On My Bookshelf: 5 Books That Have Changed How I Think About Life, Work and Wellbeing

People often ask where ideas for wellbeing articles come from. The truth is, they come from many places. Conversations with care professionals. Stories from readers. Moments of reflection during busy weeks. And quite often, books.

Not because books have all the answers, but because they have a way of helping us see familiar challenges from a different perspective.

Over the years, there have been a handful of books that I’ve returned to repeatedly. Some offered comfort during difficult periods. Others challenged my thinking. A few simply arrived at exactly the right moment.

Here are five books that have stayed with me.

1. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse By Charlie Mackesy

This is one of those rare books that feels simple and profound at the same time.

Filled with gentle illustrations and conversations about courage, kindness, friendship and vulnerability, it’s a book that can be opened on almost any page and still offer something meaningful.

One of the things I love most about it is its reminder that strength doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

Sometimes strength is asking for help. Sometimes strength is simply continuing.

In a world that often celebrates achievement, this book celebrates humanity.

2. Brave Thinking By Mary Morrissey

This book introduced me to the idea that we can become trapped by our current circumstances if we’re not careful.

It’s easy to focus entirely on what’s in front of us: today’s challenges, today’s pressures, today’s limitations.

Brave Thinking encourages a different perspective. It asks us to consider what might be possible if we started with vision rather than constraint.

For anyone working in health and social care, where challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, I think that’s an important reminder. It echoes some of the themes we’ve explored previously in The Daily Round.

3. The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down By Haemin Sunim

Many of us spend our lives rushing from one responsibility to the next. This book gently explores the idea that slowing down isn’t always about doing less. Sometimes it’s about noticing more.

What I appreciate about it is that it doesn’t demand dramatic life changes.

Instead, it invites reflection. A few quiet pages can often feel like taking a deep breath during a busy week.

4. The Midnight Library By Matt Haig

At its heart, this novel explores questions many of us ask ourselves at some point:

What if I had made different choices? What if my life had taken another path?

Without giving too much away, it offers a thoughtful reminder about perspective, regret, and the tendency to imagine that happiness exists somewhere else.

It’s a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it.

5. Four Thousand Weeks By Oliver Burkeman

This book completely changed the way I think about time. Rather than encouraging us to become more productive, it asks a more interesting question:

What if the goal isn’t to do everything? What if the goal is to focus on what matters most?

For people working in caring professions, where there will always be another task, another responsibility, and another demand on your attention, I think this message feels particularly relevant.

What I’m Reading Next

One of the joys of reading is that there is always another book waiting on the shelf.

Some will challenge us. Some will comfort us. Some will simply provide a welcome escape from a busy day. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons books remain such powerful companions.

They remind us that someone else has asked the same questions. Faced the same uncertainties. Searched for the same meaning.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

The best books don’t tell us what to think. They give us space to think for ourselves.

They offer new perspectives, fresh questions, and occasionally, the reassurance that we’re not alone in how we feel.

These five have certainly done that for me. And I’d love to know which books have done the same for you.

The Daily Round

What book has had the biggest impact on your life, wellbeing, or career? We’d love to hear your recommendations. Share them with The Daily Round and help us create a reading list inspired by the experiences of our readers across health, care and caregiving.