By Sarah Yusoff
Are you a reader who is in search of impactful and amazing books? Then worry not because I have discovered some suggestions for you.
Before that, allow me to explain a little bit on the importance of reading books in general and why you should consider self-help books as an alternative to get out of reading slump while gaining useful knowledge.
Self-help is a book genre that falls under the category of non-fiction and can be read at any point of time. There is no fixed rule on how one should read a non-fiction book which indicates that you can skip some chapters of the book if you don’t find it relevant.
Reading books in general is a good form of stress-coping mechanism and an amazing hobby to pick up as you can broaden your list of vocabulary and work on your language skill.
Self-help books essentially provide one with methods on how to handle real life situations as it discusses problems that many of us are facing such as anxiety, depression and unproductiveness.
It is also a great option for those who are in a reading slump (which is, according to urban dictionary, defined as the state where readers face difficulties in reading due to lack of focus) because self-help books have no definite orders or storyline. Henceforth, this allows one to not only skip the chapter that they find meaningless, but also enables one to read multiple books all at once!
Enough of the explanation.
Here are a list of self-help books that are actually helpful (to me and many other people out there!) :
- “Atomic Habits by James Clear”
This is one of the most popular self help books for a really good reason. The book effectively explains how micro habits can change and enhance on the quality of one’s daily routine. On top of that, it also emphasises on the need to be consistent with habits that we’ve picked in order to see greater outcome in the long run. It is a perfect book for those who wish to improve on the quality of their life whilst trying to do something beneficial.
- “How To Heal Yourself When No One Else Can” by Amy B. Scher
I personally discovered this book a few weeks ago. Upon discovering about it, I decided to purchase a digital copy of it and it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. This book highlights on the journey towards self healing, which requires one to acknowledge and accept his or her feelings in order to create a healthy relationship with their own self. Healing is a lifetime journey which is time consuming and each of us has got the choice to either show up and decide to start the change or continue to live our life in misery and darkness.
Whether or not do we make this journey worthwhile, it depends entirely on us and how determined we are in healing ourselves. It also stresses on the need for everyone to start practising self love, because after all, we are not really in need of self help. We are in need of self love. This book provides methods on how to practice self healing, and interesting enough, one of the suggested methods includes praying. If you wish to start your journey towards healing, then this is the book for you!
- “Don’t Be Sad” by A’id al-Qarni
This is the Islamic version of a self-help book that is very beneficial and it is a must have for every Muslim out there because I am very sure that all of us go through some sort of hurdles and difficulties from time to time. Henceforth, this book serves as a good reminder that this world is a temporary station for us all and that Allah is always there for us.
Reading a self-help book with Islamic elements as its main core hits differently because it will knock some senses into one’s mind into understanding that the world itself is full of test and we must play our part in ensuring that we strive towards becoming a better Muslim. This book talks about various aspects of life such as isolation, disabilities, hardship and death.
I hope that these books would help you in your journey of becoming the better version of yourself. It is never too late to change, remember that! ***