An eclectic combination of reads that come together to form the ideal therapist: from Taleb to The Dalai Lama.
In no particular order are ten books that have helped me through tough times that I can refer to again and again, representing the tastiest morsels of self-help and wisdom in my repository.
These books have something in common: you can open them at any page and find sanctuary and wisdom. You don’t need to read the chapter before for it to make sense, and I’ve chosen these reads over others because of their practical applications, the relatability of the author, and ease of reading.
1. Change Your Thinking by Sarah Edelman
This book I spied on the shelf of a psychologist’s office (more like a personal…
Almost there!
Wow, almost at the end! For my penultimate post for my 100 Days 100 Ways To A Body Positive Mindset challenge, I’ll summarize how I’ve got to where I am today. Tomorrow, I’ll share my learnings and what’s next.
Knowledge
Books
I’ve based a lot of my posts on sharing the ‘best hits’ of some truly fabulous books — and there’s still plenty more out there.
Books are great because they don’t talk back, they’re silent, and you can stop reading when it suits you.
You can sit in a corner and be quietly downloading knowledge into the powerhouse of your brain…
Accepting my ageing
I’ve never had an issue with ageing, not from a cosmetic sense. I love wrinkles and the signs of age, but I’m becoming increasingly accepting of ageing contributing to my changing body.
As you get older, metabolism slows. That’s no excuse to think “f*ck it, I might as well just eat KFC and Ben & Jerry’s for the rest of my life,” but it means even if you keep active, you can’t expect your body to metabolize at the same rate as your teens and early twenties when you’re in your thirties.
I’ve viewed this as a little depressing sometimes…
If all else fails, play the kid card
How many times have we heard that for the first time ever children growing up today are more likely to die younger than their parents? And that this is all because of too many visits to Burger King and not enough time playing in the park?
A lack of data
When you actually look at the data, as Bacon & Aphramor point out in Body Respect, this really isn’t the case at all. There is no real evidence to support those claims referred to in the opening paragraph. Life expectancy continues to rise. …
Day 100!!
Wow. I can’t believe it. I’ve done this for 100 days!
Thanks
Of course I’d like to thank Andy Taylor for setting up this publication and for allowing me to contribute. You’ve been so incredibly kind, responsive, and motivational, scheduling my submissions.
Thank you for everyone who has taken the time to read and write comments, especially Ian Higginbottom and Deanne Duncombe for your kind words, thoughtful comments, and encouragement.
What I’ve learned
Yesterday I wrote about what I’d learned from my various readings. Overall, I’ve learned that:
- Life is full of surprises
- Sometimes there is no conceivable explanation as to why you’re on…
Your environment and eating
I’ve harped on for a few posts now about how our environment and social standing can influence our bodies. Here’s a first-hand account and example of how my own changing environment has set the stage for me.
At the weekends, I’m at base camp. Home is the same. In the week, I travel to work in a hospital and stay on site in a modest wooden cabin with asbestos in the roof.
There is no insulation — it’s freezing — and I’ve seen kitchenettes bigger than my kitchen. I have a kettle, a toaster which I’m too scared to use…
We live in a sizeist society
We all view the world through our own, personal lens. Unfortunately, for most of us, there is a sizeist tint to those lenses. Linda Bacon & Lucy Amphramor sum it up nicely, in Body Respect:
Scientists are people first, influenced by the societies and times they live in. If we live in a sizeist society, we’re likely to bring sizeist views to research and practice.
Bacon & Aphramor argue that we barely even notice that sizeism is something society has constructed, because we have such an overwhelming ‘common sense’ view. …
Continuing with fat myths
After a slight detour in previous posts, I’ll return to sharing the love from Body Respect by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor. A few days ago, I was discussing the ‘fat myths’ that the author’s highlighted in their book.
One of the biggest ones not yet discussed, is that health is largely determined by health behaviors. As a health professional, I can attest to the fact that the social determinants of health seem to get lost in the translation of learning face-to-face patient care, though seem to be having somewhat of a resurgence at the moment as experts scratch their…
Busyness as an antidote
I’ve had a lot to do over the past couple of days. Big stuff involving planning for the future. I’ve felt like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards: disorientated, confused and exhausted. I’m praying for a break. A pause, a breather — anything for a moment to stop my head spinning.
Yet as I drifted off to sleep last night, I thought of the silver lining: there has been no time for body image negativity, or thoughts about my body image at all, for that matter.
It then occurred to me that when things get under the pump —…
Changing observations
Yes, another gym post. Last one, I swear, unless something really fantastical and/or weird happens in the next eight days.
In Body Combat tonight, I was facing the back of another Les Mills enthusiast and looking ahead at the instructor. Both of these women were noticeably muscular and appeared in great shape. Yet I’d bet my bottom dollar their BMI would probably put them in the overweight (or close to) category based on the amount of muscle they had for their height.
We know this already. Just seeing it almost literally right in my face made it more real, and…
