Introduction
If you struggle with anxiety, you’re not alone. This medical condition affects around 264 million people across the globe — and women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is best treated with counseling and medication, but self-help books can also be beneficial because they may complement traditional treatment.
According to psychologists, many self-help books offer a better understanding of what anxiety is, the role of your brain, and how thoughts can take over. If they’re backed by research, these reads can be helpful for individuals who need practical tools daily.
The more tools you have available to you to combat anxiety, the better. Knowing that a single book condenses decades of knowledge and research and presents it in a usable, convenient style may be extremely comforting.
No matter where you are, reading books can be a great method to learn more about anxiety, acquire coping mechanisms that can change your life, and aid in navigating difficult situations.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. In other words, Anxiety refers to the anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior.
Since the beginning of time, humans already have physical alarms that enable them to take evasive action when predators or danger is nearby. These warnings manifest as elevated heart rate, perspiration, and enhanced sensitivity to the environment.
The threat prompts an increase in the hormone and chemical messenger adrenalin, which in turn sets off these fearful responses in a process known as the “fight-or-flight response.” This equips people to defend themselves against physical threats or to run away from them.
Running from bigger animals and impending danger is a less urgent issue for many individuals than it would have been for early humans. These days, the main sources of anxiety are things like work, money, family life, health, and other important matters that need a person’s attention but don’t necessarily call for the “fight-or-flight” response.
A natural echo of the original “fight-or-flight” response is the uneasy feeling that comes before a big life event or during a challenging scenario. It may still be necessary for survival; for instance, when crossing the street, someone who is afraid of being hit by a car will naturally look in both directions to stay safe.
Our recommended book
One of the best self-help books is “clinical depression and low mood is not the same thing” by Juan Yanez Herrera the founder of nursingrevalidation.co.uk. This book will be available on amazon books and amazon kindle.
6 best books to get self-help
We interviewed mental health specialists to find out which self-help books on anxiety were the most beneficial. Here are the 6 best books for anxiety by experts.
Clinical depression and low mood are not the same thing
Have you ever experienced or noticed that somebody you know or work with displays a spontaneous lack of interest in the hobbies they normally enjoy and has difficulty sleeping or starts to oversleep?
There is a high chance that it may be depression. Sometimes depression is subtle. Others, it may be obviously clear. The key entity to note is if you are feeling hopeless, sad and empty for more than two weeks, you are suffering from depression. Thankfully, depression is very treatable. Depression is common, affecting 1 in 10 people in the UK. Sadly, most people suffering from depression do not know they are suffering and do not seek the appropriate help.
Usually, the reasons for not getting help involve not having the right, not being able to afford the time to seek care or not accepting that they have a problem because it is pondered as an imaginary problem by the close networks of friends and family. Since depression is a treatable disorder, this is unfortunate.
If you do seek treatment, you are a strong person who can recover. Do not allow the stigma or even money to stop you from reaching out for help. Many places can support and guide you, irrespective of your financial state. You will be glad you did.
Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind
We are living through one of the most anxious periods any of us can remember. Whether facing issues as public as a pandemic or as personal as having kids at home and fighting the urge to reach for the wine bottle every night, we are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. But in this timely book, Judson Brewer explains how to uproot anxiety at its source using brain-based techniques and small hacks accessible to anyone.
We think of anxiety as everything from mild unease to full-blown panic. But it’s also what drives the addictive behaviors and bad habits we use to cope (e.g., stress eating, procrastination, doom scrolling and social media). Plus, anxiety lives in a part of the brain that resists rational thought. So we get stuck in anxiety habit loops that we can’t think our way out of or use willpower to overcome.
Dr. Brewer teaches us to map our brains to discover our triggers, defuse them with the simple but powerful practice of curiosity, and to train our brains using mindfulness and other practices that his lab has proven can work.
