‘Oldies’ don’t read self help books.

My most recent self help book was, “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins.
Let go of your need to control other people.
My control was in trying to help others but the help was not appreciated.

If a family member is making a poor decision that does not directly harm you, let them.
It can be hard work trying to help others because it can backfire on you.
If friends / colleagues do not invite you to some event … let them

Thank you. MG55.

Amongst others, I’ve read books on bereavement and grief management, swimming technique, vegan diet, mindfulness, how to work and communicate with challenging people, the art of conversation - that was to do with an English course which covered conversational analysis but was helpful on a personal level, and investing in the stock market.

I’d class all of those as self-help.

Graphite

Why wouldn’t we?

These are the six broad categories that the publishing industry puts self-help books into:

• Personal Development & Motivation … habits, willpower, goal-setting and general mindset shift

• Health, Wellness & Fitness … meal plans, workout structures, sleep protocols

• Mental Health & Mindfulness … anxiety, stress management, meditation, and emotional regulation

• Relationships & Family … parenting and grand-parenting, friendship and communication

• Career, Business & Productivity … budgeting, debt management, investing basics and finance

• Spirituality & Inner Growth … faith, purpose-finding, and inner-life

I’m sure we can all think of different areas of our lives where we might benefit from reading a book from those categories, particularly as we age. Many of the topics which come up on this discussion board would come under those headings.

This is so informative Graphite 👍

MawlovesRosie

No, we write them.

Just made me laugh 👏

FriedGreenTomatoes2

🎯 Maw!

😀👏👏

I read mostly non-fiction, including memoirs - and learn from the subject matter, or from the lives of others. Does that count?

I don’t mean “celebrity” memoirs by the way. For example A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi taught me so much. (And moved me almost to tears).

What! I have a bookcase full of them. Would I say they have helped! No not in the slightest.

I have tried reading self help books in the past and I never found them any help but I am not representative of all 'oldies.'

Quite a few of them I would call 'Bossy books' written by self satisfied narcissists who thought they had all the answers.

However, I dare say there are some helpful ones out there.

I don't think it is anything to do with age whether you like these sort of books or not as I am sure lots of 'oldies' find them helpful.

Ten years older than the speaker. Anyone twenty years older than the speaker is a crumbly.

Might depend at what age you define an "oldie".

Rooms, not cupboards. I changed tack there in the middle of a sentence.

If we don't read "self-help" books (I am not sure that is true) it is probably because we are fed-up with yet another whipper-snapper who hasn't lived our years and experiences pontificating on how we would be healthier, richer, more stylish, our homes would be less dated, our cupboards no longer stuffed with brown furniture, our wardrobes with unfashionable clothes, our gardens with weeds and broken plant-pots, if we just - - (add latest guru advice here) - - as detailed in their latest book, available in hardback for £19.99, paperback for £10.50 and on Kindle for only £7.99.

🎯 Maw!

No, we write them.

Who told you that, how do they know and can they back it up as a statement of fact?

Why wouldn’t we?

These are the six broad categories that the publishing industry puts self-help books into:

• Personal Development & Motivation … habits, willpower, goal-setting and general mindset shift

• Health, Wellness & Fitness … meal plans, workout structures, sleep protocols

• Mental Health & Mindfulness … anxiety, stress management, meditation, and emotional regulation

• Relationships & Family … parenting and grand-parenting, friendship and communication

• Career, Business & Productivity … budgeting, debt management, investing basics and finance

• Spirituality & Inner Growth … faith, purpose-finding, and inner-life

I’m sure we can all think of different areas of our lives where we might benefit from reading a book from those categories, particularly as we age. Many of the topics which come up on this discussion board would come under those headings.

Self help books like Swedish Death Cleaning are often read by older people. My first self-help book was called Help I’ve got a teenager!
Very useful at the time and I passed it on to one DD.

I don't read them,but then I never have