Phil Treagus-EvansHello and welcome to this very special blog post of the best books on anxiety. As someone who grapples with anxiety, I understand how challenging it can be to navigate the whirlwind of emotions it often brings. Yet, in this journey, I’ve found solace and gained invaluable insights through an unexpected ally – books.
In the quietude of reading, there’s an escape from the buzzing anxiety, a refuge where you can breathe easier. Beyond that soothing calm, books have offered me practical strategies, profound insights, and a sense of camaraderie that has significantly changed my relationship with anxiety.
So today, I’m sharing a handpicked list of the best books on anxiety, and I hope, you will find a similar refuge that I did. These books span a wide array of genres and styles, each offering a unique lens to understand and cope with anxiety. From enlightening self-help guides to empathetic narratives and inspiring memoirs, there’s something for everyone.
While these books provide excellent tools to manage and understand anxiety better, I want to underscore the importance of seeking professional help when needed. Books are powerful allies, but they don’t replace the expertise of mental health professionals. If you’re finding your anxiety to be overwhelming or impeding your daily life, I strongly encourage reaching out to a healthcare provider. There’s absolutely no shame in seeking help. In fact, it’s one of the bravest things you can do and one of the best things I did.
In sharing these books, my hope is that you’ll find comfort, learn more about your anxiety, and realize that, despite the challenges it presents, you can lead a rewarding and fulfilling life. So, let’s embark on this literary journey together, uncovering understanding, solace, and resilience one page at a time. Shall we begin?
Here are the best books on anxiety…
Unwinding Anxiety
“Unwinding Anxiety” by Judson Brewer is a breath of fresh air amidst the storm that anxiety often brings. This New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller is more than just a book – it’s a companion to hold your hand through the turbulent times.
With the world swirling around us in a seemingly never-ending cycle of worries and fears, this book couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Dr. Brewer gently ushers you into the complex labyrinth of the anxious mind, explaining the roots of anxiety, addictive behaviors, and our habitual responses to stress.
What makes this book particularly special is its accessible, science-backed approach. It’s not just about understanding anxiety from an academic perspective; it’s about providing practical, hands-on strategies to combat it in our everyday lives. And these strategies aren’t random tips – they’re methods clinically proven to work, drawn from over two decades of dedicated research and experience.
Through a series of step-by-step plans, Dr. Brewer encourages you to confront your triggers and diffuse them using the powerful tool of curiosity. He invites you to understand your mind better and reshape your response to anxiety through mindfulness practices. He even shares successful case studies from his work with thousands of patients, including Olympic athletes and business leaders.
“Unwinding Anxiety” is a gateway to understanding and overcoming anxiety. It offers not just fleeting comfort, but a long-term solution to feeling better – irrespective of how anxious you feel. This book is an uplifting and enlightening journey that empowers you to reclaim control over your mind and life. So, are you ready to unravel the mystery of your anxiety and discover a calmer, more peaceful you?
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
“Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” by Dr. Julie Smith is like a heartfelt conversation with a wise friend who just happens to be a seasoned clinical psychologist. This international bestseller stands out in the crowd of self-help books with its warm, down-to-earth approach and insightful guidance.
Sometimes life can feel like an uphill battle, and in those moments, we all wish for a guiding hand. This is exactly what Dr. Julie provides in her debut book. Using her wealth of experience as a therapist, she equips you with a plethora of practical strategies to navigate life’s challenges, fortify your mental health, and regain control of your emotional well-being.
Dr. Julie’s approach is both accessible and empowering. The book is filled with her powerful coping techniques to help you tackle a range of concerns, be it anxiety, depression, criticism, self-confidence, motivation, or even self-forgiveness. She breaks down these complex issues into bite-sized, easily digestible entries, allowing you to find and apply specific advice at your own pace.
“Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” is a warm hug that reassures you of your inherent strength and resilience. It offers an intimate look into the workings of your mind, fostering a deeper understanding of your emotions and thoughts.
Remember, your mental health is just as crucial as your physical health. This book is like a personal therapist in your pocket, offering empathy, insights, and practical guidance whenever you need it. Full of wisdom and practicality, “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?” is more than just a book – it’s a life-changing journey towards better mental well-being.
Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry
“Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry” by Jennifer Shannon and Doug Shannon is a truly enlightening read that offers a compassionate journey towards peace of mind. If you’ve ever found yourself caught in a spiral of anxious thoughts, feeling like your mind is bouncing around like a monkey from one worry to the next, this book is here to guide you out of that distressing cycle.
Crafted by the skilled psychotherapist, Jennifer Shannon, this book exposes the subconscious behaviours that inadvertently fuel our anxiety and stress. It’s an eye-opening revelation that shows how our natural inclination to avoid anxiety-inducing situations often traps us in a perpetual cycle of worry and fear.
But don’t fret – the book doesn’t leave you at the mercy of your “monkey mind”. Rather, it arms you with powerful techniques and tools from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness practices. It guides you to change your behaviour in manageable, bite-sized steps, gradually building your resilience against anxiety.
As you journey through this book, you’ll learn to retrain your autonomic nervous system, moving it away from the stress-induced ‘fight-or-flight’ mode and toward a calmer ‘rest-and-digest’ state. You’ll foster a newfound confidence in your ability to cope with anxious situations and face future uncertainties.
“Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind” is a roadmap towards tranquility and confidence, helping you find the peace you rightfully deserve. So let’s stop feeding the monkey mind and start nurturing a mind that is at peace with itself and the world around it.
Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks
“Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry” by Jennifer Shannon and Doug Shannon is a truly enlightening read that offers a compassionate journey towards peace of mind. If you’ve ever found yourself caught in a spiral of anxious thoughts, feeling like your mind is bouncing around like a monkey from one worry to the next, this book is here to guide you out of that distressing cycle.
Crafted by the skilled psychotherapist, Jennifer Shannon, this book exposes the subconscious behaviours that inadvertently fuel our anxiety and stress. It’s an eye-opening revelation that shows how our natural inclination to avoid anxiety-inducing situations often traps us in a perpetual cycle of worry and fear.
But don’t fret – the book doesn’t leave you at the mercy of your “monkey mind”. Rather, it arms you with powerful techniques and tools from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness practices. It guides you to change your behaviour in manageable, bite-sized steps, gradually building your resilience against anxiety.
As you journey through this book, you’ll learn to retrain your autonomic nervous system, moving it away from the stress-induced ‘fight-or-flight’ mode and toward a calmer ‘rest-and-digest’ state. You’ll foster a newfound confidence in your ability to cope with anxious situations and face future uncertainties.
Anxiety: Panicking about Panic
“Anxiety: Panicking about Panic” by Joshua Fletcher is a deeply personal, enlightening guide that offers a lifeline to those struggling with the often overwhelming sensations of anxiety. Written by a counselor who has himself walked the daunting path of anxiety disorder, this book is the empathetic friend who understands your struggles and is here to help you navigate through them.
The beauty of this book lies in its approachability and relatability. It’s tailored specifically for people who experience panic attacks, abnormal anxiety levels, health rumination, anticipatory anxiety, or are simply questioning why anxiety has invaded their lives. If you’ve ever felt as though you’re panicking for no discernible reason, or felt fear about future panic attacks, this book will resonate with you.
What sets “Anxiety: Panicking about Panic” apart is its pragmatic approach. Fletcher doesn’t just provide abstract theory or generalized advice. Instead, he offers quick, accessible tips and practical strategies, helping you to untangle the web of anxiety and confront it head-on. The guidance offered in this book is geared towards simplifying your understanding of anxiety, making the task of tackling it feel less intimidating and more achievable.
In essence, “Anxiety: Panicking about Panic” acts as both a lantern and a compass in the murky and confusing world of anxiety disorders. With its blend of personal experience, expert knowledge, and actionable advice, it could be the key that unlocks your journey to overcoming anxiety.
This Is Your Brain on Food
In “This Is Your Brain on Food,” Uma Naidoo, a respected psychiatrist and professional chef, serves up a fascinating exploration of the intricate relationship between what we eat and how we feel. The book extends an invitation to a profound, scientifically-rooted understanding of how our diet impacts our mental health, particularly anxiety.
At the heart of this book is the empowering assertion that our diet is more than a mere influence on our waistline—it’s also a crucial determinant of our emotional wellbeing. Dr. Naidoo passionately explains the connection between our brain and the food we consume, serving up easily digestible scientific explanations that are far from dry or clinical.
This book empowers you with the knowledge to make dietary choices that positively affect your mental health. Dr. Naidoo’s insightful guidance isn’t a prescriptive diet plan, but a friendly invitation to understand your food in a new light, examining how everything from fruits and vegetables to proteins and fats can impact your mood and anxiety levels.
Filled with helpful lists, delicious recipes, and practical advice, “This Is Your Brain on Food” brings a new level of awareness to the power of food. It encourages us to be mindful of what we put on our plates, making it a must-read for anyone keen to understand how they can manage their anxiety through their eating habits. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or someone just starting to explore the kitchen, this book is your key to a healthier, calmer mind.
The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, a Calmer You
“The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, a Calmer You” by Chloe Brotheridge is a wonderfully thoughtful and compassionate guide that navigates the oftentimes overwhelming landscape of anxiety. Speaking from both professional expertise and personal experience, Brotheridge extends a helping hand to young women who find themselves trapped in cycles of worry and stress.
One of the standout elements of this book is its relatability. Brotheridge candidly shares her own battles with anxiety, making it clear that she truly understands the feelings of fear and worry that can feel so intrinsic to our identities. Yet, she also provides a beacon of hope, reassuring her readers that a state of calmness and confidence is within their reach.
What sets this book apart is its practical, scientifically grounded program, designed to equip young women with the tools they need to manage their anxiety. It doesn’t promise overnight miracles, but it does provide a clear pathway toward a calmer, more confident you. Brotheridge delves into everything from recognizing anxiety symptoms to understanding root causes, providing a comprehensive exploration of anxiety in today’s world.
But the heart of this book lies in its actionable advice. From meditation tips and breathing exercises to mindful eating, boosting self-esteem, and effective decision-making, it provides a plethora of practical strategies to help you regain control of your life. Brotheridge even includes a self-care diary to help you track your progress and reflect on your journey.
Ultimately, “The Anxiety Solution” is a compassionate companion that provides comfort, insight, and practical strategies to those dealing with anxiety. It’s a friendly reassurance that it’s possible to break free from the clutches of worry, reclaim your confidence, and lead a happier, calmer life.
A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Towards What Matters
“A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Towards What Matters” by Steven C. Hayes is a profound and groundbreaking exploration of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a revolutionary approach to dealing with life’s challenges, as explained by the originator and leading researcher of ACT himself.
This is more than just a self-help book; it’s an enlightening journey into the depths of psychological flexibility, a concept that holds tremendous power to transform lives. Hayes demonstrates how these skills can help us confront a wide range of issues—whether they’re related to mental health, physical health, social processes, or performance.
The essence of this book is its unique perspective: life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced, even when it hurts. In an era where our instinct is to escape pain, Hayes encourages us to turn toward it, arguing that our vulnerabilities are inextricably tied to what we value and care about. By embracing our pain and vulnerabilities, we can live with purpose and meaning.
In this book, Hayes provides practical strategies to cultivate psychological flexibility. These include observing our thoughts with curiosity, embracing our emotions, focusing on the present, mastering the art of perspective-taking, identifying our deepest values, and fostering habits based on what we genuinely desire. Through moving personal narratives, rich scientific insights, and actionable advice, he guides you on a journey to liberate your mind and pivot towards what truly matters.
“A Liberated Mind” is an empowering narrative that reshapes our understanding of personal growth and mental well-being. Hayes’ approach challenges our conventional responses to fear and hurt, illuminating a path that leads not away from the realities of life, but deeper into them. It’s a book that can help you make peace with your pain and, in the process, craft a life that truly reflects your chosen values and aspirations.
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
“The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook” by Edmund J. Bourne is a timeless resource that has stood the test of time, celebrating three decades as a highly recommended guide for those grappling with anxiety and phobias. It’s a beacon of hope for anyone feeling that their life is dominated by these conditions, illuminating the path towards regaining control.
This comprehensive workbook is brimming with the most efficacious strategies for assessing and managing anxiety, all based on cutting-edge clinical research. It’s as though you’re gaining access to a treasure chest of practical tools designed to help diminish worry, counter negative self-talk, and gain mastery over your anxious thoughts.
Within the pages of this book, you’ll discover a variety of techniques, ranging from relaxation and breathing exercises to the latest research on exposure therapy for phobias. Moreover, it emphasizes the role of lifestyle factors in managing anxiety, offering invaluable advice on exercise, mindfulness, and nutrition.
