11 Books To Help You Rest And Recharge

Do you ever feel like you just want to slow things down and catch your breath? But with so much going on, so many responsibilities and so much 'noise' in our everyday, where do you you start?  

Well, you start right here! The team at the library have curated this list of books for us to help you re-focus on self care and live a more balanced life. In a world where being busy is often seen as a badge of honour, these books can help you to understand the importance of rest and help to restore a sense of calm.

 

 

1.  Rest To Reset: The Busy Person's Guide To Pausing With Purpose by Suzy Reading

As a society, we are more exhausted than ever before but despite hearing the call to relax, many of us find it hard to switch off. We see busyness as a badge of honour but, ask yourself, does this approach to life work for you? Self-care expert Suzy Reading is here to challenge everything you've ever been told or told yourself about rest. Rest is not only calming and restorative, but energising and fortifying, a way of preparing you for the days, weeks or months ahead.

You can also reset in as little as one minute - when we're already struggling to find a work-life balance, many of us feel like we don't have time to rest. This book is here to take the pressure off. Rest need not be another thing to add to your heaving schedule, many practices take seconds and can be woven into everyday life in no extra time.

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2.  Recovery: The Lost Art Of Convalescence by Gavin Francis

When it comes to illness, sometimes the end is just the beginning. Recovery and convalescence are words that exist at the periphery of our lives - until we are forced to contend with what they really mean. Here, GP and writer Gavin Francis explores how - and why - we get better, revealing the many shapes recovery takes, its shifting history and the frequent failure of our modern lives to make adequate space for it.

 Characterised by Francis's beautiful prose and his view of medicine as 'the alliance of science and kindness', 'Recovery' is a book about a journey that most of us never intend to make. Along the way, he unfolds a story of hope, transformation, and the everyday miracle of healing.

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3.  Rest + Calm: Gentle Yoga And Mindful Practices To Nurture And Restore Yourself by Paula Hines

Here's a radical idea: You deserve rest. Packed with advice, exercises and support from one of the UK's leading restorative yoga teachers, Rest + Calm is your gentle, wise guide to making space and time to come back home to yourself.

Do you find it hard to give yourself permission to pause? This book will show you how – whether you only have time for three breaths or a five minute rescue posture, or can practise for half an hour. You'll reap the rewards in sounder sleep, happier relationships, better boundaries and improved resilience.

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4.  Little Things: A Positive Toolkit For When Life Feels Stressful by Fearne Cotton

Stress is a normal part of life, but it can be overwhelming. The habits, tools, and advice in these pages will help you cope better, to understand your own worries, and to pause and respond rather than react (we've all done it!). This is all advice I've received - the lessons I've learned in my own up-and-down life, the expert conversations from my Happy Place podcast, and therapies I've tried - to keep working towards good days.

By focusing on small steps, practising self-awareness and getting creative with the exercises and simple ideas, daily tricks and practical tools in the pages of this little book, we can counterbalance our hectic world and unlock daily happiness.

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5.  I'm Not Lazy, I'm On Energy Saving Mode by Dancing Snail 

 When you are exhausted, anxious, tired, all-consumed, or feel lazy, the unwelcomed emotion of guilt often creeps in. It creates a quicksand, trapping you, and making you feel as though you should be working harder. But in a world obsessed with work and productivity, 'I'm Not Lazy, I'm on Energy Saving Mode' highlights how resting and 'being lazy' shouldn't be seen as a weakness or a character flaw, but as an important process of recharging.

After years of battling with depression and lethargy, Dancing Snail realised the importance of rest and taking care of our minds when we feel low. On days you don't feel motivated, are going through a slump, or simply feel like doing nothing, this book, written in short-form chapters and charming illustrations, provides you with the antidote we all need and gives you radical permission to take the break you don't feel you deserve.

Borrow here.

 

 

6.  Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

In our 24-7 global economy, rest feels like a luxury at best and a weakness at worst. We see work and rest as competitors - but what if they're actually partners in a productive, balanced life?

Silicon Valley consultant Alex Soojung-Kim exposes how we've underestimated the power of rest for our success. For most of us, overwork is the new norm and we never take the time to recharge, but it’s only when we are fully rested that our true potential can be reached. In this groundbreaking book, Soojung-Kim suggests small changes to get the most out of your downtime and subsequently improve the quality of your personal and professional life.

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7.  Recharge - A Year of Self-Care to Focus on You by Julie Montagu

Named one of the top ten holistic health icons in the world, Montagu knows a thing or two about health and happiness. In this month-by-month self-care guide, she seeks to share her wealth of knowledge and offers guidance, tips and advice designed to keep self-care at the forefront of the reader’s mind.

Each month of the year covers a specific area of self-care, including mindful eating, managing stress, digital detox, rebuilding self-esteem, finding your passions and more. The book’s bite-sized format and endless positivity make for an accessible workbook for anyone looking to recharge their life.

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8.  The Practice of Not Thinking by Ryunosuke Koike

What if we could learn to look instead of see, listen instead of hear, feel instead of touch? Former monk Ryunosuke Koike shows how, by incorporating simple Zen practices into our daily lives, we can reconnect with our five senses and live in a more peaceful, positive way.

When we focus on our senses and learn to re-train our brains and our bodies, we start to eliminate the distracting noise of our minds and the negative thoughts that create anxiety. By following Ryunosuke Koike's practical steps on how to breathe, listen, speak, laugh, love and even sleep in a new way, we can improve our interactions with others, feel less stressed at work and make every day calmer. Only by thinking less, can we appreciate more.

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9.  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Our lives are driven by a fact most of us can't name and don't understand: whether we're an introvert or an extrovert. This defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we're embarrassed.

In ‘Quiet,’ Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how their energy levels fluctuate in different social situations. While an extrovert gains energy around others, an introvert may need quiet time to fully recharge their social batteries. Cain’s work offers validation for people who may struggle to thrive in a loud society and discusses the value of a little quiet time when the world becomes too noisy.

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10.  Calm by Fearne Cotton

In today's always-on world, for many of us it seems impossible to relax, take time out or mute the encircling 'noise'. It is easy to feel trapped in this frenzied state of mind: we are surrounded by negative stories in the press, weighed down by pressures from work, family life or school and subject to constant scrutiny under the all-seeing eye of social media. As a result, mental health illnesses are on the rise in every age group, and more of us than ever before yearn for silence, peace and calm.

CALM is Fearne's mission to find the simple things that can inch us away from stress and over to the good stuff. Including expert advice, conversations with wise friends from all walks of life, easy ideas to try, activities to complete - and the little things that have made a difference to her own, sometimes bumpy life - this book is a friendly reminder that Calm is a place that exists in us all, we just have to find our way back to it.

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11.  The Mindfulness Playbook by Dr Barbara Mariposa

In this concise, readable book you'll learn useful, do-able skills that you can integrate into every aspect of your life for stress-free success. It will give you tools and skills to manage stress, reduce anxiety and deal effectively with the pace and pressure of 21st century living. The author also demystifies the most important aspect of what drives us, our relationships and our decision-making and explains how you can change the way your brain is wired to move effortlessly towards a fulfilling life of clarity, focus and balance.

This short reassuring book is rich in science but light on jargon. It is underpinned by a model which provides proven solutions for combatting stress, anxiety and burnout. The simple, easily learned mindfulness techniques will enable you to rewire your brain and participate fully and enthusiastically with life.

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