Books on Resiliency, Inner Strength, Assertiveness, etc
 

I'm looking for book recommendations on the following:

-Standing strong in your own truth
-Emotional Resilience
-Self-empowerment
-Inner strength
-Getting past your past
-Assertiveness
-Setting boundaries & following through on them
-Self-awareness & growth
-Adulting & standing strong on your own two feet
-Courage & pushing through fear/procrastination

Thanks!!

Almost any Brene Brown book but start with Daring Greatly. It focuses on building emotional resilience, shame fighting, some really important things in all areas of our lives.

This is my exact recommendation too. I just say it so often, I didn't want to be the first again, lol.

Daring Greatly and her audio recording, The Power of Vulnerability pretty well covers your entire list.

Pathway......If you fancy a scholarly dissection of self-esteem....then, I suggest the books by Dr. Nathaniel Branden.....he has been recognized in the fields of psychiatry/psychology on the subject of self esteem.
If you are interested...I suggest that you check out the book reviews on amazon,com...before purchasing....to be sure that the book will fit your interest....
I suggest this, because I think it all goes back to basic self esteem....

Hi Pathwaytofree,

Candy Paull's "The Heart of Abundance" made a huge difference in my recovery. It's little pieces of wisdom from many people. As I read through sections, I take what helps in the moment and leave the rest. Sometimes it's simply a phrase, a thought, a new mantra that strengthens me through the day. In this, one day at a time, I naturally become stronger, more resilient, I know my own truth and am able to speak it. :)


It's a free Kindle book:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00472O6I4/

Current book I'm reading is "Healing from Hidden Abuse" by Shannon Thomas.

As I understand what has/is going on around me, I gain new strength and direction in dealing with it.

My assertiveness is no longer against other people, it's used to guide each day in good, healthy, positive ways. Often that means not including certain people in events or this day at hand, and I know in the core of me that's okay. That it can be a really good, healthy thing for me & kid. :)

Another:

Wisdom of the Wound: Discovering a Path to Wholeness by Neil Bricco

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post your recommendations.

I have Daring Greatly and will move it up to to the top of my reading pile.

PS - I should've clarified at this point in my life, I'm interested in "how-to" and not the "why".

Yep - I stand by recommending Brene's work. Even DD quotes her on a regular basis. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you finish it as well!

I look forward to reading it! I was going to start Codependents No More but I'll start her book first.

Who is DD?

Sorry, acronyms - Dear Daughter. (DS = Dear Son)

She is 14, so I often abbreviate it to DD14.

(both good books, you can't go wrong!)

Hey PTF, those are some great topics to explore. I have nothing to recommend, just wanted to say "hey".

About the only thing I read nowadays besides AA/OA literature is detective murder mysteries and true crime.

Brene Brown for sure. But a book that helped me so much was The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer. For me, it was life changing. Also his interview on Super Soul Sunday with Oprah was really good, that's what prompted me to read his book. You won't be sorry, great book.

You might find some other suggestions here, too: https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...d-members.html

I'm going to jump on the Brene Brown bandwagon too. A friend from SR was kind enough to send me audio versions of some of Brene's work the summer that XAH and I divorced. I have a job where I spend a lot of time driving, and I listened to those plus more from the library. They went a long way towards helping me get through those first scary months on my own. I recently plugged some of Brene back in and listened again, 3 years later, and there is even more there, so much I didn't pick up on the first listen--I wasn't ready or able to understand then, but now I am. I suspect the same thing will happen when I listen again in another couple of years.

How about alternating between reading "Co-dependent No More" and Brene Brown? Or maybe read one and get the other in an audio format so you can listen in your car? I think they complement each other and don't think you can go wrong w/either one.

I printed out the following quote from Brene and hung it on my kitchen wall for several months, just to remind myself:

https://s22.postimg.cc/4oey1g2jl/400...36d0ba1a_b.jpg

I've listened to The Power of Vulnerability at least 3x & still hear something "new" each time. I know that's because as I heal, my recovery evolves - upward spirals/layers of growth. I envision it as the opposite to how we compare all that deep, internal work to peeling an onion down one layer at a time.


So - imagine my surprise when I was Goodwill shopping on Saturday morning with DD & OF COURSE she insisted on spending a fair amount of time in the books section. (I lol a little because in the age of tech she still somehow recognizes that there's nothing quite like actually reading a book.)

