Finding a quiet moment can be tough in today’s world. With everybody racing around at 100mph it’s nearly impossible to catch a break – but for the sake of our wellbeing it’s so important to squeeze in some precious ‘me time’. We’ve handpicked a selection of the best reads to improve wellbeing and bring a little bit of joy to the everyday.
Pop the kettle on, light a candle and hunker down with one of these brilliant books.
Destination Simple: Everyday rituals for a slower life, Brooke McAlary
If ever you feel you’re running at 110% and are in need of dabbing the brakes a little, then this is the book for you. Author Brooke McAlary teaches us how to slow down, say no sometimes and focus on the things that really matter. As the title says, “Everyday rituals for a slower life.”
With lessons on how to find peace in the busiest day, emptying your mind and sleeping better, Destination Simple will become your bible for the all important physical and mental unwind.
The Happiness Code: Ten Keys to Being the Best You Can Be, Domonique Bertolucci
Life can be hectic. We stress too much about external matters. We’re always comparing ourselves to others, or what they have that we don’t. However, Domonique Bertolucci shows us how to unlock inner happiness and shed the negativity with her book The Happiness Code. Ideal for those in need of a little guidance when it all gets too much, this super read is the perfect accompaniment for some self-reflection time.
The Happiness Code provides readers with the answer they have been searching for: ‘enduring happiness is not a result of the things you’ve done, but the person you’ve chosen to be.’
HAPPY: Finding joy in everyday and letting go of perfect, Fearne Cotton
This is the celebrity presenter’s third endeavour at putting pen to paper; and it’s a subject close to Fearne’s heart. Drawing on her own experiences and including expert advice, HAPPY offers practical ways of finding joy each and every day. Often, the pressures of life can feel like they are bearing down on all sides, whether its school, work, family or even social media, Fearne shares her own personal experiences and how she has dealt with it, and her advice is exceptional. Including daily exercises, diary entries, practical visualisations and tricks and ideas for finding inner peace, you’ll struggle to put this one down.
Take it from this busy mum: Happiness isn’t a mountain to climb, it’s just one foot in front of the other on the path of life, and here you’ll find little steps that will help make the differences that count.
The Little Book of Mindfulness, Dr. Patrizia Collard
‘Ten minutes a day to less stress and more peace’ – if a tagline like that doesn’t woo you then what will? Ideal for those on the go, Dr. Collard’s 5 and 10-minute exercises for everyday will show you how to slow down, manage the modern world, free yourself from stress and ultimately find peace. This beautifully illustrated book will appeal to all the family, and set you off on a journey to a more mindful and relaxed life. The pocket-sized read is perfect for those that can only find a pocket of the day for a moment of Zen.
Dr Patrizia Collard is a psychotherapist, mindfulness teacher, stress management consultant and lecturer in psychotherapy at the University of East London.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – the counterintuitive approach to living a good life, Mark Manson
This New York Times #1 bestseller is anything but ‘subtle’. Described as ‘a generation-defining self-help guide’ this funny read teaches how to stop pretending to be so positive all the time and Just. Be. Real! Manson doesn’t sugarcoat – the superstar blogger leads us through his delightfully foul-mouthed rendition of dealing with life. Adapted from his wildly popular internet blog, he tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. It’s an antidote to coddling. Ideal for those who just get on with it and know that the reality is that we are human and we have flaws and limits.
Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better.
Once you’ve mastered that, happiness will be just around the corner!
WomanCode, Alisa Vitti
This holistic how-to guide teaches women how to maintain a their health and vitality with food-based programmes that rebalance hormones. Health coach Alison Vitti educates women about hormone health in a way that’s easy to understand. Having suffered the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), she healed herself through food and lifestyle changes that no pill or medicine was able to achieve. Now she has made it her mission to empower other women to be able to do the same. Her 5 step plan is proven to improve health and wellbeing and contributes greatly to overall quality of life.
This groundbreaking entry to our list also features a very insightful forward by bestselling author and women’s health expert Christiane Northrup.
Things Are What You Make of Them – Life Advice for Creatives, Adam J. Kurtz
Wisdom and compassion from one working artist to others, this handwritten book is a real feel-good read. The author shares ideas and experiences and gives a heartfelt insight into his own creative mind. ‘As wry and cheeky as it is empathic and empowering’ this quirky read will appeal to designers, illustrators, authors and the like who might have hit the creative wall. Cute and colourful, this book is part of a series that Kurtz has written giving advice to fellow creatives on the edge of giving up.
This might just be the soul-food you need to get the ideas flowing…!
The Art Of Mindful Walking, Adam Ford
Written by Anglican priest and former Priest-in-Ordinary to the Queen, Adam Ford offers a refreshing and inspiring guide from a spiritual standpoint. Also a lecturer in Buddhism, Ford unearths the concept of purposeful walking, and finding enlightenment among nature. Whether it’s a casual stroll in town or an odyssey into the outback, this clever book teaches how to engage with mindfulness through metaphors and anecdotes and drawing in on spirituality.
Even for those without religious leanings, who can honestly say that a pilgrimage through a forest isn’t a deeply calming and reflective experience?
I Want To Be Confident, Harriet Griffey
‘Confidence is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.’ Harriet Griffey smartly identifies how to improve confidence and offers tips on making the most of our social and working lives, while reflecting on the things that we want to actually achieve. In today’s virtual, social networking world, there is a downside: online rather than personal interaction is creating a climate of social awkwardness and a lack of social confidence. I Want To Be Confident shows us how to manage our insecurities, demonstrate our abilities, accept our differences and be happy with who we are. This page-turner will leave you with a big smile on your face, happy in the knowledge that, actually, you’re damn pretty cool!
Any Questions or Tips to add?