What to Read When You Need a Little Hope
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 264 million people live with depression. Last year, Major Depressive Disorder affected more than 16.1 million adults in the United States alone, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. These numbers have only increased since the onset of the pandemic.
While many people are resuming their normal routines, booking travel plans, or reentering the workplace in 2021, the mental health effects of last year are impossible to overlook. The Copper team is checking in with our community for a mental wellness check: How are you doing? It’s more than OK if the answer is “not OK.”
If you are walking through a particularly difficult time right now, then we have compiled a list of books that might be helpful. Below, you will find book recommendations that are intended to propel you toward hope. Let us know in the comments below some of your favorite reads when you are in need of encouragement.
1. “Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living” by Shauna Niequist
After New York Times bestselling author, Shauna Niequist found herself burned out from the hustle and bustle of striving and always being “on,” she found inspiration for this encouraging read. She opens up about the pressure to be perfect and how the franticness of a busy life left her tired and unwell. She also delves into how she made her way out of the cycle of striving to create a life of rest, play, and joy.
2. “Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything By Redefining Everything” by Katherine Wolf and Jay Wolf
Married couple and authors Katherine and Jay Wolf are reframing how readers look at suffering in their book “Suffer Strong.” The two open up about how their faith was rattled after Katherine’s stroke and how it reframed how they see God, the world, and struggle. In the book, they share how to manage and reevaluate expectations, dispel the myth of the joy found in a pain-free life, and rewrite the narrative written by life’s most crushing disappointments.
3. “Necessary Endings” by Henry Cloud
Sometimes, in order to move out of cycles of sadness and depression, there are things we must let go. Author Henry Cloud offers tough but extremely honest advice for success in our business and personal lives. A jarring but necessary wakeup call for anyone looking to move forward and progress, Cloud delves into the crucial steps necessary to move forward by giving up the things that are weighing us down.
4. “The Power of Letting Go: How to Drop Everything That’s Holding You Back” by John Purkiss
In “The Power of Letting Go,” author John Purkiss offers practical tips on how to get unstuck by letting go. He delves into proven techniques for living intuitively and letting go of the things and people that no longer serve you or the greater good. Being present in each moment, letting go of ruminating thoughts that keep you stuck, and surrendering to your intuition are just a few examples of the wisdom Purkiss has to offer.
5. “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed” by Lori Gottlieb
This hilarious and thought-provoking book by Lori Gottlieb did so well that it’s now being transformed into a television series. The novel focuses on Lori’s story as both a clinical therapist and as a patient. As she delves into the lives and minds of patients, she explores universal themes of meaning, courage, guilt, and redemption and examines the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.
What self-help books bring you hope? Share with us @meetcopper so we can continue to share them with our Copper Community!
Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash
