Living happily is a skill! But how to navigate among all the self-help guides that overflow the bookstores? The editorial team has selected 5 books to help you on your journey towards happiness.
Some have just been released, others are already classics, but they all have one thing in common: they will change your life! These books are full of advice, methods, and reflections to help you live happily. Regaining self-confidence, trusting in the future, cultivating harmony in relationships, smoothing our relationships with our children, bringing lightness into our daily lives, and more. These are promises made by the authors of these works that we cannot recommend enough for you to slip into your beach bag! Because yes, sunshine is also good for morale, as it helps us synthesize vitamin D. Happy reading!
Il en faut peu pour être heureux (It Takes Little to Be Happy)
Spanning philosophy, neuroscience, and major therapeutic approaches, each book by Fabrice Midal is a remedy for gloominess and an invitation to living happily. The author of the bestseller “Foutez-vous la paix!” (Leave Yourself Alone!) now publishes “La Théorie du Bourgeon,” presented as an “anti-discouragement philosophy.” Faced with the increasing number of depressions, burnouts, and difficulties related to stress and mental load, the French philosopher proposes letting go to rethink our presence in the world, rediscover the more primal aspects of our humanity.
Filled with numerous paths that will allow for every reader to find their way, the book is full of exercises, personal anecdotes, philosophical references, and even poems. By the way, why “La théorie du bourgeon” (The Bud Theory)? Because it takes time to grow, accept that one has to go through winter, and accept changes that are joyful and beneficial. “La Théorie du bourgeon” connects us to the pure happiness of existence.
“La théorie du bourgeon” by Fabrice Midal, Flammarion Editions
Read also : FAKE NEWS: WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA MANIPULATES OUR BRAINS.
The Keys to a Happy Relationship
It is certainly the most extensive study conducted on the most mysterious research object of all time. In 1996, American psychologist John Gottman and his wife Julie created the Gottman Institute to observe couples in vivo. Like in a reality TV show, these couples live for several weeks in an apartment filled with cameras (the love lab), connected to sensors that measure their physiological reactions in real-time. Decades of observation have allowed John Gottman to identify the great laws that govern romantic relationships. He identified four relationship killers (criticism, contempt, insincerity, and withdrawing), but also the secret of couples who remain fulfilled despite trials and the passage of time.
To live happily together, you must be an “emotionally intelligent couple.” John Gottman provides 7 keys in his book “Les couples heureux ont leurs secrets” (Happy Couples Have Their Secrets), co-written with journalist Nan Silver. Namely: being interested in the other, taking care of the other, spending time together, allowing oneself to be influenced by the other Well, obviously, it sounds simple when put like that! But in practice, our old reflexes (and our neuroses!) die hard. Based on proven scientific facts, John Gottman’s bestseller guides us step by step to rekindle the flame, with plenty of advice, exercises, and proposed dialogues to initiate with our partner. It’s never too late!
“Les couples heureux ont leurs secrets” by John Gottman and Nan Silver, Pocket Editions
A month to cultivate the joy of living
Tick-tock, tick-tock… the countdown is on, you have 30 days to learn to living happily! Your coach for this challenge is Dr. Daniel G. Amen, an American psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has scanned over 250,000 brains in his career. So, he knows what he’s talking about when he categorizes different types of brains into 16 categories, each associated with certain types of reactions (take the test here).
In “Plus heureux en 30 jours” (Happier in 30 Days), the New York Times bestselling author gives us this valuable advice: “Above all, don’t believe what your brain tells you!” There is reality, and then there is what we make of it, through the filter of our emotions, our experiences. And when everything seems to be going wrong, Dr. Amen is there to remind us that we are not our problems. We are not failures, it’s just the day that is. In short, the solutions to hack our brains and live happily are in this book, as delightful as it is precious to read.
“Plus heureux en 30 jours” by Dr. Daniel G. Amen, Testez Editions
Bringing joy back into daily parenting
A week to get out of parental burnout is the challenge taken up by this refreshing comic book, as funny as it is scientifically accurate. With psychologist Héloïse Junier and illustrator Mademoiselle Caroline, we follow the daily life of a family facing the same problems as ours. No, we are not alone, and just that fact already helps us feel better and to stop feeling guilty.
Facing panic attacks when leaving for school, dealing with epic tantrums, arguing with grandma and grandpa about educational principles, all against a backdrop of the baby crying, this comic book equips us to react better in situations that often make us lose our heads. With kindness and without judgment, Héloïse Junier explains to parents how to meet the needs of their children while taking care of their own. She also takes the opportunity to address the debate on pro/anti-positive parenting. It makes a beautiful gift — even to yourself!
“Les émotions de l’enfant, 7 jours pour mieux les comprendre” (The Child’s Emotions, 7 Days to Better Understand Them) by Héloïse Junier and Mademoiselle Caroline, Les Arènes Editions
Preparing for a better world
Contrary to their parents, today’s youth are not eco-anxious, but downright eco-depressed. Yes, they’re not afraid of heading towards catastrophe; they know they’re well on the way! So here’s a very useful book to give them hope and convince them that it is still possible to live happily on earth. “Stop à la surconsommation” (Stop Overconsumption) is aimed at children over 10 to make them aware of the impact of our lifestyle on the environment.
The great strength of this particularly educational book is that it addresses both the problem and the solution. We especially like the relevance of the texts and the attractiveness of the infographics that clearly explain what has brought the planet to the brink. Special mention for the chapter dedicated to the pitfalls of advertising: it talks about marketing, manipulation, greenwashing, and more. We especially appreciate the chapter dedicated to alternative consumption methods, which allow the child to feel like an agent of change. Vital.
“Stop à la surconsommation” by Emmanuelle Vibert, Bayard Editions
Picture © : Montblanc
