Loving the Life Less Lived by Gail Marie Mitchell

Author:Gail Marie Mitchell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RedDoor
Published: 2016-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Over to You: Self-Help Books (or just books!)

So, in the same vein as a mother who doesn’t want her daughter to repeat the same mistakes she did, here are my top tips when choosing and using the genre of self-help guides:

1. Avoid any book that promises miracles on its cover. It won’t work. You will be left feeling frustrated, let down and out of pocket. There is no miracle cure. Don’t waste your money on Ten Steps to Perfect Happiness or De-Stress Your Life Forever. The same goes for magazines that contain articles with similar claims. Even more so. If one book isn’t going to solve your problems then a three-page article in a women’s monthly certainly isn’t.

2. Try your library. Our local library has a section called ‘Books on Prescription’ and is full of books recommended by doctors. These books offer sound advice based on clinical research. You can find a list of the many books on prescription at www.readingagency.org.uk/readingwell. They are also free. If you fall in love with the book and find it is the answer to all your questions you can always buy it later. If not, you haven’t lost anything by giving it a go.

3. There are many different types of books out there. Some books are easy to read. A perfect example would be The Little Book of Calm by Paul Wilson. You can read bite-size books like these even in the midst of a panic or in the depths of despair. They give a small amount of comfort when you need some kind words or confirmation that you’re not the only person who’s ever felt this way. At the other end of the spectrum are in-depth books that offer whole courses in cognitive behavioural therapy and the like. There is no doubt in my mind that these books work. They are also hard going, involve a great deal of time and commitment and can bring up some uncomfortable truths that not everyone is ready to deal with. I am the sort of crazy person who loves to study and some of these books feel like you are studying for a GCSE or even A level in your own psyche. I would give most of them ten out of ten for content and common sense, but you really need to be on an even keel to attempt them and you need to have the sort of analytical mind that values such an academic approach.

4. It’s OK to give up on a book. If your mind works anything like mine you will start a book with every good intention only to get bored or disheartened by page twenty and never get any further. That’s OK! Somewhere in those first few pages will be something you can take away and use. You might think, ‘If only you’d worked right through to the end you’d be feeling better by now’ and hence burden yourself with more guilt. Don’t worry. Try another book. Or decide books aren’t for you.

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