A copy of "Daring Greatly" practically trips me when I walk by. I've never EVER seen a copy of any of her books at a thrift store & it's been a long time since I initially read this one. It's cost is what I need for my purchases to earn me my "stamp" which makes me laugh again & I when I open it up, the previous owner has colorfully highlighted the first two-thirds of the book. It's like reading it through yet ANOTHER perspective & although I hesitated, I couldn't pass it up. I must need to read this again ~now~ for some reason, so I'm going to.

I also picked up a really great bio on Nirvana & am reading both of them in tandem. I love rock & roll Bios.

I forgot about that link honeypig - thanks!


I actually came back to this thread to strongly recommend The Four Agreements, which I'm also listening to on audio, slowly. DD is reading it this summer/fall as well because I felt like it was a good time for her first read-through with it since she was starting high school. I was elated to find out later that her school actually uses this as a fundamental guide for the students in terms of their approach toward life.

This is another of "those" books that I've read many times throughout my life & am not done yet. At the first read-through, I promptly tossed it aside after getting to Agreement 2 - Don't Take Anything Personally. Sure. Riiiiight. Not. But the other 3 were totally relatable so I thought of it as "good, but....."

The 2nd time, I was ready to hear that point all the way through & appreciate the details of the other 3 with more clarity & life experience.

I've lost track now of how many times I've read it - it is a fundamental book on the rules of LIFE to me - it's how to reduce every Big Thing down to something super simple in the big picture & find detachment & peace along the way. It is not religious but it reads spiritually.

This year we got the 48-card deck that they made to accompany the book for our office. Every day, and especially on days when we feel we are in struggle, we pull a random card & it never fails to strike a chord with whatever we are feeling challenged with at the time.

I know for some, this is a tough read but when it strikes a chord with you, it strikes with heavy resonance.

This thread has been incredibly helpful!!!

Thank you everyone who posted!!! :You_Rock_:tyou

Firesprite The power of vulnerability is listed on Amazon for $1300 for the paperback and $50 for the cd. :-( I also have been meaning to read The four agreements. My new sponsor recommended that. I love the idea of the "deck" for it. I have one of those for Tolle's Power of Now.

FindingAmyUntethered Soul is another book I've been wanting to read. I tried to read it once and I couldn't get into it. I will try it again. I remember watching the interview on Supersoulsunday as well.

Ringo123 Hi! Nice to see you on this thread! I liked that you included what else you read. I sometimes need the reminder to not be so recovery-based with everything I do. ;-)

honeypigThanks for the link!

August, Mango, and DandylionThank you for your recommendations, too! :tyou

I borrowed mine from the public library! I could NEVER afford all the books I read... that has been a problem of mine throughout life. When I was young they lifted the "max allowed" that I was allowed to borrow at a time rule because the librarians got tired of seeing me walk to & from the library so often. I remember having to always make sure I had bags with me because I could never carry them all in my arms without them spilling over everywhere as I walked. Books were an expensive hobby when you devoured them like I did as a child - sometimes reading 2 per day in the summer months. That was often my escape as a child of an alcoholic.

Ours has an extensive section to borrow & even more available online through other affiliates they are partnered with. It might be worth checking into locally.

Again I'm going to piggyback on another post--your local library is most likely a GREAT place to find a lot of the recommended books. My local library is part of a multi-county system, with the entire catalog of books, CDs, DVDs, etc., available online. If I want a particular item, I just go to the website, sign in, find the item and put it on hold. It will be shipped, free of charge, to the library at which I've chosen to pick it up, usually in a couple of days but sometimes taking longer if another person has it checked out or if there is a list of holds. It's a phenomenal service, and a use of my tax dollars that I wholeheartedly approve of!

Two used-book sources that I've found to be very reasonably priced are:
AbeBooks https://www.abebooks.com/
Thrift Books https://www.thriftbooks.com/

This is so sweet you found a hobby like reading as an escape when you were little. And so kind of the librarians to lift the maximum books for you. That's a great hobby to have. (My escape/hobby was music).

I use the local library too. I don't know why I hadn't thought to check there.

That's a great idea. My local library searches surrounding towns in the entire county for me, for free.