Ever feel like you’re not reading enough? Or, if it’s not reading, perhaps you feel like you’re not listening to educational podcasts, exercising, or cleaning your kitchen floor. For some reason, there are random things in my life I always feel I should be doing more often. And I have a feeling I’m not alone. 

We all have things we feel guilty about not doing.

Or at least, we feel guilty for not doing them enough. Only, not reading more is not usually a problem for me. I am the type of person who could be accidentally locked in a bookstore for hours, and be happy. But in 2020, my reading life took a nose dive.

I am the type of person who could be accidentally locked in a bookstore for hours, and be happy. But in 2020, my reading life took a nose dive.

Between the mental weight of moving and everything going on in our world, it made it harder to pick up a book. And easier, to turn on Netflix. That is why, rather than share a longer post of all my favorite books this year, I am only sharing three of the best books I actually was able to read. And one of them, I read pre-COVID.

All this to say, if you’re reading this post and feeling like you didn’t read enough this year—please take that burden off your back. 2020 was a season for survival. It hasn’t been one for breaking records on how many books we’ve read, hitting our exercise goals, or even keeping up with our cleaning. So whatever guilt you may be carrying friend, please

Take a deep breath, then let it go.

That extra weight is keeping you from doing the things you most need to do this season. So let it go. And then, if reading a book sounds like a needed endeavor, perhaps check out one of these titles:

Get Out of Your Head 

by Jennie Allen

This is the first book I read in 2020, and boy has it been a helpful one for both me and Tony this year. Many of us get caught up in thought spirals that keep us stuck in fear, worry, or shame. In this book, Jennie shares that we have the power to get out of these spirals and put ourselves on a healthier mental track. I highly recommend this book.

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire

by Jen Hatmaker

A lot of women empowerment books were released this year, and I read a few of them. But none of them were as solid and well-researched as this book by Jen Hatmaker. It’s one I would equally recommend to my women friends who are older than me, as I would to the younger women I’ve been blessed to mentor. It gets at the heart of some of our greatest obstacles as women—both inwardly and outwardly—and offers us a hopeful way forward.

Everything Happens For a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved

by: Kate Bowler

This is a must read if you have a loved one with cancer. But, I’d also say, it is the perfect read for 2020. Though it’s about Kate’s personal journey with stage IV colon cancer, she poetically untangles the myth that, “Everything happens for a reason.” A belief that has been disproved by our world wide pandemic, yet still one that is not easy to relinquish. If you need someone to sit with you in your ache, Kate will do that for you in this book. 

What things do you always feel bad about not doing?

What books were you able to read in 2020, and did you like them?

Have you too, struggled with finding focus since the Pandemic? Are you having a hard time feeling productive because you feel mentally exhausted? Sign up for my email list today, and receive a free copy of my Six Ways to Find Focus in a Pandemic. It will help you find your footing again.

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash