Self-help books I wish existed

HOW TO NOT HATE SOCIETY

The disillusioned intellectual raging at the world from the confines of his own room is not an uncommon character in fiction and at times in real life. In today's world, however, with incessant broadcasting of news, some of which are designed to evoke strong reactions from severely horrified and shocked people, even members of the general public have become pessimistic about the nature of both ordinary human beings and those in positions of authority. Despite progress in many aspects of our lives and living in a time considered by some to be the safest period in history, constant exposure to information about tragic incidents across the world can make us lose hope. A guide to not giving up when feeling powerless and helpless when hearing about the awful things happening in the world might be a read many people need.

OVERCOMING FOMO

A search on the Internet to find out how social media companies keep us glued to our phones can cause us to become fearful of the companies we've given so much of our personal information to. The knowledge that even small things like the position of a certain letter on a logo and the bright red colour for notifications have been used deliberately to ensure we are intrigued by what's on our screens can be disconcerting. However, it might be more worrying to realise that try as we may to give up on it, for some, social media's pull can be too strong. Many people say that they feel distressed if they don't have access to social media. Many also confess that they might be addicted to it. To not be a slave to intangible data that doesn't add value to one's life and actually causes one to feel worse can be for some a task that requires extra knowledge.

GETTING OVER FICTION

So many of us wish we could leave our current worlds behind and fly away on a broomstick. But since we can't actually do that, we seek refuge in fiction. We've all seen Facebook posts where a person talks about the sadness they felt when they never received that letter from Hogwarts they were so eagerly waiting for. Some post the results of quizzes they took, quizzes showing which character they are or which team, house or planet they belong to. Some wished to be able to continue experiencing what it was like to be fully immersed in the fictional world they so adored and so they started reading any and all fan fiction they could find, not caring about the grammar or the ridiculousness of the plots. Maybe it spilled over into life outside the screen, and they started comparing people in real life to the fictional characters they would prefer way more than them. However, it is difficult to imagine the existence of a book that can stop people from obsessing over fictional characters.

Matilda likes to pretend she is invisible and inconspicuous. Tell her you can read right through her at matilda.tilda1234@gmail.com