Today, the self-help industry is abillion-dollar industry, where every random person has counsel to offer. A few clichés on an Instagram reel, and we make heroes out of people who feed on a generation full of self-conscious young adults. Yes, I cannot cancel all the authors of self-help books out there, for some of them are qualified. However, I am surely going to speak up about the damage that these self-proclaimed keynote speakers inflict on people’s egos in the name of changing their lives for the better.
When you visit a therapist, the person in the other end of the room offering you legitimate life advice is a professional qualified in clinical psychology. But self-help coursework experts authors don’t rely on a peer-reviewed industryor empirical research. Instead, these “gurus” weave words out of the air, barely realising the impact they create on young minds. On that note, here are four problems about the self-help industry:
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There is no one simple solution
The human mind is a mystery. Not even the most gifted psychologists have answers to the conundrums of how humans think. What you have to understand is that there is no perfect equation for your problems. So, do not sell yourself to the jargon these writers to sell.Even if you have enjoyed reading that self-help book, it does not necessarily mean your life has improved.
The advice that these books offer is something our common sense has repeated to us countless times. We all know we need to “get on the road”, and “be confident”. You just feel the gravity of the most simplistic things because the cover is glamorous. So, why would you pay to read what you already know?
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A web leading to false hope
By case study help only good thing about reading a self-help book is your conscious decision to read one. As soon as you understand you need help, you have taken the most important step already. But for that one step you have taken forward, you fall back several steps when you read a self-help book and harbour hope based on what the book had to say. These books make false promises and suggest a coping mechanism by pretending something you are not.
The biggest problem is thatself-help books oversimplify an issue, making the readers believe that solving the problem is simple. This leads to unrealistic expectations. Now, when you finally try to put the tips to use, you realise how difficult it is and end up feeling more dejected than you were already. This sense of hopelessness leads to self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness.
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A world that isn’t too real
Books and movies are often too idealistic. Alas! If only finding inspiration was this easy. In real life, going on a life-altering road trip does not change anything. But self-help books build a world around you that is ephemeral – the kind that fizzes when you try to touch it. In the book, it is all about you. However, you have a family, children, friends, assignments, schedules, commitments, and more in the real world.
What you as a reader do not understand is that our experiences are individualistic.So, the lesson the author shares in an anecdote does not necessarily have to help you, as there are no such situational factors. Since every one of us is dynamic with specific skills,our destinations are different too. So, how can one single roadmap help us reach us?
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The lessons contradict each other
There is the reason I find self-help books futile and almost ridiculous. As per the author of a self-help book, you should not require someone’s help. The whole point of what a self-help guru preaches is that you consider yourself to be okay as you are, that you don’t need anyone else’s help. Apparently, this belief lets you gain control over your life and taste eventual success.
A self-help book says that you do not need to see a life coach nor a therapist. You also must be your own support system. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need this Amazon bestseller either! So, before you follow their advice, understand how they are manipulating words to get you to rely on them.
Remember that you DO NOT HAVE TO follow every lesson the author has to preach. Instead, use the books as a guide or a moral crutch. But at the end of the day, the steering wheel to change your life is in your hands.
