Mindfulness and Self-Acceptance Book Recommendations

Since my post last week about audiobooks I’ve been enjoying, I’ve been asked for more recommendations about the mindfulness books I’ve been reading. Some of the books are more about acceptance: accepting who you are, the way you are.

Ultimately, the message of these books is that you are all right the way you are–you just have to open yourself enough to see it. Here are seven books about mindfulness and self-acceptance that I recommend.

Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life

By Rabbi Alan Lew

I’ve read a number of Rabbi Lew’s books. Lew has an interesting story. He lived as a Buddhist for a number of years before becoming a rabbi, and you can see many Buddhist influences in his suggestions for how to incorporate meditation and mindfulness into your everyday life.

You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate Rabbi Lew’s message. His observations, tips, and tools will work for anyone.

Emotional Alchemy

By Tara Bennett-Goleman

In Emotional Alchemy, Bennett-Goleman also focuses on Buddhist wisdom as she shows readers how to develop empathy for ourselves and others through mindfulness. Learning to see the world without judgment helps to rewire our brains so that we are no longer our own worst enemies.

Comfortable With Uncertainty: 108 Teachings On Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion

By Pema Chodron

You’ll notice that there is a Buddhist theme here, but since the Buddhists seem to have it down as far as cultivating mindfulness, it’s not surprising that Buddhists beliefs guide these books.

In Comfortable With Uncertainty, Chodron shares a program of spiritual study. Readers don’t need previous knowledge of Buddhism in order to understand the essential concepts, themes, and practices presented here.

You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment

Thich Nhat Hanh

I recommended Hanh’s Silence last week as an audiobook. You Are Here also focuses on ideas for practicing mindfulness and staying in the present moment. Always, it comes down to being aware of your breath. That simple act can help to train your brain to stop ruminating (a problem I’ve had a lot recently) and start witnessing the miracle of life everywhere around you. By focusing on your breath, you open yourself up to a more peaceful way of looking at the world.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

By Susan Cain

I don’t know a single introvert who doesn’t love Quiet. This was the book that made it okay to admit out loud that we’re introverts and we’re fine the way we are. We’re just wired differently than extroverts. Since our society values extroversion more, too often the strength and skills of introverts have been ignored. Cain’s influential book helped change that.

Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole

By Susan Cain

I read Bittersweet just a few weeks ago and found this just as important for my own self-acceptance as Quiet. To Cain, bittersweet is a state of existence where bitterness and sweetness combine as an outlook on life. If you’re drawn to sad songs, if you’re aware of the poignancy and longing everywhere around us, if you feel the passing of time or the light and dark of our daily lives, then you may just have a bittersweet temperament too.

The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies For Sensitive People

By Judith Orloff, MD

Years ago, a friend realized that I was an empath. I mentioned that I walked into meetings feeling perfectly fine and then I’d listen to others respond in anger or impatience. Afterward, I’d leave the meeting feeling angry and impatient. She was the first one to say to me, “You must be an empath.”

I read everything I could find about empaths, and when I read the traits I said check, check, and check. If you’re an empath, or you think you might be, this book is for you. I’ve learned many tips and tricks for protecting myself from sensory overload, which I’m extremely sensitive to.

These are seven books that I’ve found helpful as I’ve been on my own journey. I hope you find a book here that will help you along yours.