Can Reading Books Help Anxiety
I could write an entire book on how helpful and enjoyable reading is. The impact of reading books in the personal development and self-help space spans far beyond what it could do for anxiety and depression. Other than the fact that reading is enjoyable, it is also good for your emotional and mental health. The words by Joseph Addison pretty much sum it up: Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. In this post, I will focus on books that Ive found to be helpful for overcoming anxiety.
There are many studies to back up the many benefits of reading.
Reading books has also been proven as an effective coping strategy for mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. Through bibliotherapy, mental health professionals are recommending reading to patients to help them recover. Reading can also make you feel more compassionate to yourself and others. Being exposed to several characters in a fictional book can give you an understanding of people and can help you improve your relationships.
- Improve your quality of sleep
- Open you to new ideas, thoughts, and perspectives
- Boost your social skills
- Improve your overall health
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- Very technical and can be overwhelming
- Recommendations may be difficult to practice
- May be difficult to stick to a restrictive diet
Pros
Cons
War And Peace By Leo Tolstoy
If life could write, it would write like Tolstoy, wrote Isaac Babel. War and Peace will forever feature on most of my lists of recommended books, especially when theyre books for anxiety. I first read it during the most anxious part of my life, and it unexpectedly brought me so much peace and timeless guidance.
Read War and Peace to learn about life, appreciate its details, and glimpse new dimensions of our humanity. Its a huge book that can be intimidating, but my comparison of the best translations and guide to getting started with War and Peace should make it easier.
Getting To Good: A Guided Journal
Getting to Good: A Guided Journal by Elena Welsh, Ph.D. promises to bring happiness and positivity into your day, and is a great option for people who want to take an active role in their battle against depression but have grown tired of strict CBT workbooks. This option strikes a comfortable balance by encouraging the person journaling to gain some power and control over their symptoms by writing about their experiences and hopes for the future.
Journaling is a great way to explore symptoms and confront the feelings of depression, but sometimes people find the experience too daunting or monotonous.
To encourage movement towards feeling and functioning better, Welsh, a licensed clinical psychologist uses:
- Writing prompts, exercises, and reflections directed towards optimism and happiness
- Techniques and interventions derived from an eclectic mix of proven therapies like mindfulness, motivational interviewing, positive psychology, and CBT
- Strategies that promote thoughts and behaviors that focus on finding gratitude, finding the kindness and good in self and others, and appreciating the beauty in the world
Each page offers the reader something new, which helps deter boredom and journaling fatigue. Even people who have resisted journaling in the past could find something positive here.
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The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck
While the previous selections offer a tranquil warmth and polite professionalism in their quest to defeat depression, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck utilizes a bolder, take-no-prisoners approach. Drawing from a successful blog, author Mark Manson presents a way to feel better without a focus on staying positive and looking on the bright side all of the time.
This book is based on the concept that life is a struggle that is tough to endure, and people should focus on becoming stronger and more resilient, rather than hoping for their situations to improve. If the reader can learn to handle defeat, face their fears, and accept their limitations, they can achieve the happiness they truly seek.
As the title suggests, this counterintuitive approach to living a good life is profane, rude, and vulgar, in the best ways possible. Manson trades flowery speech found in other texts for clear directives and humor at unforeseen turns.
Chatter: The Voice In Our Head And How To Harness It By Ethan Kross
Chatter
Who: Ethan Kross is a psychologist at the University of Michigan and director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory. His inspiration for the book came from his father who encouraged him from an early age to go inside to look for the answers to his problems. He did, and does.
Message: That little gremlin jabbering inside our head may lead us down the rabbit-hole, but it can also help us resolve problems and plays a vital role in self-determination. We can learn the tools to make this happen, says Kross who has spent 20 years studying the subject.
Top Tips: Use your own name and the second-person you to address yourself. Imagine youre advising a friend. Project into the future and imagine how the now experience will feel in a month or a years time. Not so bad eh.
Useful? Perfect for people prone to chatter-stress.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple
Amazon
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a very commonly used talk therapy technique designed to identify irrational and negative thoughts and replace them with sound-minded and motivating thoughts.
Dr. Gillihan uses a holistic approach to help readers identify patterns of thought that are holding them back from their goals and to move them toward feelings of happiness and purpose, helping them achieve their desired goals in both work and family life.
How To Relax By Thich Nhat Hanh
Oh, all the things we can learn from Thich Nhat Hanh I love the Buddhist monks How to books, especially How to Love which improved my relationship in so many ways with its timeless wisdom and this book, How to Relax.
On Reddit, Kj_90 recommends for anxiety: You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh, or any other of his books. His teachings are really grounding and helpful for anxiety.
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The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Who am I? What is my purpose in my life? How can I fulfil my life with peace, harmony and tranquillity? What will take to achieve my goals in my life?
Once you start asking yourself these questions, you find yourself in a constant tussle with the voice in your head. The distractions in your life avoid you from discovering who you really are?
In The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer shows how being aware in the present moment can bring happiness and lead to self-realization. As Micheal points out in his book, once you silence the noise in your head, you can hear the music of your soul.
Reading The Untethered Soul is like taking a journey within yourself, to explore what it means to be a human and silence the devil in your mind to curb anxiety-ridden thoughts right in their tracks.
There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind you are the one who hears it.
Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
Best For Illustrations: Dont Feed The Monkey Mind
This book uses illustrations alongside mindfulness, CBT, and ACT techniques to tackle anxious thoughts. It states a person should stop feeding their monkey mind, which refers to negative thoughts, rather than getting rid of them completely.
The author, Jennifer Shannon, is a psychologist with over 30 years of experience in CBT and treating anxiety.
The book has an average customer rating of 4.6 stars out of 5 on Amazon based on over 780 reviews.
Pros and cons
Reviewers state that this book is well written and easily relatable, with some reporting that they noticed long-term benefits after using the strategies in the book.
Other pros include:
- uses CBT, ACT, and mindfulness techniques
However, some reviewers noted it may not be suitable for people with GAD as it focuses on situational anxiety. Additionally, some readers struggled with the structure of the book.
Dont Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry costs $14.69 paperback and $11.49 on Kindle.
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First We Make The Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety By Sarah Wilson
As the name suggests, the primary objective of this book is to change our perception about anxiety. Instead of viewing anxiety as a plague, Sarah Wilson opines that we should view it as a companion. As a companion, anxiety forever walks with us on our journey of life. Therefore, the sooner we learn to cope with it, the better we can overcome it.
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful borrows from the Chinese beliefs that the best way to conquer a beast is to first make it your friend. Some of the tips the book highlight include how to cultivate the ritual of gratitude, meditation, and healthy dieting.
Books On Depression: Helpful Resources For When You Feel Depressed
Benjamin Troy
M.D.
When a persons mood, self-esteem, motivation, and energy are low and depression is high, for many, books on depression can make a positive difference. It turns out that reading books can have a substantial impact on mood, energy, and self-esteem, and reading can benefit people who are already using forms of professional treatment.
Called bibliotherapy, the practice of reading books to treat physical or mental health disorders, like depression, is a concept attached to cognitive behavioral therapy . Experts find that reading books and information on dealing with depression can be a valuable resource that, with some guidance from a professional, may effectively treat depression.1
For our audiences convenience, we include links to Amazon so recommended books can be easily purchased. Choosing Therapy may earn a commission from Amazon when purchases are made using the links on this page. Read more about our high editorial standards and
Here are 21 books that could help boost a persons mood and well-being:
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Unstuck: Your Guide To The Seven
If youre looking for a more holistic approach to treating your depression, author James Gordon provides a detailed, seven-step plan to tackle your mental health in all aspects of your physical life. He suggests using tools like nutrition, movement, exercise, and meditation to move beyond your depression and live a fuller, healthier life.
This Method Worked For Me
- 4.5 out of 5 stars 176
- Story4.5 out of 5 stars 176
Here, Dr. Lawrence Peltz, who has worked as an addiction psychiatrist for more than two decades, draws from his clinical experience and on the techniques of mindfulness-based stress reduction to explain the fundamental dynamics of addiction and the stages of the recovery process, and also gives us specific mindfulness exercises to support recovery.
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How To Be Happy
In the book How to Be Happy , author Lee Crutchley addresses the topic from an outsiders perspective. Crutchley is not a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or a person with any apparent experience as a mental health professional, but sometimes it takes a new type of voice to create the desired change.
How to be Happy is a stylized workbook that provides the reader a creative array of questions to answer and prompts to complete like:
- Designing shirts with the quality you project the most and which one you would like to project the most
- Practicing mindfulness by eating a piece of chocolate and savoring the experience
- Analyzing how you feel and identifying what you love
The reader could use the book during times of high depression to ward off symptoms, or on less sad days as a way to keep the depression in check. Either way, How to be Happy stands out as a book worth trying.
Dare: The New Way To End Anxiety And Stop Panic Attacks By Barry Mcdonagh
If youre tired of just managing your anxiety through self-help tactics or medication, Barry McDonagh aims to help you actually break free from anxiety. Based on science and his years of coaching, DARE offers a new way to overcome panic and anxiety disorders. Theres also a popular and well-regarded anxiety workbook by the author to accompany this book if you want some more practical exercises.
, Coming from the worst of the worst and a non-reader, this book changed my life overnight, adding that: It completely changed my perspective on anxiety and even life. Its trueYOU are the cure. You just need the right tools. And this book is it.
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Unlearning Anxiety & Depression
In this book, Dr. Luciani asks the very important question: What if anxiety and depression are learned habits that can be broken? Since thoughts and daily routines are indeed habits, he explores the effect changing our habits can have on our mood and asks what habits they could be replaced by.
Dr. Luciani’s approach argues that healthier thought and living habits can lead to happier feelings.
Monkey Mind: A Memoir Of Anxiety By Daniel Smith
Monkey Mind is more like a storybook on overcoming anxiety, told from the perspective of someone who has been there and done that. Daniel Smith was once a victim of anxiety, a condition that he admits significantly impeded his progress in life.
Monkey Mind is a highly relatable and realistic book as the author shares his personal experiences living with anxiety and how he overcame it. And the fact that Smith occasionally weaves in humor to drive his points home make the book as entertaining as itâs enlightening. Even before practicing the tips shared therein, Monkey Mind will frequently leave you in in stitches, which goes a long way in calming you down.
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Best For Lgbtqia+ People: The Queer Mental Health Workbook
This book addresses the mental health challenges LGBTQIA+ people may face. It uses a range of therapeutic approaches, techniques, and activities that the reader can delve into at their own pace. These include CBT, compassion-focused therapy , and dialectical behavior therapy . The book aims to make the reader feel empowered and able to face challenges.
Split into two sections, the first section explores identity, psychological well-being, and mental health challenges. It aims to contextualize the techniques explored in the second section, which explores issues such as:
The author, Doctor Brendan Dunlop is a Principal Clinical Psychologist and a Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Psychology. Dunlops research centers around minority mental health, in particular, the mental health of those who are LGBTQIA+.
The book has an average customer rating of 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon, based on 16 reviews.
Pros and cons
All the reviews on Amazon are positive. However, there is a very limited number of online reviews for this book as it was published in March 2022. Readers state that the book is comprehensive and can be useful not only to those who are LGBTQIA+ but to their friends and other healthcare professionals too.
Other pros include:
- focused on the unique challenges people in LGBTQIA+ community face
- includes advice on a wide range of experiences and challenges
For in-depth LGBTQIA+ resources, visit our dedicated hub.
I Thought It Was Just Me
Brene Brown is a social worker, researcher, best selling author, and star of one of the most viral TED talks of all time. What has earned her all of this notoriety? Her research on shame and vulnerability, two uncomfortable topics most people try to avoid. I Thought it Was Just Me is written for the imperfect versions of you that you are constantly editing, polishing and disguising because you are afraid of failure, rejection, and not being enough. Browns call to action is to abandon your inner PR rep and be your messy and imperfect self more often. She reminds you that trying to be perfect limits you, feeds your shame, and intimidates others, pushing them away. Dropping out of the perfect pageant also relieves a lot of pressure, stress, and anxiety.
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Be Calm: Proven Techniques To Stop Anxiety Now
Are you having trouble sleeping, right? Anxious before speaking to someone? If so, this book by Jill P. Weber should work well for you. It has everything you needfrom a handy guide on stress management to clear-cut steps that put things into perspective and help you stay calm. With Be Calm, youre always prepared
Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment For Depression And Anxiety
David D. Burns updates his famous book Feeling Good with new treatment and plans for depression and anxiety based on 40 years of research.
In this latest rendition, Burns argues that negative thoughts arent just something to be ignored: They often tell us exactly what we need to know about our current state and illustrate whats making us unhappy. Recognizing that connection, Burns says, allows us to better understand ourselves and find recovery.
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When Panic Attacks: The New Drug
If there is one thing that I say about this book is to listen to it now! No matter who you are, whether you are suffering from panic attacks or not, if you want to become mentally and emotionally strong, then this the book is for you.
Everybody suffers from anxiety, the only difference is the cause and the intensity of it. Some people suffer from panic attacks, while others have mild anxiety attacks.
Anxiety can creep in due to various reasons like worrying, shyness, fear of public speaking, test anxiety and phobias that cripple your mental health.
In When Panic Attacks, Dr David Burns teaches you 40 new powerful anti-anxiety techniques to deal with anxiety without any lengthy therapy or prescription drugs. All you need is a little bit of courage and the techniques in this book to beat the hell out of depression.
When you confront the monster you fear the most, youll defeat your fears.
David D. Burns, When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Therapy That Can Change Your Life