Be Your Own Best Friend
A Teen's Guide to Self-Empowerment
Naturopath and medical herbalist Nicola Lincoln’s self-help book Be Your Own Best Friend is about developing positive habits and caring for one’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
This handbook on holistic well-being includes coping strategies and daily habits to promote overall wellness: “If you are in pain, feeling angry, sad, hurt, worried, lost or lonely, the good news is, you have the ability to make choices and take action, to mend them.” To achieve this, the book is split into six sections, each of which includes a different “toolkit” focused on topics including healthy behavior, diet, and lifestyle.
The book’s recommendations are practical and powerful. It advocates for self-love and provides guidance for reclaiming one’s self-esteem. Positive affirmations are posited to counteract limiting beliefs. For instance, a person who feels unlovable might choose “I am worthy of love” as their affirmation. Daily habits including meditation, mindfulness, and spending time in nature are endorsed alongside coping strategies like tapping and journaling. Negative coping mechanisms like substance abuse, disordered eating, and self-harm are also examined and warned against.
At times, the book delves into the metaphysical, as with its suggestion for manifestation: “Our energy is part of a sea of energy that makes up the whole cosmos, as energy is everywhere and in everything.” In addition, intuitive guidance, the mind-body-soul connection, and herbal medicine are discussed. Most recommendations are backed by science or Lincoln’s clinical experience, though. For example, the text describes the science behind the placebo effect as observed during drug trials to demonstrate the power of positive thinking. The personal stories of teenagers add a personal touch and support the book’s proposed strategies.
Empowering and user-friendly, Be Your Own Best Friend is a self-help book designed to equip teenagers with the tools needed to achieve mental and emotional health.
Reviewed by
Hannah Pearson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
