Looking for some new additions to your self-care routine? Grabbing a good book is a great way to reclaim some peaceful time for yourself amidst the chaos of everyday life. More than that, it is an excellent way to continue to learn and grow from the comfort of your own home. If your schedule requires you to multitask, which we already know it does, mama, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite books about self-growth and wellness. Now when you sit down to read you can take time to expand your mind while also giving it a chance to rest. And trust us, here at The Cool Mom Co., we know how important self-care truly is!!
You might know author Morgan Harper Nichols from her popular Instagram account. A multi-talented artist, Nichols is known for her inspirational art and poetry that she shares online. Her encouraging attitude comes through just as clearly in her debut book. It centers on the art of finding and maintaining inner peace. But if you’ve been burned by self-help books spouting toxic positivity in the past, fear not! Nichols takes a realistic approach to finding peace, knowing that sometimes the best path is admitting that you are not okay and need a little extra help.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? By Dr. Julie Smith
As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Julie Smith knows firsthand that mental health is just as important as physical health. She also knows that not everyone has the tools to take care of their mind. Creating accessible mental health help has been a huge part of her career. Her videos and TikToks offer great educational content in easily digestible form. Her book is just as easy to dive into with bite-sized entries designed to help you with your specific challenge. Her emphasis on mental resilience and building confidence is helpful for anyone who struggles with anxiety and uncertainty.
If you’d rather sort through your spouse’s smelly gym laundry than sit through another dry self-help book, Tara Schuster’s debut novel is the one for you. A former Vice President of Talent and Development at Comedy Central, Schuster experienced monumental success by the time she was in her late twenties. To the outside world, she was living the dream. But inside, she struggled with deep feelings of anxiety. After a long journey, she discovered the power of small daily rituals to give her life purpose and peace. In her book, she offers up her hard-won lessons and techniques to readers, with a healthy dose of unflinchingly honest comedy.
Already Enough: A Path to Self-Acceptance by Lisa Olivera
Lisa Olivera’s early life sounds like something from a movie. At just a few hours old, she was abandoned by her birth mother behind a rock in the woods. When she was older, her adoptive parents revealed her sad origin story to her leading to a long struggle with feelings of inadequacy.
In her books, she takes readers on her journey toward reclaiming her self-worth. A therapist herself, Olivera uses her story to help encourage readers to reclaim their own. She guides readers through changing the narratives they create for themselves and recognizing that they are 100% enough.
Savor Every Bite: Mindful Ways to Eat, Love your Body, and Live with Joy by Lynn Rossi, Ph.D
Is your relationship with food and your body…well, a little complicated? Maybe you’ve tried a variety of solutions but haven’t found the one that worked for you.
Lynn Rossi, a health psychologist, suggests that the key to creating a peaceful relationship with food is through practicing mindfulness. The president of the Center for Mindful Eating, Rossy’s book offers practical solutions and positive coping strategies. Through a series of daily tips and tools, Rossy helps readers cultivate a thoughtful and sustainable mindfulness practice.
After years as a therapist, Dr. Claire Nicogossian started to notice recurring patterns in the mothers that she treated. Most of them struggled with feelings of unworthiness and guilt as both mothers and partners. A mother herself, these feelings were all too familiar to Nicogossian, who set off on her mission to help parents better understand the complicated feelings parenthood can bring up.
If you struggle to take care of yourself and find your own worth, while balancing the challenges of parenthood, this is the perfect book for you. In a kind, non-judgmental way, Nicogossian helps readers name and understand the origins of the negative emotions they may be keeping suppressed while helping them find inner peace inside and outside of parenthood.