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5 min read
These are some of the best books to read for some much needed peace of mind.
After a stressful day (or week), your mind can feel cluttered, busy or just plain loud. It can be tricky to switch off from life’s worries but giving your mind and body time to properly switch off and rest is key for our physical and emotional wellbeing. If you’re wondering where to even begin when it comes to rest, then look no further than the world of literature.
From non-fiction books that delve into ideas around digital decluttering and the attention economy to fiction reads that reflect your own worries and experiences or even transport you to a different world, there are plenty of brilliant books to get stuck into.
So, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best stress-free and restful books to bookmark for your shelves.
The Art Of Rest: How To Find Respite In The Modern Age by Claudia Hammond
How do we unwind and calm ourselves after a stressful day? What do we do to rest? These are just some of the questions that Claudia Hammond aims to explore in The Art Of Rest. It also includes research that Hammond collaborated on, the Rest Test, which is the largest global survey into rest that revealed how people get rest (including the top-10 activities people find most calming) and its link to our wellbeing.
Digital Minimalism: Choosing A Focused Life In A Noisy World by Cal Newport
A digital detox sounds like a great idea on paper but sometimes it can be a lot harder to properly put into practice. And if being online makes you feel anxious or stressed, then this book is for you. In this book, the author talks the reader through how to scale back on digital distractions and use social media and the digital world in a more meaningful way – a digital declutter of sorts.
Milk And Honey by Rupi Kaur
For a more uplifting and heartwarming read, this poetry collection is the ideal read before going to sleep. The book covers a range of themes – from heartache to survival – and Kaur takes the reader through some of the harder moments in life and attempts to find joy and light in them.
How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
The idea of doing nothing and being alone with your thoughts can be a terrifying concept; I know it is for me. In this book, Odell explains how our attention is one of the most important resources we have and how it’s been co-opted by capitalist narratives. She doesn’t push for an anti-technology or nature-focused solution but gives the reader the knowledge and tools to pay attention in a new kind of way.
My Year Of Rest And Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Ever wondered what it would be like to rest and sleep for a year? Well, in My Year Of Rest And Relaxation, the narrator does just that. This is the story of an unnamed woman who, on the surface, seems to have it all – young, pretty, a recent graduate and lives in a New York apartment paid for by her inheritance. But she feels as though something is missing in her life so she decides to take a year where she’s completely sedated to re-evaluate and hide away from the world.
Shop My Year Of Rest And Relaxation from Bookshop.org, £9.49
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
A book I find myself coming back to repeatedly, Convenience Store Woman tells the story of 36-year-old Keiko who has been working in the same supermarket for 18 years. Even though her family wishes she had a ‘normal’ job and wonders why she’s never had a boyfriend, Keiko is happy working in the convenience store and will do anything to keep things that way. The book is relatively short so it’s a light read as well as being a witty and a deeply satisfying story.
The Kindness Method: Changing Habits For Good by Shahroo Izadi
The behavioural change specialist Shahroo Izadi has put together a useful guide with a fresh perspective when it comes to changing habits and behaviours. To begin with, she invites you, the reader, to give yourself a break and be kind to yourself, before moving on to learn how to strengthen your willpower and motivate yourself in a long-term and sustainable way.
The Situationship by Taylor-Dior Rumble
Sometimes you need a written reminder that you should never compromise on choosing yourself and that’s exactly what you get with #Merky Books’s first romcom, The Situationship. It’s a story packed with the joy and messiness of figuring out life with your friends, following the highs and lows of Tia as she tries to figure everything out – starting with her love life.
The Year Of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Joan Didion has written a whole host of books, but one of her standouts serves as a calming reminder about the highs and lows of life: The Year Of Magical Thinking. This was Didion’s attempt to make sense of the loss and grief surrounding her daughter’s illness and the death of her husband. It’s a personal, honest and moving account of marriage, family and life – shedding light on the human experience.
Love, Wine And Other Highs by Lauren Rae
Packed with humour and honesty, Lauren Rae talks us through her experiences of growing up as a Black woman in the early 00s – think bad dates, one-sided friendships, career setbacks and the general struggles of navigating your 20s. She thought she would have it all, but success and happiness didn’t come to her in the way she thought it would. A funny and brilliant memoir that’s so relatable – it gives you peace of mind that life is complicated for us all.
Images: courtesy of publishers
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