Authored by a renowned authority in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this seventh edition is meticulously updated and revised. It offers potent, step-by-step treatment strategies for various conditions, including panic disorders, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), worry, and fear. New content includes information on preventing relapse post-successful treatment, updates on medication, cannabis derivatives, ketamine, exposure, nutrition, spirituality, and more.
The ultimate aim of “The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook” is to empower you to overcome the fears that prevent you from leading a fulfilling and joyful life. Whether you’re a mental health professional or an individual battling these conditions, this book offers the most current, effective solutions. It’s a stand-alone resource that can also complement therapeutic interventions. This isn’t just a book; it’s a key to unlocking a more confident, less anxious self.
On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety
“On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety” by Andrea Petersen is a candid, poignant account of the author’s personal struggle with anxiety. It is an intimate portrait of what it’s like to live under the constant weight of anxiety, described by someone who’s been there.
Andrea Petersen’s narrative begins with her diagnosis of an anxiety disorder at twenty, a revelation that brought both relief and a host of new challenges. In retrospect, she could see the symptoms had been present since her childhood – panic attacks that had multiplied and expanded over time, fears that burgeoned to include mundane activities like driving on highways or licking envelopes. Her account is a brave journey into the labyrinth of anxiety, one that took her from the offices of psychiatrists to yoga retreats, even to the Appalachian Trail.
But “On Edge” is more than just a personal account. It also delves into the biology of anxiety, offering readers an enlightening look at the mechanisms underlying this common but often misunderstood condition. Petersen explores groundbreaking research that could lead to novel treatments, and she provides a balanced comparison of drug-based and non-drug interventions, like biofeedback and exposure therapy.
Another intriguing aspect of “On Edge” is Petersen’s exploration of the interplay between genetics and environment in mental health. She takes readers along as she interviews leading neuroscientists and delves into her own family history, painting a picture of the hereditary factors at play. Her stories about her paranoid grandmother and the traits she observes in her own daughter underscore the very real genetic aspect of anxiety.
“On Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety” is a courageous, empowering account that serves as a beacon for anyone else grappling with anxiety. It doesn’t just explain what it’s like to live on edge – it extends a hand of understanding, promising you’re not alone in your struggle.
What are the best coping skills for anxiety?
Living with anxiety can feel challenging, but remember, you’re not alone. The first step in managing anxiety is recognizing that it’s okay to need help, and it’s perfectly okay to reach out to healthcare professionals who can provide guidance and support.
Take a moment to breathe. It sounds simple, but deep, slow breaths can help calm your body’s stress response and promote a sense of peace and relaxation. The rhythm of your breath can act as an anchor, a constant, grounding presence in your life.
Remember the importance of mindfulness and meditation, too. Living in the present moment and accepting it without judgment can often help manage stress and anxiety. Just as the ocean waves come and go, so do our thoughts and feelings. They’re not permanent and they don’t define you.
Maintaining a regular exercise routine is another beneficial strategy. Exercise isn’t just about physical health; it’s a celebration of what your body can do, and it releases endorphins, your body’s natural mood lifters. Even a brisk walk in the park can make a difference.
Try to nourish your body with balanced meals, full of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Your body is your home, and like any home, it functions best when it’s well-maintained. Similarly, strive to get a good night’s sleep as often as you can. Rest is not a luxury, it’s a necessity, and it can greatly improve your mental well-being.
Be mindful of your caffeine and alcohol intake. While they might seem like short-term solutions, they can often trigger or worsen anxiety and panic attacks. Listen to your body and make note of anything that seems to trigger your anxiety.
Techniques like progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and then releasing each muscle group in your body, can also be helpful. Your body holds so much strength and wisdom; let it teach you about relaxation and relief from tension.
If you feel comfortable doing so, consider exploring options like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy. Both can be incredibly helpful tools for understanding and managing anxiety, under the guidance of a trained professional.
Never underestimate the power of writing down your thoughts and feelings, either. Journaling can help you understand your emotions better, and it can also provide a safe outlet for expressing what you’re going through.
Stay connected with others. Maintaining relationships with supportive family and friends can make a world of difference. Remember that it’s okay to reach out, to share your story, and to lean on others when you need to. You don’t have to go through this alone.
Above all, be gentle with yourself. Coping with anxiety is a journey, not a destination. It’s okay to have days when you feel like you’re struggling. It’s okay to ask for help. And remember, medical professionals are there to support you, every step of the way.