Hi everyone,
I’m continuously on a path of self-improvement. That being said I have seen many people I look up to suggest lists of books to read and SWEAR by them as a source of personal improvement.
I love reading and have no problem with reading all the books on these lists.
That being said, I was wondering if from experience they are super useful simply by reading, if you absorb the lessons and advice as you read. I don’t have a lot of extra time and mental capacity (full time student + work) and I’m worried that after reading these books they won’t be that useful without essentially studying them the same way you would a textbook.
Thanks!
The two I’ve actually had a psychologist and a psychotherapist recommend have included a description of the issues they target, and then instructions on how to slowly start working on them as you bump into them in real life. These books don’t present any magic tricks or revolutionary life changes, but ways in which to fight life-hindering issues and find what works for you.
One was about ‘life traps’, coping methods some of us adopt in our childhood that end up getting us through, but also end up hindering our lives as an adult. The book presented some ideas and methods related to schema therapy, in a way that allowed for working on yourself with the guidance of the book.
The second one was about how to increase your general satisfaction in life and reducing anxiety and depression by guiding you to find your core life values, and then bringing more and more activities that involve those values into your life. The idea is you can’t completely rid yourself of negative emotions, but you will find more resilience when involved with things that are truly important to you.
Sadly, neither has been translated to English, but those are the general themes they revolve around. And yes, both were definitely meant as guides on how to start working on yourself, so just reading the book is noto what is supposed to get it done.