8 Books To rē•awaken Your Mind

Fall is here, with less restricted schedules and (hopefully) some time to dive head-first into the world of literature. Whether you’ve picked up the newest fiction best-seller on the shelf or a tried-and-true favorite that you perennially rē-turn to, autumn calls for time spent kicking back and relaxing with a book in hand. If you’re looking to take your reading list one step further, here are some books that embrace rē•spin’s core ethos to have you rē-thinking the things you thought you knew and ready to forge ahead in your wellness journeys this season and beyond. 

Dr. Nigma Talib’s book landed a spot on our founder’s most recent #HBbooksFromBed post. Of course, you already know that eating the wrong foods is bad for digestion, but you might fail to recognize the effect this also has on the skin and features. Poor gut health manifests as wrinkles, blemishes, dark circles, etc. Dr. Nigma Talib developed a skin regimen and four-week program full of healthy recipes for younger-looking, healthier skin. 

“I wrote the book Younger Skin Starts in the Gut in 2015 and compiled my clinical experiences in seeing patients at my previous clinics in New York, London, Madrid, Vancouver, and now Los Angeles because my patients wanted to know what was prematurely aging them,” Dr. Talib tells rē•spin. “In my four-week plan, I discuss the food and lifestyle triggers that cause you to age prematurely and their connection to the gut and skin. I created the four faces of aging: gluten face, sugar face, wine face, and dairy face to help you discover why your skin reacts to certain foods. You can use cool recipes, questionnaires, and gut and skincare tips. Many of my patients call it their ‘diet bible.'”

This title examines how your childhood and parenting (from your parents) can impact and influence your parenting style and psyche. Through her writing, Perry helps you break down how you can learn from the methods you were parented with to create strong bonds with your children as they grow. As a result, they will help boost their mental health during childhood and development.

The botanist and indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer embrace plants and animals as some of society’s oldest teachers. Through this book, Kimmerer combines a historical knowledge of the world with the tools of science, exploring how nature can teach you a lesson or two (and that’s an understatement!), rē-awakening your ecological consciousness, and helping you to form a healthier relationship with the world around you.

The voice in your head can seem like a bother at times, but psychologist Ethan Kross explores the power of your “inside” voice and how to harness it to your advantage — you know, rather than suppressing it. You already possess the tools to use your inner voice for everyday things you may not even think twice about — in your journals, conversations with friends, how you feel about yourself, and the cultures you create for yourself. Through this book, Kross teaches you how to wield the power you already possess to change how you converse with yourself.

People often base their self-worth on how productive they are. For years, any period of inactivity was perceived as being “lazy.” But Dr. Devon Price dispels these myths, taking back the word “lazy” and erasing the notion that how busy you are determines your self-worth. Through this book, Dr. Price explores the origins of the “laziness lie” and how it has continued to manifest itself in conversations today, offering solutions to the problems that plague life today, like overworking and stress. It’s time to rē-lease the guilt you feel when setting boundaries to escape from the unrealistic expectations of total productivity, 24/7.

Society is obsessed with image — and a specific image, at that. Dr. Lexie Kite and Dr. Lindsay Kite offered alternative visions of what health and happiness look like within. They explore self-compassion that goes beyond surface-level “body positivity.”

Robyn Conley Downs tackles a “radically simple and ridiculously doable” approach to wellness, offering a refreshing look at what wellness looks like to each person uniquely. “Wellness doesn’t have to be about getting more done,” Downs tells rē•spin. “Instead, it can be about making space for nurturing, sustainable activities that ground you and help you feel connected, focused, and lead a good life — because you design it. Then, when you clear your plate of all the ‘shoulds,’ you have more space to feel good.”

This book is all about breaking stereotypes. Jessamyn Stanley, a yogi with a career as an internationally recognized yoga teacher, combines her knowledge of yoga with her ability to share her story, getting vulnerable to bring a body-positive approach to yoga for every reader. The book provides tips to current yogis looking for motivation and ways to rē-fresh their practices and how-to’s on the basic postures and sequences to practice at home for beginners, all rounded out with an overarching message of body acceptance.