My Top 5 Books to Start Rewiring Your Mind

As embarrassing as it is to admit, prior to 2020 I can count on one hand the books I've read from cover to cover. 

They include a couple books in high school (which were required for a grade) and some Stephen King novels because my mom was obsessed with him growing up & we had every book on our bookshelf. 

Looking back, I had never read anything that challenged me or caused me to make changes that would grow me as a human. 

Something clicked for me during the Pandemic as insane loneliness, depression, and crippling anxiety flooded in. 

I leaned on learning, specifically about why my mind was thinking and speaking the way it was. 

I read as many books as I could get my hands on and took up a journaling practice that combined, shifted everything for me. 

I'll be sharing 5 books that changed the game for me when it came to shifting my mindset. 

I'll share them in the order in which I personally read them, and challenge you to do the same. 

The Empath's Survival Guide: 

I had heard of the word: empath prior to picking up this book but I didn't know what an Empath truly was. It was suggested to me by someone on the outside, looking in as they watched my decline on social media. I don't know if it was the whelped tears in my eyes, the puffy bags, the vulnerability in sharing about my story, or watching me navigate the horror in what we called "2020" each day. Either way, she knew I needed to read this book and it became the tipping point of my deepened self-love journey. It helped me put what I was feeling internally into words and helped me see real habits that I needed to change. 

Light is the New Black:

I'd like to say this book woke me up spiritually and a big ah-ha moment for me was reading the words: 

People are so scared of the worst case scenario that they don't realize they're already in it.

This was the first book I ever read that allowed me to believe that I had the ability to choose a higher thought in those moments of feeling "off". It also gave me a vision for what I wanted my mood, thoughts, mindset, and just my entire being to feel like daily. The way I was feeling each day was a decision, my choice. 

The Gratitude Diaries: 

I've talked about this book before in my Monthly Newsletter but it's one worth mentioning here. I realized I had no idea what gratitude actually meant prior to reading this book. The word had been thrown around a lot and I think because it sounds good, we're like Yeah, gratitude! without really knowing what that looks like and how to embody it in our every day life. It's more than just a thought. It's a way of showing up daily, it's a feeling in your body, and with this book, I realized that gratitude is how I made it through some of the most difficult days in my life.

The Science of Mindfulness:

I stumbled upon this book and it took me into a deep spiral of many other books that I will share with you another time.

To study the self is to forget the self.

Within this book, I realized how distracted I was within my reality. This book forced me to slow down and pay attention. Mindfulness is another word thrown around too often so I almost skipped this one. We don't realize that mindfulness doesn't get rid of the emotions we're feeling, it just allows us to feel them more vividly, allowing us to suffer a little less and think a little more openly. 

Empath to Mystic:

I've quoted this book many times and I believe it's one I also shared in my Newsletter. While I wasn't really sure what I was getting into with this book, it shifted so much for me. So many nuggets to share in this gem, but a big one for me was:

You need to find the power to act. If you are in a place where your comfort is more important to you than fulfillment, changes won't be made. You need to make the fear of living the same day over and over again for the rest of your life, more powerful than the safety of the familiar.

Oh, you got chills reading that too?! Just wait. 

Now go - go read. 

Right now... If you click on the book image it'll take you directly to the book on Amazon if you'd like to check them out. 

Honestly, you just have to start. 
Just like a workout, just like a meal plan...

ACTION BREEDS CHANGE. And if you're like me, when I was feeling stuck in an in between, action is the only thing that will propel you forward. 

Happy reading,

Raina