Must Read Books
On Mental Health
I've always been a voracious reader. As I'm sure you know there are thousands of books on a variety of mental health issues. Below are the ones that have made a real impact on managing my life with depression and anxiety.
The title alone hooked me: Unwinding Anxiety. This book by Dr. Judson Brewer has given me something so important in my journey with mental illness: HOPE.
For the past year I’ve been really interested in neuroscience, the study of the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. I’ve read numerous articles about how neuroscientists have been studying the brain as it relates to depression and anxiety.
Anyone who has struggled with mental illness knows the self-inflicted pain caused by depression and/or anxiety. There are days, and even years, of self-loathing. We blame ourselves for our feelings and behavior, as if somehow we did something to deserve our misfortunes. It’s common for us to feel that we have been specifically chosen to suffer because of some character defect. We very often struggle to make sense out of something that feels out of our control.
I’ve spent years searching for a way out of the darkness of depression and anxiety, and I feel like I’ve stumbled onto exactly what I’ve been looking for. With the information in this book I feel empowered to help myself at the place where my thoughts, reactions and feelings are formed.
Unwinding Anxiety by Dr. Judson Brewer gives clear insight into how anxiety gets “set up” in the brain, but more importantly, it provides a guide on how to recognize the habits that lead to anxiety and how to break them. It really is a must-read for anyone who wants to free themselves from the endless cycle of anxiety and the self-medicating behavior that stems from it.