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self-help

Happy Ever After

If you believe that happiness comes from being wealthy, successful, educated, married with children, healthy, etc., then read this book, and your beliefs will be challenged. The author, Paul Dolan, is a Professor of Behavioral Science who explores the concept of happiness by challenging societal norms. I enjoyed this book because it has many thought-provoking chapters that made me reflect a lot and gave me a fresh perspective on our society. It stayed with me long after I finished reading it. Title: Happy Ever After:… Read More »Happy Ever After

When Things Fall Apart

I picked up this book during one of the most difficult periods of my life when my son was in intensive care last summer. The anguish was visceral, and there wasn’t a single part of my body that didn’t ache. Colours seemed to vanish from my surroundings, and everything people said, except for those few who genuinely were there for me, had zero impact. Silently, I was screaming that I wanted it all to stop. So, I resonated with the book’s core concept: in moments… Read More »When Things Fall Apart

The Highly Sensitive Person

The Highly Sensitive Person

This book helps highly sensitive people (HSPs) to honour their traits and take care of themselves in a less sensitive society. Sometimes I felt the author was speaking to me directly; other times, I felt like an observer. This is not bad, as it makes this book thought-provoking. The paragraph about medications for HSPs was very interesting. I am deeply moved by things. I’d hate to miss the intense joy of that. Overall, it helped me ask questions, and so I practised a bit more… Read More »The Highly Sensitive Person

Happiness

Happiness

In a world consumed by the pursuit of material success and external appearances, this book offers a profound exploration of what it truly means to be happy. The author, a Buddhist monk, also known as the happiest person in the world, shares his insights on happiness from a scientific, philosophical, and personal perspective. Understanding that we are neither perfect nor completely happy is not a weakness. Right from the start, Ricard clarifies that this book isn’t strictly about Buddhism, yet the essence of Buddhist teachings… Read More »Happiness

The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People

Unfortunately, we all have a few toxic people in our lives. Sometimes, they’re easy to recognize, while at other times, they manifest subtly, and we only realize how dangerous they are after they’ve hurt us. They leave us with psychological and emotional wounds, and it’s usually more painful when the toxic person is a close family member or within our inner circle. Also, if we are highly sensitive individuals, we can be an easy target because we’re especially vulnerable. We need to learn to recognise… Read More »The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People

Who Moved My Cheese? (by Spencer Johnson)

I’ve come across this book countless times in bookshops. It was so in my face that I could hear it shouting: “Read me! You keep seeing me, yet you keep ignoring me!” Now I feel relieved that I’ve read it, although it didn’t have a significant impact on me. In fact, I could have happily continued living without having read it. This book is about change. It tells a very simple story, illustrating the point that nothing is permanent; things keep changing. The four characters,… Read More »Who Moved My Cheese? (by Spencer Johnson)

Buddhism Plain and Simple (by Steve Hagen)

If you are curious about Buddhism and seeking a simple, accessible introduction to its basic concepts, this book is for you. I really enjoyed reading it and found it insightful. My favourite part was the explanation that there’s no permanent “self”. This really got me thinking about the impermanence of everything around us. Everything changes, even the concept of “I”. Another aspect that I liked about this book was its modern and pragmatic style. While it’s rooted in ancient Buddhist philosophy, it speaks directly to… Read More »Buddhism Plain and Simple (by Steve Hagen)

10 Days to Faster Reading (by Abby Marks Beale)

As you might have guessed by now, I love reading. It’s never enough; I only stop reading because I must do something else, not because I’m tired of it. I mainly read non-fiction because I’m curious about the world and have an insatiable appetite to learn. I read every day, but the more I read the more I want to read. So, I looked for something that could help me read faster without compromising comprehension. Based on my research, this book came up as the… Read More »10 Days to Faster Reading (by Abby Marks Beale)

Heal Thy Self (by Saki Santorelli)

As someone who has been interested in mindfulness for a few years now, I was excited to read this book and learn more about how mindfulness can be applied in the context of illness and medicine in general. The book follows the structure of the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn. I found the book less useful than I had hoped because I struggled to follow the format. There was little… Read More »Heal Thy Self (by Saki Santorelli)

Women Who Think Too Much (by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema)

I was hooked on this book from the first page as it got straight to the point.  The first part explained the concept of overthinking and provided potential explanations for why women tend to overthink.  The second part offered practical steps to overcome overthinking in three phases: 1) breaking free of its grip, 2) moving to higher ground and gaining a new perspective, and 3) avoiding future traps. I found the author’s use of the quicksand analogy to be spot-on and effective.  The third part of the… Read More »Women Who Think Too Much (by Susan Nolen-Hoeksema)