Good reads.

Don't let the title put you off. This isn't about religion. Wright is a science writer, and he explains why our minds are wired to worry, overthink and react, and how meditation lets you step back and watch those feelings instead of being dragged around by them.

Why it helped me: it gave me a real insight into deeper meditation and the Buddhist way of looking at things. It brought calm and order into my head, and a few proper "oh, that's why I do that" moments.

The idea is simple: tiny changes, done every day, add up to big results. Clear shows you how to make good habits easy and bad ones harder, and how to stick at things even when you don't feel like it.

Why it helped me: it's brilliant for setting a routine and actually sticking to it, and for swapping bad habits for good ones. If routine is the backbone of the bad day toolkit, this book is how you build it.

Shetty spent three years as a monk before coming back to everyday life. This book turns what he learned into simple daily habits: breathing, quietening the noise in your head, and working out what actually matters to you.

Why it helped me: it's practical, not preachy. The breathing practice in it is where my 2-minute reset comes from, and it pairs well with Why Buddhism Is True.

Not a mental health book. It's a business book about finding customers, but the big idea works for life. Hormozi's "Rule of 100": do the thing 100 times before you decide whether it works. Your first goes will be rubbish. That's normal. You get good by doing more, not by waiting until you feel ready.

Why it helped me: it's the best cure for self-doubt I've found. Doubt says "what if it doesn't work?" Volume answers it. Stop judging yourself on how it went and count what you actually did: the walk, the call to a mate, the early night. Then do it again tomorrow. It pairs well with Atomic Habits, and if you run a team at work, it's a book your boss has probably read too.