6 Books to Help You Begin Your Mental Wellness Journey
It is a well-known fact that reading can reduce stress and improve your mental health. There’s even a word for that: Bibliotherapy is the use of storytelling or reading for the purposes of therapy or healing. While it isn’t meant to take the place of medicine, it can be used to complement it.
With the increased popularity of self-help books, it is evident that readers are gravitating more toward inspirational and motivational content that can help them better themselves. In 2019 alone, there were 4.3 million units of motivation-inspiration books sold. Reading is not only an indirect tool for improved mental health, but now, the content is more than ever focused on health and wellness.
In that vein, the Copper team gathered a list of good reads that focus on improved mental health and overall wellness. Happy reading!
1. Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death, and Surviving by Julia Samuel
Death, loss, and suffering affect us all. In her book “Grief Works,” author and grief psychotherapist Julia Samuel looks at 25 years worth of case studies of people who have loved, lost, and survived. She examines the effects of great loss, the process of walking through grief, and the healing that is possible on the other side. This compassionate handbook offers readers real advice on how to live and learn through life’s greatest and unexpected devastations.
2. “Defeating Depression: How to use the people in your life to open the door to recovery” by Roslyn Law
Based on Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) techniques, “Defeating Depression” focuses on using relationships as a means to alleviate symptoms of depression and expose its underlying causes. The book analyzes case studies and real life examples of people living with depression and how the relationships in our lives impact or are impacted by depression. This book offers practical, bite-sized ideas to actively move through depression with the help of the people in your world.
3. “An Introduction to Coping with Anxiety, Second Edition” by Brenda Hogan and Lee Brosan
A great introduction to better understanding anxiety, this book is a great self-help tool for the reader struggling with anxiety but who is unsure of how to cope or where to even start. The book breaks down what anxiety is, how it develops, and physical symptoms to look for. It even offers tips on how to adapt and adjust your behavior to reduce your feelings of anxiety.
4. “A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled” by Ruby Wax
A lighthearted guide to mindfulness, “A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled” is a modern look at the age-old concept of mindfulness. The author Ruby Wax adds her humor and wit to break down the art of “doing nothing” in a way that is fun and restorative. She offers approachable advice on how to simply stop, breathe, and be present in the moment. This book is a great first look at mindfulness and the easy-to-understand text breaks down a really big idea in a practical yet humorous way.
5. “Reasons to Stay Alive” by Matt Haig
New York Times bestselling author Matt Haig gives readers a front row sit to his raw journey with depression and how he learned to live through his struggle. The memoir includes an inspiring account of how he stayed alive minute to minute and day by day with the help of his family and friends. He manages to honestly expose his own journey with depression while also sharing encouragement and hope that there is always “a light at the end of the tunnel.” He offers readers tips for how to stay present and enjoy the joys in life’s small, everyday moments.
6. “The Recovery Letters: Addressed to People Experiencing Depression” by Olivia Sagan
Based on an online letter writing movement where people recovering from depression addressed letters to those currently struggling with depression, “The Recovery Letters” provides inspiration for readers that recovery from depression is possible. The book contains first-hand letters from people who have faced depression, resources for those currently struggling with depression, motivational quotes, and new material written specifically for the book. This book is truly a love letter for mental health recovery.
What books have helped you or a loved on the journey toward mental wellness? What tips have helped improve your mental health? Share them with us @meetcopper so we can continue to share them with our Copper Community.
Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash
