These self-help and mindfulness books will change your life.
I know they did mine. Growing up, I didn’t really have anyone I could turn to for advice. But I learned from an early age to turn to books to find the wisdom I craved—it’s what inspired me to become a writer myself. And once I found these self-help and mindfulness books in my mid-20s, my self-growth flew to a whole new level.
I really dove into my personal and spiritual development in 2015, when I was hitting a point of rock bottom in my life and studying yoga and meditation in order to heal and become a teacher myself. I had spent most of my adolescence and 20s lost, depressed, and making bad choices. But I also knew that there was a way to be happier, and I wanted to learn everything I could about how to do that. When I say these books changed my life, I mean it. They helped teach me how to think and expanded my awareness about what life is, as well as who I am and who I can become.
Whether you’re feeling lost or just craving some powerful inspiration and motivation from the top thought leaders in the world, these self-help books are just what you need. I’ve read them all multiple times now, and I know I’ll continue to re-read them as my life goes on.
I hope these books help support you on your own journey to self-growth and actualization.
You CAN be happy. You can be fulfilled. You can be the person you’ve always dreamed of being. There’s a better way to live, and these books will teach you how. It all starts with getting to know yourself and healing past wounds through mindfulness.
By the way—all of the below books are linked to Bookshop, which is an amazing website that supports local, independent bookstores. I’ve been trying to buy less from Amazon lately in an effort to shop small businesses, and so I hope you’ll join me in purchasing your books from this awesome online store!
Now, let’s get to the good stuff—the book list:
THE TOP 10 SELF-HELP BOOKS TO LEARN ABOUT MINDFULNESS AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH
1. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
If I could only recommend ONE book to you, it would be this. Hands down, The Power of Now wins. Talk about a life-changer; this single book completely changed who I am and how I think. Which sounds dramatic, but it’s true. Reading this book is when I really first began to understand meditation and made the commitment to start my own practice. Eckhart Tolle is a world-renowned spiritual leader, and in this book he teaches how to find enlightenment through becoming more fully present in the NOW.
I definitely recommend reading a hard copy of this book instead of getting an audiobook because you’ll want to really focus and give this book the mindful presence it teaches about. I’m normally a big audiobook fan, but trust me, you’ll want your full attention for this and the other books on this list!
2. Stay Woke by Justin Michael Williams
I discovered Justin Michael Williams a year ago when I was researching my Master List of Black Wellness Leaders, and he has since become my BIGGEST spiritual and mindfulness teacher. Like, I’m committed. I’ve taken all of his courses, which include The Liberation Experience (on conscious activism) and 40 Days to Transformation (a transformative meditation practice). He is my top recommendation for learning meditation, because he teaches in a way that is real, accessible, and inclusive—his message is that through our own spiritual growth and personal development, we can go on to change the world.
And the best way to access all his wisdom is in his incredible book, Stay Woke. It teaches all the essentials of meditation and mindfulness in a modern, fresh way I’ve never seen before in the spiritual space, but is sorely needed. As the title says: it’s A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. Also, you definitely need the hard copy of this book, too, because it’s more of a workbook, really, with spaces for you to practice exercises and reflect.
3. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
I’m going to give you a little (non) spoiler. What ARE The Four Agreements? Well, they are:
1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.
This must-read book by Don Miguel Ruiz is short, but incredibly powerful. If you really follow these four simple-yet-complex life rules, which the book explores in detail, your entire way of approaching life will change.
This quick read teaches you how to stop self-limiting beliefs and needless suffering. I actually have an awesome Etsy poster of these Four Agreements framed on my wall, as a way to constantly remind myself of this effective code for living a full life.
4. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
I STAN Brené Brown. I was once talking to my husband and brought her up and asked if he knew who she was—and he responded that if, after being married to me all those years, if he didn’t know who Brené Brown, there’d be a serious problem. Safe to say I talk about her and her work a lot.
Specifically, Brené is a researcher and professor, focusing for over 20 years on the study of courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy in a very data-driven, realistic way that’s also full of profound wisdom and heart. All of her books are must-reads (the first one I read was The Gifts of Imperfection), but if you could only pick one, I’d tell you to read Daring Greatly to get a solid full scope of her teachings.
This self-help book will make you rethink vulnerability as Brené proves that it’s the real source of courage, as well as the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. After all, mindfulness is not just about checking your thoughts—it’s about tapping into your heart to show up as the fullest version of yourself, and that requires brave, authentic vulnerability.
5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
I love a self-help and personal growth book that keeps it REAL. And it doesn’t get realer than Mark Manson‘s no-bullshit bestseller, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck. It’s an incredibly entertaining read while also delivering some major truthbombs.
Mark is an OG blogger, providing “life advice that doesn’t suck.” His work is always full of heavily-researched science and data to back his hilarious and intelligent writing style.
In the book, Mark explains how to stop trying to be positive all the time in order to actually be happy, and how to let go of stress you don’t really need. There are only so many things we can give a fuck about, so we need to figure out which ones really matter. It’s an approach to mindfulness that tells it like it is—life is sometimes really messed up and shit happens. But we control how we react to it all in order to free ourselves.
