Wellbeing Books for Men's Health Awareness Month

November marks Men's Health Awareness Month in the UK. Take a look at our recommended books with a focus on men's mental health and wellbeing.

Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness

In 'Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness', Bill explores the nature of happiness and ways to be, well, happy. Being Bill Bailey however, he does so in his own, remarkable, Bill Bailey way. From paddle-boarding down the Thames in a Santa hat, to wild swimming in a glacial river, Bill considers the exhilaration of the outdoors, as well as the quieter pleasures of clearing out your moth-eaten grey t-shirts. He attempts to see beyond the mumbo-jumbo of the wellness industry and aims for the heart of real joy and contentment - and how we can all achieve it.

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You Will Get Through This Night

Written by Daniel Howell, in consultation with a qualified psychologist, in an entertaining and personal way from the perspective of someone who has been through it all - this no-nonsense book gives you the tools to understand your mind so you can be in control and really live. Split into three chapters for each stage of the journey: This Night - how to get through your toughest moments and be prepared to face anything; Tomorrow - small steps to change your thoughts and actions with a big impact on your life; The Days After - help to look after yourself in the long term and not just survive, but thrive. You will laugh and learn - but most of all, this book will assure you that even in your darkest times, there is always hope.

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How We Break: Navigating the Wear and Tear of Living

Vincent Deary is a practitioner health psychologist who helps people cope with whatever life has thrown at them. In 'How We Break', he examines, with great empathy, what happens to our minds and bodies when we are pushed to, and beyond, our limits. Drawing on clinical case studies, cutting edge scientific research, intimate personal stories and references from philosophy, literature and film, this book offers us a map through the challenging terrain of everyday human suffering.

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Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life

Here are the seven rules to follow to realise your true purpose in life - distilled by Arnold Schwarzenegger from his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievement, and available for absolutely anyone. The world's greatest bodybuilder. The world's highest paid movie star. The leader of the world's sixth largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke. But this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident. Arnold's stratospheric success happened as part of a process. As the result of clear vision, big thinking, hard work, direct communication, resilient problem-solving, open-minded curiosity, and a commitment to giving back. All of it guided by the one lesson Arnold's father hammered into him above all - be useful.

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The Happiness Cure

As a species, we've never had it so good. We're living longer and healthier lives than ever before; the sum of human knowledge and endless entertainment are only ever a few clicks away. So why are we in the midst of a mental health crisis? 'The Happiness Cure' offers a radical new way to think about fulfilment. Blending neuroscientific research and empirical breakthroughs with stories of ordinary individuals, leading psychiatrist and viral TedX speaker Dr Anders Hansen reveals that by adopting an evolutionary take on life, we can re-set our perspective on happiness to find longer-term meaning and lasting contentment.

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Fortitude: The Myth of Resilience, and the Secrets of Inner Strength

Resilience is the buzzword of the moment. We're told that if we have it, our lives will be happy and successful ones. If we don't, we need to acquire it. But what if the version of resilience we've been peddled is a myth? Here, Sunday Times bestselling author Bruce Daisley demolishes a concept that has spawned a multi-million pound resilience industry of books, workshops and courses, exposing the highly questionable science it rests on. In its place he outlines a very different approach to good mental health that embraces the latest science and research. Offering empirically tested advice, Fortitude sets out a practical path to greater self-confidence and courage for us all.

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Behind the Mask

A Manchester lad from Irish Traveller stock, born three months premature and weighing just a pound at birth, Tyson (named after his father's boxing hero) grew up to become one of the most unlikely heavyweight champions in history. This 'dream come true' soon turned to nightmare, however, as alcohol and cocaine abuse took hold and Tyson was stripped of his titles. What followed was the darkest moment of his life - detailed in this book for the first time - in which he came within seconds of ending everything. Like all the greatest stories, though, there is redemption and Tyson defies all the odds and literally drags himself to his feet. 10 million people around the globe watched Fury fight Wilder in the biggest fight of the boxing calendar. Speaking candidly about his struggles with mental health, this is Tyson Fury as you have never seen him before.

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Old Too Soon, Smart Too Late

In the public mind, Kieron Dyer came to symbolise so much of what was self-destructive about a group of football players known collectively as the 'Baby Bentley generation'. Nicknamed 'The King of Bling' by the tabloid press, Dyer was caught up in many of the scandals that characterised the history of a talented crop of players who promised so much and delivered so little, a generation whose wages and lavish lifestyles began to alienate them from the fans who once worshipped them. The brash young man is gone now, and in his place is the quiet, caring, wise man who was such a favourite on I'm a Celebrity, Get me Out of Here! in 2015. Dyer narrates, in uncompromising detail, how a generation of talented English footballers, taken out of working class childhoods and presented with a world of glitz, glamour, wealth and temptation, failed to cope with the riches that were presented to them and often fell apart.

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Follow the Thunder

'Follow the Thunder' is the searingly honest autobiography of former Premier League star and record-breaking wonder kid Jason Dozzell, who later faced the consequences of a chaotic life off the field. Dozzell goes on a therapeutic journey of self-reflection to unravel his mental-health issues and encourage others to open up.

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How to Be Your Own Therapist

Modern life is a minefield for stress. Whether it's juggling work, relationships or money, we often struggle to make time for ourselves and can find ourselves stuck in a rut with bad habits or worries. Owen O'Kane reveals how smart, short techniques throughout the day can form a healthier perspective and let you ditch harmful thought patterns. Using the latest evidence-based tools and techniques from across a range of therapies including CBT, mindfulness and interpersonal therapy, Owen provides empowering solutions to managing what keeps you stuck so you can move forward.

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Reasons to Stay Alive

Aged 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again. A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, this is more than a memoir: it is a book about making the most of your time on Earth.

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