope with the end of a relationship are probably some of the most popular, though unfortunately very few are great. Unlike a lot of the break up books which offer a philosophical approach, you know everything happens for a reason' and it wasn't meant to be',The Break-Up Survival Kit is a book that looks at the reality of breaking up, the emotional feelings of disappointment, hurt and revenge as well as the age old questions like when is best to start dating again.
Not only does Dr Pam give great advice in The Break-Up Survival Kit but there are also practical means of getting over the break up, questionnaires and check-lists are also part of the survival kit. Packed full of tips and advice and actually written by a women who has gone through a divorce, had a university pregnancy and found love again with her second marriage, Dr Pam is a women who has gone through what she is writing about. This isn't just another break-up self help book, for many it is THE break-up self help book.
End the Struggle and Dance with Life - Susan Jeffers
Another one of Susan Jeffers great books, in End the Struggle and Dance with Life she shows us how to forget about the things in life that get us down and instead focus on the positive and exciting aspects in life. Throughout the book Susan uses practical advice, tips and quotes to help the reader approach difficult situations in life.
The book offers people the tools to see life in a light that allows them to be calm, taking on all the challenges that life has to throw at us in the calmest way to help them deal with it. Not only does it teach you about finding calm but it also allows us to see the positives that life has to offer, instead of the negatives. This is done in a way that allows you to gain much more control on your life and how you handle things. The book is written with much humour and warm that opens our eyes to see what are the things in life we let bring us down and what are the things that lift us up.
How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have - John Gray
This book looks at both what material things you want out of life but also what you want spiritually out of life. Gray's book has been so successful possibly because he once so ascetic that he was almost living like he was homeless has practised what he preaches as they say and now lives with a strong sense of self, and is the author of 9 top selling books.
This book is an all rounder suitable for everyone, whether you feel like you have quite made it yet in all aspects of their life from wealth, love and happiness to those who have it all' but aren't happy. This book breaks down all aspects of life into smaller chunks that allow you to see how you are able to move on in each aspect to achieve the goals that you dream of. He splits up things in ways that make clear sense, for example he splits up love into 12 different levels of which he believes you need at certain points in your life and exactly when.
Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps - Allan and Barbara Pease
At the start of the book Allan makes a great statement that yes both men and women live in exactly the same world but they live and experience as though they could from completely different ones! In this book Allan and Barbara take on the well know phase; Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus' and turn it into their own explanation. They discuss how men what to be part of a gang, have a gun, have power and status and how women want love and have their best friend(s) who they tell everything to.
The book talks about living together, the difference in women's and men's sex drive, how women like to talk and men never listen. The book is funny and honest; it's a great book to get you thinking about the difference in yours and your partner's behaviour and you will find that it can be quite a good discussion point.