In our fast-paced modern life where we rarely find the time to take a deep breath and relax, it is no wonder that anxiety is something we all have to live with. Feeling nervous or jittery before a big presentation, or having occasional fears about certain events, like the fear of heights or closed cramped spaces are normal unless they interfere with your mental health. To know for sure whether you have an anxiety disorder, it is best to consult a mental health professional.
However, if you’re staying up at nights wondering about a trivial outcome or overthinking a matter that really would not have a substantial consequence, you might try to consider self-help books that can make you manage your anxiety better. A good self-help book should articulate a feeling or experience you’ve been carrying around for years but haven’t been able to name or identify. It should reduce the feelings of shame and loneliness, and encourage you to move towards healthier living. A good book will leave you feeling rejuvenated with a more optimistic attitude towards living a healthy life.
After close consultation from readers and mental health professionals, here are 11 books that will help you to deal with anxiety.
11 Best Books for Managing Anxiety
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, The Sixth Edition by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD
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This book is a popular choice among many because of its interactive nature and lucid language. This is one of the more recent books which identifies modern day triggers and helps the readers adapt accordingly. It is filled with essential skills that can help you cope with panic disorders and manage your anxiety.
The Perfectionism Workbook: Proven Strategies to End Procrastination, Accept Yourself, and Achieve Your Goals by Taylor Newendorp MA
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Published on July 24, 2018, this is one of the recent great books to come out about handling anxiety. The mainframe it uses is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which helps you to understand how to manage OCD, panic disorders, eating disorders which one has to commonly live with. Through practical and effective daily examples it helps you to identify the toxic results that an obsession with perfectionism can lead to and help you to tone it down to real-life achievable strategies.
The Stress-Proof Brain: Master Your Emotional Response to Stress Using Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity by Melanie Greenberg PhD
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Stress-Proof Brain is a book that is a powerful and comprehensive guide that uses tools based on mindfulness and neuroscience to help you get rid of unhealthy responses and coping mechanisms to stress. You will say goodbye to avoidance, narrow vision, pessimistic thinking, self-criticism, stubborn mindset, and fear. Through this book, you will learn to harness the power of neuroplasticity and learn to deal with challenges, big and small, to live a happy and healthy life.
Dare by Barry McDonagh
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The powerful narrative of this book makes it a bestseller and a favorite among many. With “Dare” you can learn how to stop panic attacks, confront any anxious situation you’ve been avoiding, say goodbye to anxious or intrusive thoughts. “Dare” also helps to choose the right natural supplements to relieve anxiety and increase your confidence. Feel ready to live a more adventurous life after reading this!
The Big Activity Book For Anxious People by Jordan Reid
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A combination between a journal, a coloring book, diagrammatic representations, fun illustrations and a compendium of soothing facts, The Big Activity Book for Anxious People will be a much-needed outlet for anyone who wants to relax and take a break from reality and knows they are not alone.
The Anti-Anxiety Diet: A Whole Body Program to Stop Racing Thoughts, Banish Worry and Live Panic-Free by Ali Miller
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One never realizes how our diet plays a dynamic role in mood and emotions before reading this book. The Anti-Anxiety Diet simplifies diet you need to provide the necessary nutrients to your body that will correct hormonal imbalance, reduce inflammation, lethargy and keep you relaxed and healthy. Along with quizzes and supplement recommendations, it includes delicious recipes like sweet potato avocado toast and chai panna cotta!
Let That Sh*t Go- Zen as F*ck Journals by Monica Sweeney
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This interactive journal can help you work your way around grudges and past unhappiness that might be bogging down your current life and cluttering it with negative energy. Occasionally filled with coloring pages, mind maps, doodles, this book will ask the right questions and help you work through your issues as a friend.
Hope and Help For Your Nerves by Dr. Claire Weekes
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If your anxiety manifests itself in physical symptoms (breaking into sweats, nervous jitters) this book will be of great help. You can analyze the symptoms and manage them better by understanding them.
The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You by Elaine N. Aron
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If you have a keen imagination and have often been called “too shy” or “too sensitive” you might be overstimulated by triggers all-around your surroundings. Dr. Aron has studied multiple interviews to help you manage your triggers and help a fulfilled life.
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel
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Drawing deeply from his own experiences, the author provides a summary of all available study and framework and taboo surrounding anxiety. It is an amusing and compassionate read.
Declutter Your Mind
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According to this book, not only can you manage your anxiety better by compartmentalizing our thoughts, but our brains can expand neurons during stressful situations to deal with them better.
Reading books may not be enough to do away with anxiety, but they are an important tool in the process.
References
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Anxiety-Disorders/zgbs/books/11128
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/g27170259/anxiety-books/
https://www.developgoodhabits.com/stress-anxiety-books/
https://www.verywellmind.com/best-books-for-anxiety-4692735
