Self-help books are some of the most ridiculed in literature due to the preachy attitude many in the genre have; many are written by celebrities ranting on about diet and why mental health isn’t real.

They have been mocked for decades claiming many are filled with lies to make people feel better. However, multiple self-help books can provide readers with different perspectives of life and ways to improve mental well-being that could genuinely impact someone’s life.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Many know Matt Haig for his bestseller, The Midnight Library; however, this man has a collection of some of the most influential self-help books of the past decade. Reasons to Stay Alive is a reflective collection of small stories of things Haig realised when looking back at his most depressive state before he attempted suicide.

The book is, of course, sad but features these snippets of funny stories from Haig’s life; he attempts to show the readers who he is as a person, not a depressed author. The book is filled with lengthy explanations of certain feelings and worries Haig has had but is also littered with short sentences of things that provide a reason for staying alive such as summer mornings and fresh pastries.

It never tries to force you into a particular emotion; it instead acts as a conversation with someone close to you, offering you small things that can help you to stay alive.

A Monk’s Guide to Guide to Happiness by Gelong Thubten

Written by a present Monk in the 21st century, this book is more educational and features a more fleshed-out and detailed perspective from a Monk looking into the present world; it discusses how the Buddhist religion is affected by the modern age of phones and how Buddhist Monks view happiness.

Rather than looking for help or advice, this book explains how Buddhist Monks treat happiness and what they believe the true journey to happiness is.

Much of the book is based on the opinion of Thubten; he talks openly about his experience as a Monk and how he personally sees how happiness is reflected in the outside world compared to that of Buddhism.

Readers can understand a different view on happiness and different ways they can deal with their happiness rather than relating to someone else’s experience of their happiness.

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon by James Norbury

Big Panda and Tiny Dragon is a fictional childlike story of two friends, Big Panda and Tiny Dragon, who go on a long journey together; all the passages in the book are metaphors depicting Buddhist teachings. The metaphors in the book all reach a certain conclusion that living in the moment is far more important than the end goal, and its short and sweet tone means it is easy to pick up on these messages and let them sink into heartfelt quotes that can impact the way you view life.

Quotes like: “I wish this moment could last forever,’ said Tiny Dragon. ‘This moment is all there is,’ smiled Big Panda.’ Ranging to ‘Sometimes you just have to be silly.’

These are small quotes accompanied by a childish tone, yet somehow, they offer more comfort than any other regular piece of advice. The characters are loveable, and rather than listening to an author describe life, hearing it from a panda and a dragon somehow seems more relaxing.

3 Self help books that can actually help you