Acceptance and letting go sound very simple, but we probably all know it is easier said than done. Both words are connected to each other: if we have difficulty accepting certain situations or events, then we also continue to have difficulties with letting go. Patience, honesty, time, courage and compassion can help you with this process. A lot of books have been written about this topic. Here are three book recommendations that may help you to accept and let go more easily.

Things You Only See When You Take Time – Haemin Sunim

Haemin Sunim is a Korean Zen Buddhist monk who has gained popularity via Twitter and Facebook. He is a professor and teaches Buddhism and meditation. In his book he gives practical advice for finding peace and dealing with yourself and others. His book contains 17 themes in which he briefly discusses topics such as work, love, relationships and passion. Every chapter contains an affirmation which can help you deal with yourself and others in your daily life. He mainly insists on taking breaks and being mindful to really discover what our feelings tell us. You can read his book in chronological order or you can choose to read about a certain topic

Braving The Wilderness – Brené Brown

Brené Brown is the guru when it comes to experiences that give meaning to our lives. She has already written books on courage, vulnerability, love, shame, empathy and belonging. In this book she gives a new definition of what it means to really belong in a time when there are so many conflicts between different parties and population groups in our society. Brené says that belonging is something we practice every day and that requires integrity and authenticity. You can see it as a personal commitment. Her book is again a mix of research, (personal) stories and above all a lot of honesty about this subject. She especially advocates having the courage to be on your own if it means that you stay close to your true yourself.

Help me! – Marianne Power

We end the blog with a book that is all about English humor. At the same time, the reader is moved by the honesty in the book. Marianne Power tells us a personal story about her obsession with self-help books. She decides to live according the norms and values that are written in self-help books for a year. She does this because she is very dissatisfied with herself and her life. What starts as a funny experiment, ends in a serious and moving adventure. Marianne wants to answer the question “what does happiness mean?”. Can self-help books really help you achieve to have lasting happiness or does it only work in the short term? The role of self-acceptance is central in this book. By reading this book you will get a summary of a lot of self-help books, which saves you time and money!

Have fun reading!