Self help anxiety books can be a great tool if you are struggling with anxiety. Many of us these days are struggling with anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health about 30% of adults in the U.S. experience a form of anxiety at some point in their lives.
Books can be a great resource to turn to in addition to professional help. They can help you find tools to manage it. Here’s a list of 12 self help books for anxiety to get you started.
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The Top 12 Self Help Books for Anxiety
The Big Activity Book for Anxious People by Jordan Reid and Erin Williams
If you suffer from generalized anxiety disorder and just need some distraction to pass the time sometimes, this book might be for you. It’s filled with fun facts and acitivities for people with anxiety.
It’s humorous acitivity book that is meant to be a thoughtful, funny disctraction and make you feel not so alone since every one seems to have anxiety these days!
My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel
From the earliest medical reports of Hippocrates to later observations of Charles Darwin, and Sigmeund Freud, Stossel’s well researched history on humanity’s efforts to understand the condition come from medical, cultural, philosophical and experiential perspectives.
Stossel draws on his own and his family’s long standing battle with anxiety as well as recounting famous individuals who have struggled with it. He paints a portrait of anxiety’s crippling impact on humanity and at the same time explores ways to manage and control it.
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
Sarah Wilson has been an anxiety sufferer her whole life. In her memoir, she turns anxiety on it’s head and re-frames it into more of a spiritual quest, a journey that will lead you to what really matters. Maybe after reading this you will feel more delighted about the possibilities to a more fulfilling life.
Some people seem to not like the conversational style this book has, but it is a short book packed with inspiration so give it a try!
Essential Strategies for Social Anxiety by Alison McKleroy
The previous two books on this list were more memoir-esque. Now here we start leaning in to more research backed non-fiction to give you tools for managing anxiety.
McKleroy’s book is aimed at social anxiety. Here is where you will find step-by-step techniques on how to calm your mind and quell that social anxiety. Learn how to calm your mind and body, silence your inner critic and restructure negative thought patterns.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain by Catherine M Pittman and Elizabeth M Karle
Here’s some serious science for you! This book will teach you about the amygdala and the cortex and how they are key players in the neuropsychology of anxiety. You will learn exactly how anxiety is created in the brain.
After learning how anxiety is created, you can self assessments and proven-effective techniques to rewire your brain!
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Books for Anxiety
Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer
With more than 20 years of research and hands-on work with patients, Dr. Brewer teaches brain-based techniques to help uproot your anxiety at the source. He talks about mapping out the brain to discover what your triggers are, so you can defuse and then train them with mindfulness and other practices that his lab has proven can work.
Brewer gets right to the problem and teaches you how to fix it!
Declutter Your Mind by SJ Scott and Barrie Davenport
Here we have a shorter book focused on mindfulness, meditation and breathwork to calm the negative thought patterns in your head. There are strategies to quell the distractions that lead to anxiety, how to identify your values and the benefits of meditation and deep breathing for an anxiety sufferer.
The Anxiety Toolkit by Alice Boyes
Dr. Alice Boyes teaches evidence-based tools used in therapy to help people learn to manage anxiety. She explains how anxiety works and teaches tools for common anxiety “stuck” points that will give you the confidence you need to succeed.
Don't Feed the Monkey Mind by Jennifer Shannon
The title of this book centers around the fact that human minds have been compared to monkeys, constantly chattering and going from branch to branch. Shannon uses Cognitive Behavorial Therapy (CBT), Acceptance Committment Therapy (ACT) and mindfulness techniques to help you identify your own anxious thoughts and uncover the core fears you have.
Avoidance makes anxiety worse. It is only when you confront your worries that you can stop feeding the monkey mind.
Overcoming Unwanted Instrusive Thoughts by Sally Winston and Martin Seif
This guide does exactly what it says in the title. Using CBT, it helps you overcome those negative intrusive thoughts anxiety sufferers seem to have an endless amount of. Winston and Seif explain how your brain can have a tendency to get stuck in a cycle of negative thinking. You will learn the tools to cope with and move beyond those instrusive thoughts.
The Worry Trick by David Carbonell
Using CBT and ACT methods, Carbonell teaches you how to identify negative cycles of thinking and stop them in their tracks. He shows how avoidance and resistance can actually make anxiety worse. Learn how to observe your anxious thoughts and move past them with these proven techniques.
Dare by Barry McDonagh
This book makes some pretty large claims saying this is the cure for anxiety, but it very well may be for some people! This is a step by step guide to help you stop having panic attacks, confront things you’ve been avoiding, sleep better, and live a more bold life.
Journaling for Anxiety
Journaling is a great way to relax and release your inner worries. Why not journal in style? Use the code WITHLOVE15 for a discount on your next journal through Paperwrld.
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