As we all deal with a second lockdown, it’s even more important to address and manage our mental health and wellbeing. Here's this month's list of our top five books to help boost happiness, performance and wellbeing.
A Little Happier: Notes for Reassurance by Derren Brown
(Bantam Press, Hardback/Ebook/Audiobook, October 2020)
Illusionist Derren Brown has condensed the lessons from his international bestseller Happy into this short, accessible handbook. Each lesson challenges us to think differently about the meaning of happiness and learn to overcome anxiety in an increasingly challenging world. Divided into 17 bite-sized chapters, Brown's lessons focus on various topics including reasons to be wary of goal setting and why we should accept that our partners aren't right for us.
Failosophy: A Handbook for When Things Go Wrong by Elizabeth Day
(HarperCollins, Hardback/Ebook/Audiobook, October 2020)
Elizabeth Day, journalist and author of How to Fail, is back with a reassuring guide for when things don’t go to plan. Aimed at turning failure into success, this guide features lessons she has learned over the years, including lessons from the conversations she's had with guests on her award-winning How to Fail podcast, as well as insights from Malcolm Gladwell, Alain de Botton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and more.
How to be Strategic by Fred Pelard
(Penguin Business, Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook, October 2020)
Fred Pelard has been teaching strategic thinking to CEOs and senior management at major companies for 20 years and believes that superior strategic thinking skills boil down to two things: a specific mindset and a wide toolset. How to Be Strategic is a practical and accessible guide to learning and developing your strategic thinking in any situation.
Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind) by Rebecca Seal
(Souvenir Press, Paperback/Ebook, September 2020)
When Rebecca Seal started writing Solo in 2019, she didn’t realise how relevant and prescient the book would be for 2020. As a writer and TV presenter, Seal has been a freelancer for over a decade and began a quest to understand how remote working affects us and how to thrive at work and live full personal lives away from work. This is a must for anyone working from home, whether you’re a freelancer or working for a large organisation.
A Toolkit for Modern Life: 53 Ways to Look After Your Mind by Dr Emma Hepburn
(Quercus, Hardback/Ebook/Audiobook, September 2020)
Featuring her trademark illustrations, clinical psychologist Dr Emma Hepburn guides us through a range of mental health tools using evidence-based models to help us live our lives more effectively. This toolkit is for anyone wanting to develop positive habits to address everything from managing feelings of imposter syndrome and identifying what causes our anxiety, to overcoming the fear of making mistakes and learning to challenge our inner critic.
If you have any thoughts, experiences, news or advice on workplace wellbeing that you would like to share, please see our submission page for more information.