The American Psychological Association (APA) declared a National Mental Health crisis in 2020. According to the annual survey conducted by the APA, stress levels in America are at an all-time high, and with stress comes mental illnesses like anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders in the country. There are 40 million adults in the U.S. (around 18% of the population) who are affected by some type of anxiety disorder. In addition to treatment, turning to healthy, alternative forms of care and books on managing anxiety can also be very useful for coping with symptoms.
Below are the best books on dealing with anxiety, all written by experts.
The Best Books to Help With Anxiety
Even though anxiety is very treatable, only about 40% of people with anxiety receive mental health treatment. While anxiety is a very normal and human emotion that everyone experiences at least once in their lives, anxiety disorders can make certain aspects of a person’s life difficult to manage, such as in social situations (common in people with a social anxiety disorder) or while test-taking at school.
Everyone with anxiety should find a daily routine and treatment approach that works for them. Some options include talk therapy, medication, breathing exercises, and healthy life hacks and tips. Anxiety helps books that target anxiety management can be a beneficial part of treatment and recovery, as well.
Below are some of the best books about managing anxiety, most of which are written by experts or people who have personal experience with anxiety disorders.
Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now by Jill P. Weber, PhD
Be Calm is designed to be used more as a reference book for anxiety coping mechanisms rather than a ‘sit down and read’ kind of book. Pros of this book include a quick reference for tips, an easy-to-use layout, and effective strategies for coping with anxiety symptoms.
This book is the result of techniques that Weber, author, and psychologist, has seen work for her patients after years of observation in the mental health field. This is one of the best books for managing anxiety that can help you find relief from panic attacks and symptoms quickly by using a reference guide to find options now.
Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of the Anxiety, Fear, and Worry by Jennifer Shannon, LMFT
Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind is a terrific book for people who feel as if their brains never take a break from the vicious cycle of overthinking and constant worrying. In this book, psychotherapist Jennifer Shannon teaches readers to accept how their anxious brains operate and why certain things may trigger symptoms while not allowing anxious thoughts to escalate and bleed into all parts of their lives.
A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters by Steven C. Hayes, PhD
This book challenges people with anxiety by teaching that it is natural to hurt and that we hurt because we care so much. A Liberated Mind challenges the typical views of anxiety by encouraging readers to learn how to listen to the pain rather than avoid it to heal.
As a psychologist who experiences an epiphany during a panic attack, Hayes uses acceptance and commitment therapy to teach readers psychological flexibility skills to decrease the painful and disturbing symptoms of anxiety and make room for the things that matter in life.
Negative Self-Talk and How to Change It by Shad Helmstetter, PhD
In this short and easy read, Dr. Shad Helmstetter condenses his years of experience into a 60-minute book about a common fuel for anxiety: negative self-talk. By using simple language and effective techniques that every reader can understand and apply, this book is made for the busy or distracted person who needs to know what works in a simple, quick, and easy-to-understand read.
Feeling Better: CBT Workbook for Teens: Essential Skills and Activities to Help You Manage Moods, Boost Self-Esteem, and Conquer Anxiety by Rachel L. Hutt, PhD
With pros like targeting teen issues, individualized focus, and effective techniques, one of the best books on anxiety management places a focus on the unique types of stress that teenagers experience due to the various phases of life and stages of growth they navigate. This book covers sources of anxiety, such as peer pressure and academic pressure, offering effective stress management techniques to help teenagers avoid falling into self-destructive behavioral patterns.
How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendriksen, PhD
Most people with social anxiety are also shy and introverted (although extroverts can also have social anxiety). In How to Be Yourself, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen teaches readers that they already have the skills needed to be successful in social situations.
Because the fear of judgment from others, embarrassment, and offending others is common in people with social anxiety, this book offers effective techniques, good stories, humor, and entertaining topics to help readers take the stress out of social situations and feel comfortable in their own skin.
Retrain Your Brain (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks: A Workbook for Managing Depression and Anxiety) by Seth J. Gillihan, PhD
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most used scientifically backed therapy approaches for anxiety treatment. Our Florida mental health rehab incorporates CBT consistently in our treatment programs to help clients with all types of mental illnesses learn more about themselves and their conditions.
Clinical Psychologist Seth Gillihan shows readers how to recognize anxious thoughts, stop them, and replace them with reasonable and positive thoughts using CBT techniques. Retrain Your Brain is one of the best books on handling anxiety that turns to evidence-based techniques that are utilized daily by practicing mental health experts.
Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief: A Revolutionary Approach to Understanding and Healing the Impact of Loss by Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC
Sometimes the source of anxiety can come from grief. Licensed therapist Claire Smith explores this often-overlooked relationship between anxiety and grief in Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief. This book was written to teach readers that understanding this link can help them calm their anxiety using proper techniques.
Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind by Joyce Meyer
Although Meyer does not have a degree in psychology or anxiety-related fields, she does have personal experience with anxiety and is recognized for her empowering and life-changing religious views. Meyer holds degrees in various religious studies, including a Ph.D. in theology, an honorary doctorate in Divinity, and an honorary doctorate in Sacred Theology.
In one of her most popular bestsellers ever, author and minister Joyce Meyer shows readers how to change their lives by first changing their minds. She teaches how to manage thoughts of thoughts and how to focus the mind on the way God thinks.
Using Biblical teachings and Scripture, Meyer introduces readers to a holistic and spiritual approach to managing anxiety. As a Boca behavioral health center that offers spiritual care through our Faith in Recovery program, we understand the importance of addressing the spirit when treating addiction and mental illness.
Get Help for Anxiety Now
As helpful as books on managing anxiety can be for coping with symptoms, no resources can replace professional treatment. Banyan Treatment Centers offers Boca Raton anxiety treatment that incorporates popular and effective modalities like CBT to help clients shift their mindset and heal.
No matter how long you have been dealing with mental health issues, our Boca rehab center is here to help. Call Banyan today at 888-280-4763 to learn more about our residential treatment.
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