20 Best Self-Help Books: Self-Improvement Books That Really Work

Here are 20 of the highest-impact self-improvement books of all time to help you improve yourself and your life. This list includes some of my favorites as well as a few of the best best selling self-help books of all time.

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What Are the Best Self-Help Books Available Now?

Every since starting to writing my own self-help book, Outsmart Your Smartphone, I have developed this hobby of reading new self-help books and writing about them on my blog. So this means I read quite a lot of self-help books. And because I've worked in self-help/wellness for roughly 2 decades, I generally know what's been done before and which self-help books offer something new and impactful. So I figured I'd share that with you. This way you can find the books that hopefully teach you something new and helpful.

Top 20 Self-Help Books

1. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

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With the help of eye-opening science, prescriptive advice, and helpful worksheets and exercises, all women will find something transformative in these pages—and will be empowered to create positive change. Emily and Amelia aren’t here to preach the broad platitudes of expensive self-care or insist that we strive for the impossible goal of “having it all.” Instead, they tell us that we are enough, just as we are—and that wellness, true wellness, is within our reach.

A few quick tips from the self-help book, Burnout:

2. Everything Is Figureoutable

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While most self-help books offer quick fixes, Everything is Figureoutable will retrain your brain to think more creatively and positively in the face of setbacks. In the words of Cheryl Strayed, it's "a must-read for anyone who wants to face their fears, fulfill their dreams, and find a better way forward."

3. Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness

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New York Timesbestselling author Dr. Rick Hanson shows you how to develop twelve vital inner strengths hardwired into your own nervous system in his new book Resilient. Then no matter what life throws at you, you’ll be able to feel less stressed, pursue opportunities with confidence, and stay calm and centered in the face of adversity.

4. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

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Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint.

The 4-Hour Workweek Animated Book Summary:

5. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

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In her instant, multi-month New York Times bestseller, Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”

6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

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In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.

7. The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity

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Modern times are stressful—and it’s killing us. Unfortunately, we can’t avoid the things that stress us out, but we can change how we respond to them. In The Stress-Proof Brain, a clinical psychologist and neuroscience expert offers an original approach to help readers harness the power of positive emotions and overcome stress for good.

8. The Kindfulness Solution: Transforming Your Body and Life Through Greater Awareness and Self-Compassion

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What do you get when you combine mindfulness and kindness? According to Karen Azeez, author of The Kindfulness Solution, you get kindfulness, a special combination of emotional skills that combine to form a catalyst for real happiness.

Read a review of the book here.

9. The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative

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From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to eucalyptus groves in California, Florence Williams investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships.

10. True You: A Self-Discovery Journal of Prompts and Exercises to Inspire Reflection and Growth

Buy the book: Paperback

Empower yourself to discover who you are, what you love, and what you desire out of life. True You is a beautifully illustrated self discovery journal that combines thought-provoking prompts and creative exercises to help you gain meaningful introspection and unlock your potential.

Through 15 different sections, you’ll explore your identity and emotions, examine your relationships, define your values, passions, and dreams, and embrace your life purpose.

11. Dirty Genes: A Breakthrough Program to Treat the Root Cause of Illness and Optimize Your Health

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After suffering for years with unexplainable health issues, Dr. Ben Lynch discovered the root cause—“dirty” genes. Genes can be “born dirty” or merely “act dirty” in response to your environment, diet, or lifestyle—causing lifelong, life-threatening, and chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, depression, digestive issues, obesity, cancer, and diabetes.

Based on his own experience and successfully helping thousands of clients, Dr. Lynch shows you how to identify and optimize both types of dirty genes by cleaning them up with targeted and personalized plans, including healthy eating, good sleep, stress relief, environmental detox, and other holistic and natural means.

Read my review article here.

12. Activating Happiness: A Jump-Start Guide to Overcoming Low Motivation, Depression, or Just Feeling Stuck

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It’s not just big choices that can radically change our lives—sometimes it’s the small ones. Activating Happiness offers powerful, evidence-based strategies to help you conquer low motivation, nix negative moods, and defeat depression by actively making positive choices in small, everyday moments.

13. Log Off: How to Stay Connected After Disconnecting

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"I used to work 11-hour weekdays and half-day Saturdays, and I was mentally consumed with work for much of the remainder," Blake Snow reveals in his new book, Log Off: How to Stay Connected after Disconnecting.

Read a review of the book here.

14. Period Power: Harness Your Hormones and Get Your Cycle Working for You

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The hormones of the menstrual cycle profoundly influence our energy, mood and behavior, but all too often we're taught that our hormones make us unreliable, moody bitches, or that it's our lot in life to put up with 'women's problems'. Maisie Hill, a women's health practitioner, knows the power of working with the menstrual cycle and refuses to accept this theory. Instead, Maisie believes that our hormones are there to serve us and, if utilized correctly, can be used to help you get what you want out of life. Yes, we are hormonal, and that's a very good thing.

15. The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself

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What would it be like to free yourself from limitations and soar beyond your boundaries? What can you do each day to discover inner peace and serenity? The Untethered Soul offers simple yet profound answers to these questions.

16. The Kindness Cure: How the Science of Compassion Can Heal Your Heart and Your World

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It’s time for a kindness revolution. In The Kindness Cure, psychologist Tara Cousineau draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to show how simple practices of kindness—for ourselves, for others, and for our world—can dissolve our feelings of fear and indifference, and open us up to a life of profound happiness.

17. Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think

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Research shows that self-awareness – knowing who we are and how others see us – is the foundation for high performance, smart choices, and lasting relationships. Integrating hundreds of studies with her own research and work in the Fortune 500 world, Tasha Eurich shows us what it really takes to better understand ourselves on the inside - and how to get others to tell us the honest truth about how we come across.

18. Brain Body Diet: 40 Days to a Lean, Calm, Energized, and Happy Self

Buy the book: Paperback | Kindle

Your health problems, Sara reveals, are in your head—caused by a malfunction in the connection between your brain and your body. Brain health is a powerful indicator of overall health and well-being. While our thoughts can affect our physical health, what we do to our body also has a lasting impact on our brains. When you ignore your brain-body symptoms, you raise your risk of serious cognitive decline, which leads to chronic health problems. It’s a vicious cycle, but it can be broken, Gottfried argues. In Brain Body Diet she shows how brain body health is the key to reversing a myriad of chronic symptoms—empowering you to live up to our potential and achieve the lasting health you desire.

19. Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You

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Asking people for help isn't intuitive; in fact, a lot of our instincts are wrong. As a result, we do a poor job of calling in the reinforcements we need, leaving confused or even offended colleagues in our wake. This pragmatic book explains how to get it right. With humor, insight, and engaging storytelling, Heidi Grant, PhD, describes how to elicit helpful behavior from your friends, family, and colleagues--in a way that leaves them feeling genuinely happy to lend a hand.

20. Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared

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In Imperfect Courage, the founder of the popular fair trade jewelry brand Noonday Collection shares her story of starting the rapid-growing business that impacts over 4,500 artisans in vulnerable communities across the globe—and invites readers on a journey of transformation, challenging them to trade their comfort zones for a life of impact and adventure.

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About Dr. Tchiki Davis

Dr. Davis is founder of The Berkeley Well-Being Institute. After getting her PhD in psychology at Berkeley, she started creating online content & programs to boost well-being—some of these have reached more than a million people. As author of Outsmart Your Smartphone, and contributor to Psychology Today, The Greater Good Science Center, and Shine Text, Dr. Davis aims to share her insights on happiness & health with people all across the world. Learn more about Dr. Davis.

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