Because romantic love is not the only kind of love.
Ah, February, the month of love and romance!
But romantic love is just one type of love. And among all kinds of love, one could argue, the one you have for yourself is the most important one. Yes, that’s right, but we need some reminding. After all, we still live in these times where we’re taught to put others’ needs first before ourselves.
But there’s one thing you should know: it’s important to treat yourself with the same kindness and care you would shower anyone else.
Go and celebrate love by loving you. Buy yourself flowers, take yourself to the spa, and indulge in a self-care book or two—and we have great recos below!
Because at the end of the day, the most important relationship you’ll ever have in life is the one you have with yourself.
1. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Filled with sparkling wit, laugh-out-loud humor, and intimate wisdom, Dolly Alderton’s memoir deals with the trials and triumphs of adulting—from falling in love, finding a job, wrestling with self-sabotage, getting drunk, and getting dumped, with a sprinkling of catastrophic house parties in between.
Underneath the self-deprecating humor is a message young adults need to hear loud and clear: recognize that you and you alone are enough.
2. I Used to Have a Plan: But Life Had Other Ideas by Alessandra Olanow
In this uplifting and delightfully illustrated book, author Alessandra Olanow chronicles her journey of healing after leaving a toxic marriage, becoming a single mother to a toddler, and losing her mom to cancer. Warm, relatable, and filled with 100 illustrations that have struck a chord with people all over the world, I Used to Have a Plan is a friend to those who need a little help to get through grief, unexpected change, and loss.
3. Advice from a Blob by Lennnie
You may have seen online the trending videos of this cute, adorable, and sassy blob named Lennnie, offering encouragement, and making people smile with its empowering messages. Now, Lennie has crossed over to print with this full-color, illustrated self-care book filled with wisdom to help us improve our mental health, or at the least, get through a bad day.
As Lennnie reminds us, no matter where we are in life, we’ve got this.
4. Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
Forget fast-paced, octane-fueled books. This Korean smash hit about an unhappy divorcee who quits her job and opens a bookshop in a small neighborhood, is a slow-paced read that’s perfect for relaxing and recharging yourself.
It teaches us that no matter what age, it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, and reaffirms our belief that books are magical places for healing and human connection.
5. Love for Imperfect Things: How to Accept Yourself in a World Striving for Perfection by Haemin Sunim
In this book, renowned Buddhist teacher and bestselling author of The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down, offers a refreshing perspective on nurturing self-love and compassion in a world that teaches us perfection is a must.
Divided into chapters on self-compassion, courage, healing, and acceptance, Haenim Sunim illuminates us that it’s only in embracing our flaws and accepting we are enough that we get to love our lives, love our world and everyone in it. Just as on airplanes we’re told to put on our own masks, we must first be at peace with ourselves before we can make peace with the world around us.
6. The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith
In this groundbreaking self-help book, clinical psychologist Gwendoline Smith takes on overthinking in the modern landscape, its deeply-rooted causes, including inheriting it from our parents, and how to manage compulsive ruminating or what she calls “thought viruses.” Filled with anecdotes, analogies, and solutions rooted in cognitive behavioral theory, this book will help overthinkers finally break free from the cycle of ceaseless worrying.
7. Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton
Is your life brimming with stress and exhaustion? Enrich your life with wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic concept, and how it can reshape every area of your life and give you lasting happiness. Filled with simple and profound wisdom, this book will teach you to slow down, let go (we have a misguided belief that we can control everything), find beauty in imperfect things, and be kinder to yourself.
8. Being Comfortable Without Effort by Kim Soo-Hyun
Learn to nurture your inner self with Being Comfortable Without Effort, Korean bestselling author Kim Soo-Hyun’s sequel to I Decided to Live as Me, teaching readers that in order to have a beautiful relationship with others, you have to fall in love with yourself first. This is a useful and beautifully illustrated manual on how you can start nurturing harmony within and outside yourself.
Looking for more reads? Head over to Fully Booked Online and enjoy free shipping when you order a minimum of P799. You may explore the latest bookish news features on its blog.