Distilling more than 20 years of research and hands-on work with thousands of patients, including Olympic athletes and coaches, and leaders in government and business, Dr. Brewer has created a clear, solution-oriented program that anyone can use to feel better – no matter how anxious they feel.
Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now
If you suffer from anxiety, you may feel helpless to reduce your panic symptoms, avoidance behavior, or worried thoughts. Be Calm empowers you to handle your anxiety whenever and wherever it strikes with simple evidence-based techniques that can reduce your anxious feelings and responses on the spot.
Learn about the causes of different types of anxiety and their physical and psychological effects. Then learn how to implement effective, practical strategies to help you control even the most acute symptoms, from social anxiety to insomnia to panic attacks. Now when you find yourself in anxiety-producing situations, you’ll always be prepared.
This easy, accessible self-help book includes:
- Easy-to-navigate layout―Jump right to what you need with an index for addressing specific situations: emotional or physical symptoms, behavioral disruptions, or unhelpful thoughts.
- Proven methods―Discover up-to-date psychological tools drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness practices.
- Supportive journaling―Find greater insight with interactive “Go Deeper” journaling prompts that take therapeutic strategies to the next level.
Find relief from anxiety and open the door to a happier, more fulfilling life with Be Calm.
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Living with anxiety, panic disorders, or phobias can make you feel like you aren’t in control of your life. If you’re ready to tackle the fears that hold you back, this book is your go-to guide. Packed with the most effective skills for assessing and treating anxiety, this evidence-based workbook contains the latest clinical research. You’ll develop a full arsenal of skills for quieting fears and taking charge of your anxious thoughts, including:
- Relaxation and breathing techniques
- Ending negative self-talk and mistaken beliefs
- Imagery and real-life desensitization
- Lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise changes
Written by a leading expert in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a classic in its field, this fully revised edition offers powerful, step-by-step treatment strategies for panic disorders, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), worry, and fear.
You will also find updated information compatible with the DSM-V, as well as current information on medications and treatment, nutrition, mindfulness training, exposure therapy, and the latest research in neurobiology.
Whether you suffer from anxiety and phobias yourself, or are a professional working with this population, these anxiety self help books will provide the latest treatment solutions for overcoming the fears that stand in the way of living a full, happy life. This workbook can be used on its own or as a supplement to therapy.
The Highly Sensitive Person
Do you have a keen imagination and vivid dreams? Is time alone each day as essential to you as food and water? Are you “too shy” or “too sensitive” according to others? Do noise and confusion quickly overwhelm you? If your answers are yes, you may be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).
Most of us feel overstimulated every once in a while, but for the highly sensitive person, it’s a way of life. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Elaine Aron, a highly sensitive person herself, shows you how to identify this trait in yourself and make the most of it in everyday situations.
Drawing on many years of research and hundreds on interviews, The Highly Sensitive Person will change the way you see yourself—and the world around you
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook broke new ground when it was first published in 1980, detailing easy, step-by-step techniques for calming the body and mind in an increasingly overstimulated world. Now in its sixth edition, this workbook, highly regarded by therapists and their clients, remains the go-to source for stress reduction strategies that can be incorporated into even the busiest lives.
This new edition is updated with powerful relaxation techniques based on the latest research, and draws from a variety of proven treatment methods, including progressive relaxation, autogenic, self-hypnosis, visualization, and mindfulness and acceptance therapy.
In the first chapter, you’ll explore your own stress triggers and symptoms, and learn how to create a personal plan for stress reduction. Each chapter features a different method for relaxation and stress reduction, explains why the method works, and provides on-the-spot exercises you can do to apply that method when you feel stressed.
The result is a comprehensive yet accessible workbook that will help you to curb stress and cultivate a more peaceful life.
This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties.
Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.
The Bottom line
Each person needs to formulate a daily schedule and treatment strategy that works for them. Talk therapy, meditation, breathing techniques, and a healthy lifestyle regimen are a few alternatives. Self-help books that target anxiety management can also be a very useful part of the treatment journey.
