If you struggle with anxiety, you know how ruthless this condition can be on your well-being. Anxiety is an insidious force: without realizing it, it can trick you, haunt you, and downright convince you that you’re out of control. It can affect your self-esteem, relationships, and your work. Anxiety may be exhaustive, but it doesn’t need to define your well-being or your functioning.
While psychotherapy is one of the best resources for treating your anxiety, many people supplement treatment with their own self-help approaches. Let’s take a look at some of the best anxiety books that can help you.
1. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook: Edmund J. Bourne PhD
Now in its sixth edition and recommended by mental health professionals around the world, this book has over a million copies in print. Dr. Bourne, a leading expert in CBT, has created a step-by-step treatment approach for treating anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other related symptoms of fear and worry.
This book provides numerous exercises and interventions designed to help manage your anxiety. You’ll learn coping skills, relaxation strategies, and methods for helping to change your thoughts. The book also provides worksheets to help you track your changes and symptoms.
2. DARE: The New Way To End Anxiety And Stop Panic Attacks: Barry McDonaugh
Panic attacks can be debilitating and terrifying. If you struggle with repeated panic attacks, you feel constantly feeling anxious in anticipation of the next episode.
Barry McDonagh, the creator of the Panic Away Program, blended both science and research with his own clinical experience to write this book. In it, you’ll receive specific guidance for stopping panic attacks, confronting situations you typically avoid, and eliminating anxious and intrusive thoughts.
DARE is about taking risks while feeling empowered to do so. Therefore, you’ll also learn how to boost your overall confidence and live a fuller and more adventurous life.
3. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You: Elaine Aron
Dr. Aron first coined the term ‘highly sensitive person’ (HSPs) in examining how certain people react to external stimuli (i.e., bright lights, violent shows, loud music, overwhelming interpersonal situations). Highly sensitive people are often labeled as sensitive or shy, but these traits are innate, and Dr. Aron postulates they exist in about 15-20% of the general population.
For many HSPs, this book is a safe haven, as it is incredibly validating for a personality trait that may seem incredibly lonely. This comprehensive guide provides self-assessment tests to help you discover your own sensitivities.
It offers techniques for reframing past experiences and coping with current overarousal and distress. It also sheds insight into how sensitivity can affect your self-esteem and relationships with others.
4. Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World: Mark Williams and Danny Penman
We all know the benefits of mindfulness, but how do you actually integrate it into your life? What if you don’t have the time for long, formal meditation sessions?
This book is based on the principles of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which promotes the merits of mindfulness meditation. The book offers a set of powerful but easy practices that can be incorporated into your everyday functioning.
The premise is simple: by investing just a mere 10-20 minutes every day, you can reap the benefits of meditation fully. And by unlocking the benefits of meditation, you’re on your way to a happier, healthier, and calmer self.
5. Daring Greatly: How The Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead: Brene Brown
We all experience fear, uncertainty, and reservations about our competency and self-worth. Brene Brown spent over a decade pioneering research on the merits of vulnerability and smashed the common misconception that it’s a sign of weakness.
So much of our mental health rests on our ability to feel safe and connected with others. When we feel isolated and ashamed, it’s hard to feel confident and comfortable throughout the day. This book challenges the fear of letting your guard down.
It shows the merits of finding connection and believing that you are inherently worthy of love and belonging. Finally, it aims to create a new definition for treating the psychological distress that often holds us back from moving forward.
The Best Anxiety Books To Read This Year
While anxiety can feel undoubtedly paralyzing, it’s also highly treatable. The combination of psychotherapy and additional reading and homework provides a comprehensive approach towards reducing anxiety and increasing overall well-being.
But remember this: even the best anxiety books don’t do well just sitting prettily on your bookshelf! You need to read, absorb, and integrate them into your life. You owe it to yourself!