Real Self-Care

By Pooja Lakshmin,

Book cover of Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included)

Book description

National Bestseller featured by Good Morning America, NPR's Code Switch, The New York Times, and The Guardian

NPR's "Books We Love for 2023"

Forbes' "Greatest Self-Help Books of All Time"

"Realistic and trustworthy" -- InStyle

"This isn't just another self-help book. It gives us a clear-eyed look at the way…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Real Self-Care as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Self-care always seemed so fluffy and out of reach for me. There’s no way that going to the spa or having bubble baths solves the real challenges real people face. I love Pooja’s book because it looks at the systemic issues while making self-care real and practical.

I know I need to take care of myself. I’ve heard all the stuff about putting on your own oxygen mask before helping someone else, and my response has always been “yeahhhh, but.” My biggest takeaway from the book? Boundaries are not co-created.

This book was such a breath of fresh air for the self-help and wellness community! As a coach, I’m exposed to a lot of wellness nonsense all the time, and I appreciate any work that is focused on both illuminating how structural forces impact our lives and helping empower people to live their best lives within those constraints.

I try to strike a nuanced balance in my own work, and this book does a great job of interrogating what we mean by “wellness,” what kinds of social forces impact and limit our “wellness,” and how we can nevertheless learn to…

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