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The Self Help Paradox
We live in a world that’s full of self-help books, blogs, social media posts, seminars, and videos. About 15,000 self-help books are published in the United States each year. According to another source, self-help book sales in the US increased by 13% in 2019 with over 40 million units sold. This is a little lesson in economics — where there is abundant demand, there will always be plenty of supply.
The United States (and many other countries) these days is as competitive as it’s ever been. With the increased visibility into others’ lives brought about by social media, we are constantly bombarded with life’s highlights. How often do you see pictures of people in bed at noon because they feel too depressed to move? We pretty much only see that cellulite-edited shot of someone in her bikini with a dozen friends drinking margaritas in Cabo — #YOLO!
I don’t know about you, but I often fall into the social media trap when I’m not in my best mood. Seeing these posts that provide an unrealistic view into life, it’s hard not to think I’m doing something wrong. This then fuels even more self loathing.
Besides social media’s impact, consumerism plays a big part in how our culture is today. We’re inundated with marketing that suggests we need more in order to be happy; that life you’ve always dreamed of will come true as soon as you buy that sports car or get that…
