Self-Help & Personal Growth
- It’s OK to Start with You by Julia Hogan
- A guide to learning self-compassion and practicing healthy self-care. This book encourages you to put yourself first without feeling selfish or being self-indulgent, promoting overall well-being and self-worth.
- Pray, Decide, Don’t Worry by Bobby & Jackie Angel featuring Fr. Mike Schmitz
- A faith-based approach to decision-making and reducing anxiety. This book integrates prayer with practical steps to help you trust in God’s plan while making decisions and managing stress.
- The Mindful Catholic by Dr. Gregory Bottaro
- Combines mindfulness techniques with Catholic spirituality. This book offers practices to cultivate mindfulness in your daily life, reducing stress and helping you stay present in the moment.
- Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philippe
- A deeply spiritual book that helps you discover lasting inner peace, drawing on Catholic wisdom and teachings on trust, prayer, and surrendering to God’s will.
- Be Healed by Dr. Bob Schuchts
- A healing journey that explores how emotional wounds and past hurts can affect our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. The book offers a step-by-step approach to experiencing spiritual and emotional healing.
- The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown
- Focuses on embracing imperfection and cultivating self-compassion. Brené Brown’s research on vulnerability and shame helps readers learn to live more authentically and embrace their true selves.
- 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson
- A practical and philosophical guide to navigating life with purpose, structure, and meaning. Peterson combines psychology, philosophy, and personal anecdotes to offer advice on everything from responsibility to resilience.
Marriage & Relationships
- Created for Connection by Dr. Kenneth Sanderfer & Dr. Susan Johnson
- A groundbreaking work based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) that helps couples build stronger, more emotionally connected relationships from a Christian perspective. This book offers strategies for overcoming common relational patterns and improving emotional intimacy.
- Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend
- A foundational book on setting healthy personal boundaries in all areas of life, including relationships and work. It helps you understand how to say no without guilt and how to build healthier connections with others.
Parenting
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen… And Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
- A classic parenting book that teaches practical communication strategies for dealing with children. It provides tools for effective listening, discipline, and emotional connection with your kids.
- The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
- A must-read for understanding child development from a neurological perspective. This book offers strategies for parenting that promote healthy brain development and emotional regulation in children, helping parents to respond to their child’s needs in a nurturing way.
Conclusion
This list offers a broad range of books that address various aspects of self-improvement, emotional health, relationship-building, and parenting. Whether you’re looking to grow personally, deepen your marriage, or strengthen your relationship with your children, these books provide expert insights and practical strategies to help you thrive. Each book is grounded in research and often integrates faith-based principles, making them excellent resources for Catholics seeking to live out their values in everyday life.