10 Books to Read to Become a Better You

The near the halfway point of a year is a great time to reassess any goals we may have enthusiastically set for ourselves in January. Even if you didn’t set out with an ambitious new year plan and concrete goals, it’s never too late to work on yourself, and reading and discovering more about who you are and who you can become is a great place to start. Here are some books that have a focus on our favourite topics such as where and how to find joy, calm, balance and confidence.

How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, Lisa Feldman Barrett 

The ground-breaking book that takes a deep dive into the human mind seeks to deliver answers to common, yet tricky, questions about our emotions. Psychologist and neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett shines a light on what it means to be human, and how to harness our emotions to better ourselves and others. 

Also available as an audiobook

The Mindful Day: Practical Ways to Find Focus, Calm, and Joy From Morning to Evening, Laurie J. Cameron 

Feeling too overworked and busy to fit mindfulness into your daily life? The Mindful Day is designed for busy professionals to integrate mindfulness into their everyday lives in a straightforward, easy to implement way. Practical wisdom and easy-to-follow steps will ensure that mindfulness, peace and focus can be brought to home as well as the workplace at any time of the day. 

Also available as an audiobook

The Success Experiment, Lillian Ahenkan

Full of useful exercises that really make the reader think, The Success Experiment is so much more than a book that makes you successful. It is full of tips and tricks to become more confident, determine what you want and why, and breaks down the steps to reach any goal that you set. This book exists to give all people the tools needed to become their best self. 

Also available as an audiobook 

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Dr. Julie Smith

A one-stop guide to get anyone through a variety of challenges, Dr Julie Smith equips the reader with all the skills needed to get through whatever life throws at them. Drawing on years as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Smith’s book is divided into digestible chapters that focus on specific challenges, making it easy to find the tools to deal with whatever is going on in the moment. The practical, simple solutions put forth in this book may just save a life. 

Also available as an audiobook

A Year of Mindfulness, Jennifer Raye

Daily reflection is an excellent way to integrate mindfulness into an everyday schedule, and A Year of Mindfulness facilitates this in a beautiful, fun-to-use way. Arranged in a weekly layout and then divided into daily activities, thoughts or writing prompts, this journal will take you on a year-long journey of self-discovery. Exercises range from short and sharp, to deep-thinking and challenging, making the journal perfect for new mindfulness practitioners.

Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing, David A. Treleaven

Mindfulness is often touted as a one-size-fits-all approach to improving mental health, but it is more nuanced than that. Psychotherapist and educator David Treleaven uses his ten years of clinical experience and research to show that, when undertaken incorrectly, mindfulness can make symptoms of traumatic stress worse. Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness seeks to show how to minimise the potential downfalls of mindfulness for survivors, whilst upholding the benefits it brings. 

Also available as an audiobook

1001 Ways To Be Creative, Barbara Kipfer 

In this busy world, it can be hard to add a little creativity to our everyday lives. Barbara Kipfer wants adults to lean into their creative side, with 1001 engaging prompts to inspire and motivate readers to just create. Filled with lush illustrations, this handy book will inspire your next work of art, little home project, or even that ingenious business idea you have been holding onto for years. 

Making Sense of Mindfulness, Keith Macpherson 

A fresh take on the values of mindfulness, life coach Keith Macpherson takes the reader through a straightforward, five-step approach to mindfulness. This accessible framework aims to decipher the buzzword of “mindfulness” and dives deeper into ways that its practices can ease the stresses and anxieties of everyday life.

Also available as an audiobook

What To Say When You Talk To Yourself, Shad Helmsetter, Ph.D.

A long-time favourite with those looking to boost their confidence, Shad Helmsetter’s book popularised the concept of positive “self-talk” to the public. The book is a gold mine full of practical tips and tricks, including what to say to yourself, the characteristics of successful self-talk and how to change both attitude and habits to become more self-confident. 

Also available as an audiobook

Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, James Nestor

Something as automatic as breathing plays a more integral role to mindfulness and our wellbeing than one would think, and it turns out humans often don’t breathe well. Breath delves into the science of breathing, the implications it has on our physical and mental health, and the lived experiences of those who breathe differently. You’ll never breathe the same again. 

Also available as an audiobook

No matter the situation you find yourself in, there’s a book for you to help along the path to finding more balance inside and out. 

By Sarah Panther