Self Esteem, Self Love and Self Care are 3 topics that can be very difficult to discuss with others. Speaking with a trusted friend, pastor or therapist are great options, but there are also some great books out there that can help you face the negative thoughts and feelings you may have about yourself, your looks, etc. Here are some great titles…
Updated: May 2018
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When Food Is Love: Exploring the Relationship Between Eating and Intimacy – “Geneen Roth shows how dieting and emotional eating often become a substitute for intimacy. Drawing on her own painful personal experiences, as well as the candid stories of those she has helped in her seminars, Roth examines the crucial issues that surround emotional eating: need for control, dependency on melodrama, desire for what is forbidden, and the belief that one wrong move can mean catastrophe. She shows why many people overeat in an attempt to satisfy their emotional hunger, and why weight loss frequently just uncovers a new set of problems. But her welcome message is that change is possible.” |
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Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person – “The instant New York Times bestseller from the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal and executive producer of How to Get Away With Murder shares how saying YES changed her life.” |
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Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People – “Gayle King shares her favorite inspiring letters from the popular CBS This Morning segment Note to Self, in which twenty-first century luminaries pen advice and encouragement to the young people they once were.” |
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Until Today!: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind – “Shift your attitude and live your best life with this inspiring collection of 365 daily devotionals from New York Times bestselling author and star of the OWN Network’s hit show Iyanla: Fix My Life.” |
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Things I Wish I Knew Before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day – “Ty Alexander of Gorgeous in Grey is one of the top bloggers today. She has a tremendous personal connection with her readers. This is never more apparent than when she speaks about her mother. The pain of loss is universal. Yet, we all grieve differently. For Alexander, the grieving process is one that she lives with day-to-day. Learning from her pain, Alexander connects with her readers on a deeply emotional level in her debut book, Things I Wish I Knew before My Mom Died: Coping with Loss Every Day. From grief counseling to sharing insightful true stories, Alexander offers comfort, reassurance, and hope in the face of sorrow.” |
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Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting – “Black Pain identifies emotional pain — which uniquely and profoundly affects the Black experience — as the root of lashing out through desperate acts of crime, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, workaholism, and addiction to shopping, gambling, and sex. Few realize these destructive acts are symptoms of our inner sorrow. Black people are dying. Everywhere we turn, in the faces we see and the headlines we read, we feel in our gut that something is wrong, but we don’t know what it is. It’s time to recognize it and work through our trauma.” |
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Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery – “In Sisters of the Yam, bell hooks reflects on the ways in which the emotional health of black women has been and continues to be impacted by sexism and racism. Desiring to create a context where black females could both work on their individual efforts for self-actualization while remaining connected to a larger world of collective struggle, hooks articulates the link between self-recovery and political resistance.” |
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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom – A New York Times bestseller for over 8 years. “Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.” |
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In the Company of My Sisters: Black Women and Self Esteem – “In the Company of My Sisters” is the first book by a Black psychotherapist to address the issue of self-esteem in Black women’s lives. Julia A. Boyd has drawn from a wealth of experience–her own and that of her “sister circle”–to take a hard and honest look at the realities and issues Black women face. “I wrote this book to validate and celebrate who we are, ” Julia Boyd has said.” |
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Micro-Resilience: Minor Shifts for Major Boosts in Focus, Drive, and Energy – “As leadership consultants and executive trainers, Bonnie St. John and Allen P. Haines have heard the same complaints from clients for years; periodic burnout, lack of focus and low energy. So they dug into the latest research on neuroscience, psychology and physiology looking for big answers. Instead they found small answers; proof that small adjustments in daily routines, including thought patterns, food and drink, rest and movement can fight the forces that sap our energy and store focus and drive. They call these amazing efficient restorative techniques ‘micro-resilience.'” |
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The Self-Esteem Workbook – “This classic is still the most comprehensive guide on the subject and the only book that offers proven cognitive techniques for talking back to your self-critical voice” |
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The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – “In her ten guideposts, Brown engages our minds, hearts, and spirits as she explores how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, ‘No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough,’ and to go to bed at night thinking, ‘Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.'” |
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The Search For Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God’s Eyes – Over 2 million copies in print. “Robert McGee’s best-selling book has helped millions of readers learn how to be free to enjoy Christ’s love while no longer basing their self-worth on their accomplishments or the opinions of others.” |
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Deborah Hopper says
I can just know these books will be benificual to me, thank you really use a reality check when it comes to self-esteem,