I have started reading self-help books in 2017, just after I started my PhD. For me, reading a self-help book about a topic that I struggle with is one of the two primary toolkits that I have in my psychology-management toolbox. The other one is, of course, therapy.
From Feeling Good, one of the very first self-help books, I learned about something called “bibliotherapy,” which I have benefitted from for the past 7 years.
“We are also beginning to learn more about how cognitive therapy works. One important discovery is that self-help seems to be a key to recovery whether or not you receive treatment. In a series of five remarkable studies published in the prestigious Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and in The Gerontologist, Dr. Forest Scogin and his colleagues at the University of Alabama studied the effects of simply reading a good self-help book like Feeling Good—without any other therapy. The name of this new type of treatment is “bibliotherapy” (reading therapy). They discovered that Feeling Good bibliotherapy may be as effective as a full course of psychotherapy or treatment with the best antidepressant drugs. Given the tremendous pressures to cut health care costs, this is of considerable interest, since a paperback copy of the Feeling Good book costs less than two Prozac pills—and is presumably free of any troublesome side effects!”
Burns, David D. . Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy (p. 15). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
I am not sure all the books that I read as self-help books can be considered bibliotherapy, but I know that I have benefited from all of them. So, in this post, I share 40 self-help books that I have read in the last 7 years as
a PhD student dealing with the constant search for outside validation,
a kid who is expected to perform the best by her parents,
a friend who is an overthinker, and
someone who wants to live a healthy, balanced, purposeful life.
I categorized these books as “my favorites,” “good ones,” and “it is okay if you don’t read.”
My favorites.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: https://amzn.to/4hksaBV
The Courage To Be Disliked: https://amzn.to/408J1kL
Talk Like TED: https://amzn.to/3Nso7Ws
The Examined Life: https://amzn.to/4eDY62a
Ego is the Enemy: https://amzn.to/3U9dqM4
Professor Mommy: https://amzn.to/3ZZ4CMy
F**k It: https://amzn.to/3NsdToK
Atomic Habits: https://amzn.to/3A22jOa
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: https://amzn.to/3U9dF9W
How Will You Measure Your Life?: https://amzn.to/3YrbOQt
Thrive: https://amzn.to/3BItFt8
Show Your Work!: https://amzn.to/4fauHwk
The Road Less Travelled: https://amzn.to/3Ysi4Yg
Feeling Good: https://amzn.to/3BHPicV
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?: https://amzn.to/3NqWdtS
The 4-Hour Work Week: https://amzn.to/4eZ5kOF
Feel-Good Productivity: https://amzn.to/4dM3JtN
Million Dollar Weekend: https://amzn.to/4f50Ghr
The Psychology of Money: https://amzn.to/404SSbt
Designing Your Life: https://amzn.to/3U9cPtG
Slow Productivity: https://amzn.to/3BWHGDq
Someday Is Today: https://amzn.to/3BWHRP6
The Happiness Advantage: https://amzn.to/407ymXw
The Pathless Path: https://amzn.to/4f64xL8
Reclaiming Control: https://amzn.to/3Y939Ri
Tuesdays With Morrie: https://amzn.to/4gZcsMl
Good ones.
The Last Lecture (Books): https://amzn.to/4h3bjTV
You Are a Badass: https://amzn.to/4eApdex
The Professor Is In: https://amzn.to/3U6wc6I
Daring Greatly: https://amzn.to/406vFpk
Present Over Perfect: https://amzn.to/4h2zuSn
The Motivation Myth: https://amzn.to/400DlcD
Big Magic: https://amzn.to/3UaNUpJ
So Good They Can't Ignore You (https://amzn.to/4dL3UWn
It’s okay if you don’t read.
Dying to Be Me: https://amzn.to/4eDYAW2
The Leader You Want to Be: https://amzn.to/4dN3Cyl
Rising Strong: https://amzn.to/4dLIZm6
Stillness is the Key: https://amzn.to/3YnJrCs
My Sh*t Therapist: https://amzn.to/4f3uiff
The War for Kindness: https://amzn.to/3Nn5KSG
And I am currently reading “The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)”1, which will definitely be on my favorite list.
Did you read any of these books?
If you think there is a book that I need to read, please share in the comments.
I hope this newsletter motivates you to consider benefitting from bibliotherapy.
Cheers,
Sidika
I am curious to know if you have read all of these books in English. I started reading English books after I watched your videos about improving English. I hope one day I can read books without using a dictionary. Thank you for your email and videos.