The last few years have been particularly difficult for a lot of us around the Globe. First, came all the death and suffering caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many Countries went on months-long lockdowns, during which plenty of people lost their livelihoods. Confined to their homes, most of them didn’t receive the mental support they needed.
According to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO), in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%.
As the world started coming out of this crisis, another one was already brewing in Europe. Russia invaded Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin threatening to use nuclear weapons if the West intervened in the war.
In these times of uncertainty, with a nuclear threat looming over us all, it’s not a surprise that many are struggling with anxiety.
What is anxiety?
MedLinePlus defines anxiety as a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It can be a normal reaction when faced with stressful situations in life. It can assist you in overcoming them by providing you with focused attention and energy.
Though for people suffering from anxiety disorders, it is not temporary and can seriously hinder their day-to-day activities.
Certain activities can help you in reducing your anxiety. They include –
- Staying active
- Getting proper sleep
- Reducing your intake of alcohol and caffeine
- Practicing meditation and mindfulness
- Exercising and practicing Yoga
- Eating a balanced diet
Reading books can also be beneficial in dealing with feelings of loneliness and anxiety. While reading any kind of book will help you cope, reading books specifically written about anxiety will be particularly helpful in this situation.
Books written on Anxiety provide detailed explanations and results of scientific research done on this topic. You will get a very good idea about what causes it and what are the best remedies to deal with it. Many of these books are also written by Authors who themselves suffered and overcame anxiety disorders. You can learn from their personal experience.
So, here are some of the best books written on Anxiety. They were chosen based on three criteria –
- Reviews and ratings on various online bookstores and book review sites
- The content and overall tone of the book
- Recommended in articles written by experts on top mental health websites
1. Don’t Feed The Monkey Mind: How To Stop The Cycle Of Anxiety, Fear, And Worry
Philosophers often describe the human mind as a monkey. Impatient, restless, constantly wandering in search of pleasure and safety, avoiding pain and fear at all costs.
If you have already read a great many books on the topic of anxiety, you won’t find what is said in this book as something ground-breaking.
What makes this book stand out is the author comparing our minds to a chattering monkey. This makes it much easier to understand the various concepts presented in this book.
The book’s basic premise is that the very things we tend to do to control our anxiety usually make it even worse.
For example, we avoid doing things that will be good for us in the long term. And waste time on things that provide us with short-term anxiety relief.
Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind by Jennifer Shannon Book Summary & Review
Get this book here – Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry
2. My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind
The author of this book, Scott Stossel, is a successful journalist as well as a lifelong anxiety sufferer, as are many of his family members. He uses his personal experience with anxiety as a lens to examine the various causes and treatments available for this condition.
He offers a fascinating history of the efforts to understand anxiety from historical, medical, and psychological perspectives. The author also provides examples of famous people throughout history, who suffered from this affliction.
If you are looking to dive deep into finding the causes and effects of anxiety, this book will prove to be just what you need. The author has clearly done an enormous amount of research on this condition and processes it here for us.
Get this book here – My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind
3. Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking
We all know that a decluttered, unorganized place of living can hamper our productivity and quality of life. The same can be said about our minds as well.
In this book, written by authors S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport, you will learn the habits, actions, and mindsets needed to clean up the mental clutter that might be constraining you from living a more fulfilling life.
The book is divided into four main parts –
- Decluttering your thoughts
- Decluttering your Life Obligations
- Decluttering Your Relationships
- Decluttering Your Surroundings
At 157 pages, this book is a short read. Consider it more of a guide than a book, that can help you reframe your negative thoughts, identify your core values, and declutter the distractions which cause anxiety.
Get this book here – Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking
4. Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls
According to various studies conducted on this topic, anxiety disorders are found to be much more prevalent among women than men. And the problem seems to be exacerbating even further, with adolescent girls reporting feeling anxious, worried, and stressed much more often than their male counterparts.
Although girls perform better than boys in schools and universities, they worry more about their performance and marks. This is because young women use their academic performance and feedback as a benchmark to judge their intelligence. In contrast, young men believe their bad academic performance is a result of not studying hard enough rather than a measure of their intelligence.
The author of this book, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with girls. She has observed this rising trend of stress and anxiety in her personal life, private practice, and in the all-girls’ school where she consults.
In this book, she explains that not all anxiety and stress are harmful. Some of it can be very beneficial for girls to protect themselves from dangers and stay safe. The key here is teaching young women how to better handle their problems rather than just avoiding them altogether.
Get this book here – Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls
5. The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
If workbooks and guidebooks are more your style, then this book by author Edmund J. Bourne is for you. Use it on its own or as a supplement alongside therapy to help you develop coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety.
This book is highly recommended by many mental health practitioners. It is very well-researched and organized. With its help, you will learn how to spot anxiety and the behaviors that come with it. Like being awkward, eccentric, distressed, and even vicious sometimes.
This workbook provides numerous methods to help soothe your anxiety. From time-tested approaches like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness to herbs and supplements that are advertised for anxiety.
The book also provides information about some medicines available for anxiety. Other treatments like exercise, relaxation, nutrition, positive self-talk, spirituality, etc. are also discussed in great detail.
Get this book here – The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook
Conclusion
Feelings of anxiety can be quite overwhelming. The important thing to remember is that help is available to deal with this condition.
If you can’t afford therapy right now, you can always read one of the above-mentioned books. They will help you in understanding and dealing with problems related to anxiety.
Have you read any books related to anxiety lately? Would love to get more recommendations on this topic. Please share your opinions and feedback in the comment section below.
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