I’ve learnt over the years as a busy parent that if you want to read, you need to make time to do it.
These days, I keep a book in my car for in case Coop falls asleep while we wait for the kids to finish school or I arrive early for something in my schedule (which is always because I’m always early for everything), next to my bed (which is the one that gets read the least, LOL) and on the couch in case Coop falls asleep on me there. Pretty much everything depends on Coop falling asleep if I want to read.

I get it, life gets busy and the though of fitting some reading into your already busy day seems impossible, but even if it’s just a few pages at time or making it a priority somewhere in your daily/weekly routine can make all the difference and make it a doable thing.

I have two moods when it comes to the books I choose:
If I love it, I won’t be able to put it down and i’ll finish it within a couple of days OR,
It doesn’t captivate me within a couple of chapters and it goes back on the shelf.

I’m not one to read anything that can’t help me develop as a person, because I’m always seeking growth and different thought patterns that differ from my own so I can learn, so anything you ever hear me recommending is something that has been really beneficial to me, my mental health and overall, my life.

I wanted to put together a list of my absolute faves, as it’s something that I’m asked quite often over IG as to what I’m reading and it makes me feel like I’m in this non-official book club that is filled with people wanting to change their lives and do epic shit. I love it.

Mastering Your Mean Girl

This was the first book that I ever read as an adult.
I went to this wellness morning that I was invited to and Melissa Ambrosini was one of the speakers. I had no idea who she was but after I heard her speak and learnt about her book, holy shit did I want to read it!
So I did, I loved it, I lived and breathed it and it help change my thought patterns when it comes to how I talk to and treat myself, how to improve my confidence and self love and it honestly just made me fall in love with myself through kind words.
I always refer back to it when I’m struggling with feeling enough and can hear that inner mean girl taking over inside my mind.

I’ve gone on to purchase all of Melissa’s books ever since because I love her passion for life and she’s also the reason I began meditating.

This is a book that I’ve recommended to every single person I get a chance to speak to and I’ll be saving my copy for my kids when they get older because it’s that bloody good.
I cannot recommend it more highly than I do. Love it.

I recommend this book when… you’ve been letting your mind tell you that you’re not good enough and it’s been holding you back from happiness, feeling confident and enjoying life in general.

Check it out: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/doqqK2

The Miracle Morning

This book is so good that there’s even a community on Facebook dedicated to it, I shit you not.
I read this The Miracle Morning when I was going through some really heavy shit and going through the hardest part of the being a single parent transition and I believe that it came into my life when I needed it the most.
This book is really a guide on how to get the most of your day purely by changing the way that you START your day and by golly is it effective.
As someone who is prone to waking up in instant anxiety mode, this taught me how to push through those physical and emotional barriers to create an effect morning routine that had me feeling positive, productive and focused.
If you let me begin talking about this book, I will bang on about it for as long as you let me.

I recommend this book when… you’re feeling unmotivated, a little lost and are struggling to get out of bed of a morning.

Check it out: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/DVMMVb

Don’t Overthink It

To all my fellow chronic over thinkers, I got you.
I actually found this book by it being sent in a monthly subscription box that I used to get (Aussie Biz Chic for anyone who’s interested!) that helps with business and self development.
When I opened the box, I knew this was a book I had to begin reading immediately as I am a textbook overthinker and it’s an absolute bugger of a thing to budge.
I could not put this book down, seriously. Coop only goes to daycare one day a week at the moment and it’s meant to be the day I catch up on my work, but this day I had to finish the book, so it’s officially the fastest I’ve ever finished a book.
Don’t Overthink It helps you stop your overthinking in its tracks, pause the negative thought process and implement more positive thoughts and plans of action to overcome anything that is weighing us down and essentially taking over our days.
My favourite quote of Anne’s is “When we’re spending our time overthinking, that’s all that we are doing”. Boom, straight facts - overthinking is such a time consuming load of bullshit that we have the power to stop.

I recommend this book when… you’re an overthinker who really wants to stop the habit, get your life back and feel POSITIVE in any situation.

Check it out: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/rn11nD

The Resilience Project

This book got me in the feels, big time.
Hugh Van Cuylenburg has written this is the most personable and epic way that you feel like you’re his best mate and you feel every emotion along the way.
There were so many times where I put my hand to my heart and felt like I was understood and the way this books stops you in your tracks to help you rethink the way you’re coping with what’s going on in my life right now, to reprogram the way we think about our struggles and focus on gratitude, empathy and mindfulness in the most vulnerable and honest way possible.
Ugh, it even get’s me in the feels as I write this, I just absolutely love how this book is written and it really does empower you to turn your struggles on their head and take back the power in a more gentle and absolutely achievable way.

I recommend this book when… you’re on struggle street and want help with thinking about your current circumstances in a different way so you can feel empowered to live your best life. It’s called the resilience project for a reason, because you are resilient.

Check it out: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/GjYYj2

You Will Get Through This Night

When I found this book, I was desperately seeking something that would help me cope with trauma that had been triggered. I was finding it hard to leave the house, I took myself off socials and I honestly only wanted to be around people that I could trust because I couldn’t even handle hearing my phone go off, or my emails, or anything for that matter. I was in pain and it was honestly such a physical and mental pain that I was trying to work out how to live with it.

I walked in the book store knowing exactly what I needed to find in terms of a book, but didn’t know what book i’d find (if that makes sense!). I knew what I needed to read in terms of words on paper and I knew that a title would just jump out at me, which it did.

Now just to reinforce, I knew deep down that I could overcome this pain, but I needed some extra words of strength and encouragement and I needed to be felt and understood, which is what this book did.
This read offers strategies for that exact point in time when you feel helpless, strategies for the next day and then habits that you can practice every day in order to look after your mental health.
It got tears out of me because I didn’t feel alone anymore.

I recommend this book when… you feel like you’ve got nothing much left in the tank and want to change how you’re feeling RIGHT NOW. It helps you realise that you really do have the power to feel how you want to feel, slowly but surely and realistically.

Check it out: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/gbQQbX

Now I have a bookshelf full of amazing books that I’ve read over the years, however this list contains the ones that come straight to mind when someone asks me about my favourite reads. To me, every book has a different purpose and I feel that reading them at a time in your life when you need them most helps you get the most out of a book.

I also asked you guys what your favourites were in IG, so I put together a list of honourable mentions from both myself and YOU!

The Power of Now - Eckhard Tolle
Atomic Habits - James Clear
The Alchemist - Pablo Coelho
Comparisonitis - Melissa Ambrosini
Everything is Figureoutable - Maria Forleo
You Can Heal Your Life - Louise Hay

Remember, deep down you know that you have the power to overcome anything that happens in life, because life happens for you, not to you.
But sometimes a good book with the right message helps you realise it.

Sending so much love,

Hakuna Matata,
Lauren
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