Top 3 Best Self-Help Books Of 2016

As each year closes I like to offer my top self-help books of the year.
Here are my choices for 2016.
In reverse order…

No 3 – If I Could Tell You Just One Thing (Richard Reed)

 Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk

If you could offer someone just one piece of advice, which you’ve learned over your lifetime, what would it be? This book is full of interesting anecdotes and insights into what some very high profile people have learned and the wisdom they have to offer. From Presidents to sports stars, from Hollywood greats to political activists, Richard Reid has collected together their most valuable advice.

• We read things such as “look for the pluses in life. Being negative completely erodes everything,” from multi award winner actress Dane Judi Dench.
• From Corporal Andy Reid, whose legs and one arm were blown of in Afghanistan by an IED, on coping with adversity, “Don’t look back on what has happened, look forward, just crack on.”
• And from Lily Ebert, an Auschvitz survivor, “Make always the best from what you have, no matter how little it is.” This is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it to dip into and be inspired by.

No 2 – A Mindfulness Guide For the Frazzled (Ruby Wax)

 Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk

Following on from her hugely successful and excellent Sane New World: Taming The Mind, Ruby Wax’s new book is essentially championing Mindfulness practice. And she does this brilliantly. She brings us a 6 week course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MCBT) – which has been researched and proven to be effective for many mental health problems –  to help us develop a mindfulness practice which could benefit us.

We hear so much about Mindfulness, which is essentially the art of paying attention, it can be hard to know which book to choose.

This is thoroughly researched, Ruby herself has a Masters degree in MCBT which stands out among the many mindfulness books which are available. If you want to see if Mindfulness can help you, then this is the perfect book to start with.

No 1 – The Little Book Of Hygge: The Danish Way To Live Well (Meik Wiking)

 Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk

The Danish know a lot about happiness. They are in the top ten countries on the worldwide happiness list. They study happiness. In the words of the author Meik Wiking,

“I have the best job in the world. I study what makes people happy. At The Happiness Research Institute, which is an independent think-tank focusing on welllbeing, happiness and quality of life, we explore the causes and effects of human happiness and work towards improving the quality of life of citizens across the world.”

The word ‘HYGGE’ originates from a Norwegian word meaning ‘wellbeing.’ We struggle to find a direct translation for the word in English but it encompasses so many things which we know to be vital to our wellbeing and happiness. Meik Wiking shares these with us in a beautifully presented book, which is a joy to open and look at. I feel HYGGE just looking at the pages! He reminds us, or helps us see, the things which can make us truly happy. Among the many books which have exploded on Hygge, this one stands out. It’s my No 1 in self-help this year.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Top 3 self-help books of the year – I wonder what yours have been?
As this is my last post of 2016, I want to thank everyone who is part of the Be Your Own Counsellor & Coach community of readers. I look forward to sharing more with you during 2017.
I will leave you now, sending all good wishes for the holiday season and for the upcoming New Year. I hope 2017 will be full of good things for you.
Ruth