These past couple years have been taken over by the wellness trend, with yoga, meditation, juicing and even vegetarianism becoming mainstream. With that shift comes a slew of new dieting and self-help books that are no longer seen as taboo. Instead, everyone from celebrities to world leaders has something to say about how to be “well.”
If you or someone you know has already exhausted popular wellness titles—Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now or Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, to start—it’s time to read or gift some of the newer material available. Here are five wellness books and audiobooks that address some of today’s key wellness ideals with a side of humor.
The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck
Author Sarah Knight uses her sense of humor to parody the bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up-The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. Instead of focusing on physical clutter, this book helps readers rid their lives of mental clutter—“hashtags, fair-trade coffee, the Cloud, other people’s children,” Knight writes. With her not-give-a-f*ck attitude comes ways to free up time, energy and money on the things that really matter in life.
Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person
Perfect for the socially anxious, this audiobook by Shonda Rhimes—yes, the Shonda Rhimes who created Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal—takes readers on her year-long journey of branching out and saying yes to more experiences. A real-life take on Jim Carrey’s Yes Man movie, the audiobook reveals how having a more positive approach to ideas and events can really help improve your life for the long term.
While most people already know that daily yoga practice, meditation and some other creative outlet can help achieve a better headspace, who always has time for them? This book by author Gabrielle Bernstein reads as more of a guide, with 108 life-changing tools for how to deal with the stress, resentment and jealousy we face on a daily basis. Inspired by spiritual teachings, these quick tools can help readers achieve less stress, more flow and a better idea of how to find their true purpose.
Wellth: How I Learned to Build a Life, Not a Resume
An important listen for those in the corporate world, this audiobook by author Jacob Wachob defines the differences between “wealth” and “wellth” in an effort to spotlight what really contributes to the pursuit of happiness. As people jump from job to job, it’s the other aspects of their lives that really define who they are.
Ariana Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, declares that we are in a sleep-deprivation crisis, which affects everything from our health to happiness to relationships and whatever else is in between. This book goes on an in-depth exploration of sleep, discussing its history and its role in our lives, especially its effect on our health. Luckily, Huffington has an answer on ways to regrow our relationship with sleep and explains how that can transform our lives.