6. The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein
This book is all about how to make the shift from fear to faith. It goes down a deeper spiritual path than the rest on this list, showing you how to trust the Universe (or God, or whatever you call life’s Higher Power). It takes mindfulness to the next level—by teaching you how to step out of your own way and call in an energetic frequency of faith to co-create your best life.
My good friend Courteney introduced me to spiritual leader Gabrielle (Gabby) Bernstein years ago, when I first mentioned I wanted to try to get into self-help books. At the time, I was the Queen of Control—I wanted to have full control over everything in my life, and was easily stressed and panicked when things weren’t going according to my plan. Through Gabby’s work, I’ve learned how to surrender and feel safe even in the face of uncertainty. The Universe Has Your Back has been the most impactful of the books I’ve read by Gabby (though they’re all amazing), and helped me learn how to clearly listen to my intuition.
7. Man’s Search For Meaning by Dr. Viktor E. Frankl
Dr. Viktor Frankl was a Jewish professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School—and during WWII, he was imprisoned for three years in Auschwitz, Dachau, and other concentration camps. Talk about someone who can impart some DEEP wisdom on how to get through the most painful of circumstances. Because of his experience as a psychiatrist, Dr. Frankl was able to observe and analyze the various ways his fellow prisoners reacted to their shared horrific experiences. He noticed that some were able to endure more easily than others, and that choosing to transform and find meaning in the suffering was often at the core.
From this, Frankl developed his theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”): that the primary human drive is not pleasure, but rather the discovery and pursuit of meaning. Man’s Search For Meaning is a slim book, but every line is dripping with wisdom; my copy is very heavily underlined, and yours will be, too. It’s heavy but powerfully inspiring.
8. The Choice by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
Dr. Edith (“Edie”) Eva Eger was also imprisoned at Auschwitz at the same time as Viktor Frankl. However, while he was already a psychiatrist and an adult at that time, Edith was only a 16 year old girl. Her unique perspective on the experience is the perfect accompaniment to Man’s Search For Meaning (I read it right after) because she had to take those traumatic young years and figure out how to heal all on her own.
She explains that the way through this traumatic time in her life was by realizing that while we can’t always control what happens to us, we are always in control of how we react. We have the CHOICE of how we will interpret and respond to the events. Edith chose to remain hopeful even in the darkest of possible circumstances, and it allowed her to continue forward and become an incredibly influential teacher and psychologist herself—Viktor Frankl even became her mentor years after the Holocaust.
Edith is now in her 90s and continuing to thrive, radiating positivity and wisdom. She is a stunning force to learn from, and The Choice is one of those books that will change you—because if she could survive, despite the worst of tragedies, then we can tap into the power of our minds to overcome our own obstacles, too.
9. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Chances are, you’ve heard of Untamed. It became a huge bestseller in 2020, and for good reason. Glennon Doyle is a radical feminist, activist, and human—radical in that she does not hold back in speaking the truth and shining a light on all the ways life and society tries to imprison us. While this memoir speaks especially to the experience of being a woman, and how to find empowerment despite all the messaging trying to limit our expression, everyone should read this.
This book explores how joy and inner peace can be found once you start trusting your own intuition, self-worth, and strength in life. It will teach you how to stop abandoning yourself, embrace who you really are, and realize your true power.
A little pro tip: start by reading Glennon’s previous book, Love Warrior (also a great read). I read it right before Untamed, and I think it really helps set the stage. Glennon has undergone an incredible transformation in her own life by overcoming addiction, ending a marriage that wasn’t serving her, and discovering she is gay. Having that backstory made Untamed even more powerful to read than I think it’d be going in dark, since you get to follow her on her journey of growth as you find your own full self-expression.
10. You Are The Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza
You Are The Placebo take a more scientific approach in analyzing the power of our thoughts and mindfulness, using the latest discoveries from neuroscience and quantum physics to teach a spiritually profound practice. It’s all about how your thoughts create your reality—literally. The title “you are the placebo” means that your thoughts can either support your physical health, or harm you. Your body is always listening to what’s going on in your mind. There’s immense power behind your beliefs.
Dr. Joe Dispenza discovered this during his own incredible healing journey. After being hit by a car while on his bike, Joe’s spine was shattered, and he was told he would be forever paralyzed. He spent weeks doing intense meditation to focus on healing his body, visualizing the end result of health he desired. And you guessed it—it worked, and he went on to share this wisdom with his own patients in his chiropractic practice and beyond. I read this book prior to undergoing a major surgery, and I’ve used all that I’ve learned in this book to tap into my body’s healing powers to recover. It will make you think about miracles in a whole new light.
» Song Vibes «
My favorite music to listen to when I read is soft jazz, so here’s a playlist to set the mood. Happy reading!
What are your favorite Self-Help and/or Mindfulness Books? Share with the class—drop a note and let me know in the Disqus Comments section below so I can give them a read!
xo,
Amy
Image credit: The top gorgeous book artwork is by Hannah Gabel of HLG Creative (be sure to check out her Instagram @bookmarkparty for all her book recommendations!).
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