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Come As You Are
Although Emily's book says it helps you understand and take control of your sex life so you can enjoy more pleasure, it's a lot more than that. It's not just for women either. It can help both men and women understand their bodies and minds and how they work together. Emily dives deep into our brains, its development, and our relationship with sex going all the way back to our infant stages to help us get a grip on our relationship with sex at every stage in our lives. Her book can even help parents find a way to approach talking about sex with their kids, and it can help you build a better relationship with sex and your body.
Be Useful Seven Tools For Life
I would say Arnold's book is more like a mini memoir more than anything. He has a good story though. It's his mindset, determination, and work ethic that really make you admire him and push yourself to do more. It's an easy read if you're looking for that push to reach or find your goals in life.
The Body Keeps The Score
Yes, trauma is part of everyone's life. Some happen to be more horrific than others, but no two people respond the same. Bessel does talk a lot about the trauma and PTSD that veterans face during and after their service, but it goes far beyond that. We are talking about trauma that can start from the moment you are born, the way children learn, understand, and cope with trauma and how it affects them as they grow, and long into their adult lives. Although it is not designed to diagnose you, it can help you understand some of the ways that you behave in certain situations.
Change Your Questions Change Your Life
It was a long read, if you read the whole book. However, it really did help with my personal and professional life. I had originally grabbed it because it was also recommended to me to help with working with my employees. Things were alright with my staff at the first salon I managed; could have been better. When I got to the next salon, it was a continuous shit show. I could not figure out why it was so different with these employees. Yes, it was a different state, had different demographics, and a different demeanor, but things still weren't adding up. I learned that a lot of my frustrations came from my own thoughts, feelings, and assumptions. I had to stop assuming and start asking the right questions to bridge the gap. There are great stories of both personal and business relationships to help you with the people in your life.
Self-Love For Kids
I picked this up when I started babysitting for extra money. Some of the activities are a little "eh" in my opinion, but I definitely see the value in a lot of them and the variations of ease and difficulty levels. There was definitely some psychology used behind some of these activities. Some are a little repetitive, but I think that's partly on what tools (crafts) you have available and what activities you and your kids would be more interested in doing. It can help you and your kids see the value in each other and maintain a good relationship with the whole family. I will say, I love the hug wand. I wish I had one. Sometimes you just need a hug.
Fuck Feelings
One thing I learned is I have a little bit of a "savior" complex. Partly because I'm the eldest child and secondly, I'm an empath. It hurts me when others are in pain and struggling. I want to care for them so badly! One other thing I learned is some people are just depressed people and there isn't much you can do for them or yourself, if it is you. It's not always curable, but you can find healthy ways to cope. It just takes time to figure out what works. As far as the section on sex and children goes, take it with a grain of salt - It was clearly written by a man. I feel like his partner, Sarah, must not have a whole lot of self-esteem or respect for herself for believing in what he had to say, or she had very little to do with the development of the book.
The Anxiety Book for Trans People
Although it says it's for Trans people, I would consider this helpful for anyone that suffers from anxiety or has experienced anxiety at some point in their life and has felt helpless to overcome it. It could also be very helpful for anyone that has a trans person in their life and is hoping to understand what they need from them as a good friend or partner. Keep in mind a lot of information is from their perspective, but she does input other people's thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and some medical notes here and there. There were some things she was very spot on about how cis friends and family view or react to the news when coming out as transgender, but there was one thing she was wrong about. If you're reading this Freiya, I know exactly what it feels like to be afraid to be in a place like a bar and scared of how people may treat me, or whether I will come out alive the next day. Most women do, which is why we don't go alone.
The Menopause Brain
I devoured this book fairly fast considering how big it is. It's very helpful for those that are also going through perimenopause because you're basically going through all the same issues but you're still menstruating. Honestly, I think my depression lifted just because I was reading this book and realized that all the high anxiety and severe depression could be the result of the transition my brain is going through during this stage in my life. Don't let anyone tell you that you couldn't possibly be beginning perimenopause because you're not old enough. I was 32. It's more likely for women to suffer it earlier if they also started menstruating at an early age. My guess is there's a lot of other life traumas that could cause your body to begin early like mine did. Nobody's body operates on the same timeline or reacts the same to everything life throws at us, which makes the "must be at least 40 years old" rule ridiculous.
Nowhere for Very Long
This was more of a fun read for me because "Van Life" is a future goal for me. It has a little bit of everything, relationship issues, dog owner issues, work, living situation, and the adventure of exploring the slot canyons of Utah.
Unmasking Autism
For any adult or teen questioning if they may be autistic, this is the perfect book for you. Devon doesn't just go into a bunch of medical jargon, he explains a variety of people's real experiences of not being diagnosed when they were kids. He talks about how life always seemed to be more difficult for them than it was for everyone else, and the ways it starts showing up more prevalent in adults as they get older, especially for women (the masters of putting on a mask for sake of others). It's also super helpful for anyone trying to understand an autistic person in their life or who has recently discovered their neurodivergent brain.
Invisible ADHD
Although this book emphasizes the differences in how ADHD represents in women, I have found the same similarities is male friends. This book actually doesn't deep dive into ADHD as much as most might, it based on Shanna's actual ADHD coaching program she developed for people struggling. It's real and practical, not the same make a to-do-list suggestion, because it was designed by an ADHD person and has been proven to work for all her clients. In fact, it's a great book for anyone trying to figure out how to set goals or find their purpose and give their life meaning, and for anyone trying to understand what an ADHD person is going through. I took so many notes to help me stay motivated and get rid of old harmful mindsets that circled my brain.
A Little Spot of Emotion
I haven't even read all the books in this set because I let the kids pick out which one they want to read before bed, but they absolutely love them. I love them, too. They're easy to read, have great illustrations, and it really helps the kids understand the different ways emotions look, feel, or present. It's also great for expanding a vocabulary for emotions. I'm bringing it to every childcare request I have when it's time for reading.