The Greatest Help Is Self-Help

For me, self-help books are a guilty pleasure. I love to read them, browse through them in bookstores,  read reviews about them online, and think about how they could change my life for the better.

I am on a never-ending quest of self discovery and self improvement.

I recently discovered a new podcast in which the two hosts read a self-help book, follow the guidelines from the book as closely as possible for two weeks, and then report back on how their lives have changed from the experiment.

Why didn't I think of that? I have countless self-help books and audiobooks all over my house. There is always at least one novel and one self-help book on my nightstand and in my bag at any given point in time.

Unlike the hosts of this podcast, though, I'm not choosing the popular, extra-cliched self-help books such as "The Secret" or "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." I'm choosing books that may not be as well-known, but cover topics I'm genuinely interested in and areas in which I truly need help.

I am an emotional binge-eater. I can get truly out of control with my desire to consume copious amounts of sugary treats. For this reason, I have been reading book after book on binge eating and how to control it.

I just finished "Bright Line Eating" by Susan Pierce Thompson a couple of days ago. I was fascinated by the author's story and the science she included in the book on how addictions affect our brains. I am going to incorporate her four bright lines into my diet and my life in about a week. I will be posting more details and updates on this soon.

I am also currently reading "How to Live a Good Life" by Jonathan Fields. The title definitely drew me to this book. Who is this author who can tell me how to live a good life? It sounded too good to be true, but I wanted to read it anyway.

In the book, the author asks you to identify how full your three "buckets" are. I took the online quiz, and found that my vitality bucket (the overall health of my mind and body) is at 36 out of 100, my connection bucket (my relationships) is at 62 out of 100, and my contribution bucket (how I give back and serve) is at 27 out of 100. Ouch. So I'll be working on this, as well as my bright lines in the coming weeks.

In an effort to work on filling my vitality bucket, I tried meditating this morning. I have never meditated in my life, and have always regarded the practice with a lot of skepticism. However, it is an important component to both "How to Live a Good Life" and "Bright Line Eating," so I'm going to give it an honest go every morning for at least a few weeks.

I also slept for 8 hours last night, I exercised this morning, I spent some time in nature with my dog, I had a green smoothie, and I wrote down what I am grateful for today in a gratitude journal. We'll see how long I can keep this up, and if I see any positive changes in my life as a result of these practices.

7 mile hike this morning!

This blog will serve as some excellent accountability, as I am committing to reporting back on my progress. Wish me luck!