Suggested reading:

Please remember that therecomended reading shared are not a substitute for therapeutic work done with a therapist, counsellor or life coach. Make sure you seek professional help if you are suffering from any symptoms that are disrupting your mental health, physical health or regular sleep patterns.

Choose the Life You Want: The Mindful Way to Happiness

By Tal Ben-Shahar

There is much to be said about Positive Psychology and its contribution towards a positive and happier approach to life. In his New York Times bestseller Happier, positive psychology expert Tal Ben-Shahar taught us how to become happier through simple exercises.

Now, in CHOOSE THE LIFE YOU WANT, he has a new, life-changing lesson to share: Drawing on the latest psychological research, Ben-Shahar shows how making the right choices - not the big, once-in-a-lifetime choices, but the countless small choices we make every day almost without noticing - has a direct, long-lasting impact on our happiness.

Every single moment is an opportunity to make a conscious choice for a happy and fulfilled life. CHOOSE THE LIFE YOU WANT covers 101 such choices, complete with real-life stories, to help you identify and act on opportunities large and small

Though this book was written a while back, its lessons are at least as relevant today as were then. It is a book that helps you think about choices and can give encourage you to get ‘unstuck’ from life’s rough and tumble.

Resilience: A Jewish Guide to Facing Adversity, Fostering Strength and Living Your Best Life

By Dr Leslie M. Gutman

An intelligently written book offering therapists and individuals seeking self-help the perfect blend of Torah insights and wellbeing tools backed up by rigorous academic research.
Dr Leslie Gutman has created an honest and inspirational resource offering accessible exercises to help individuals build resilience and rediscover their inner strength. While bravely and realistically acknowledging the heartbreak caused by adversity and challenges, the book emanates positivity, strength and hope. The seamless blend of Torah values, psychological self-help exercises and research-based evidence makes this book a work of art that is user-friendly, practical and informative.

The Gifts Of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

by Brene Brown

Each day we face a barrage of images and messages from society and the media telling us who, what, and how we should be. We are led to believe that if we could only look perfect and lead perfect lives, we'd no longer feel inadequate. So most of us perform, please, and perfect, all the while thinking, 'What if I can't keep all of these balls in the air? Why isn't everyone else working harder and living up to my expectations? What will people think if I fail or give up? When can I stop proving myself?'

In The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown, Ph.D., a leading expert on shame, authenticity and belonging, shares what she's learned from a decade of research on the power of Wholehearted Living a way of engaging with the world from a place of worthiness. 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.'

Positivity Bias

Practical wisdom for positive living inspired by the life and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

by Mendel Kalmenson

Through a mixture of nature, nurture, social conditioning and free will, we each possess a personalized lens that frames, forms, clouds and distorts the way we see ourselves and the world around us. In order to live the most meaningful life and effective way possible, each of us needs to continually assess and adjust the default frames we have developed.

In Positivity Bias, we learn that life is essentially good; that positive perception is applicable and accessible to all; that it derives from objective, rational insight, not subjective, wishful imagination, and that positive living is a matter of choice, not circumstances.

An inspiring and life-enriching tapestry woven from hundreds of stories, letters, anecdotes and vignettes - Positivity Bias highlights how the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, considered the most influential rabbi in modern history, taught us to see ourselves, others and the world around us.

Overcoming Worry and Generalised Anxiety Disorder - A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural Thechniques, 2nd Edition

By Kevin Meares & Mark Freeston

Up to 44 in every 1000 adults suffer from a condition known as Generalised Anxiety Disorder. This is much more than the normal worrying we all do - it can be a debilitating disorder leading to significant personal and social problems and sometimes financial loss.

Using established and proven CBT techniques, expert clinicians Kevin Meares and Mark Freeston help readers to understand that it is their propensity to worry, not the multitude of problems they worry about, that is the root of the problem.

The user-friendly, step-by-step approach explains why they worry, how to recognise what feeds it and develop effective methods of dealing with it. With each step the authors introduce new ideas that add to the picture of worry, and use questionnaires, exercises and tasks to help the reader understand and then challenge unhelpful habits and beliefs.

Overcoming Depression: A self- help guide using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques

By Paul Gilbert

If you suffer from depression you are far from alone. Depression is very common, affecting over 300 million people around the world. Written by Professor Paul Gilbert, internationally recognised for his work on depression, this highly acclaimed self-help book has been of benefit to thousands of people including sufferers, their friends and families, and those working I the medical profession. This fully revised third edition has been extensively updated and rewritten to reflect over ten years of new research on understanding and treating depression, particularly the importance of developing compassionate ways of thinking, behaving and feeling. It contains helpful case studies and new, easy-to-follow, step-by-step suggestions and exercises to help you understand your depression and lift your mood.