Since childhood, I’ve been an avid reader and have gone to literature and poetry to seek solace, guidance, and inspiration. Always with a nose in a book, it’s no surprise that later, in college, I completed a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and history, where I took a deep dive into texts written by authors and poets from around the world.

Flash forward a few years, and I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I had just left a job and a relationship, and moved in with my parents. I was so sad and lost, and had little hope that the future would brighten up.

Eventually, I couldn’t bear living in my current state. I knew I had to get better and I started to search for answers. My intuition told me that books held the healing medicine I needed. So I began to read mostly self-help books and books about spirituality and began crafting a spiritual practice for myself. In 2017, I had my first spiritual awakening. But I was simply trying to transcend my ego and purge the shadows in me. It was basically toxic positivity. It didn’t last long.

“She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” - Annie Dillard

In 2022, I lost a dear friend and former partner to an accidental overdose. I was plunged into a darkness I had never known. For months I couldn’t get out of bed. I struggled to find the will to live and I questioned the meaning of life — I had a full-blown existential crisis. Along with the support of my friends and family, and guidance from a therapist and a psychiatrist, I started to get the help I needed.

I also started reading again. I read about the neuroscience of grief and depression, about how to endure suffering and develop self-compassion, about how to feel less alone and deal with self-doubt, and about how to befriend myself during this difficult time. This time I realized that purging the shadows was not the answer, but that the answer was found in the darkness itself. I decided to get curious and creative, and integrate the wisdom my grief was showing me.

Reading once again became an important tool in my healing. I made sense of my suffering and slowly rebuilt my faith in the universe. I also felt a calling to share this with others and take a deeper dive into other books, which is why I started this podcast. I want to share my love of reading self-help books with you and learn with you as we go on this reading adventure.

Are you ready to enter The Healing Library?