With New Year’s around the corner, most of us will be thinking about our resolutions. If you’re anything like me, your main focus is probably your mental health and hitting your Goodreads reading goal for the year.
Whether you’re still devoted to paperback books or if you’ve treated yourself to a Kindle, there’s no shortage of mental health books available. Research shows that only 13% of adults are living with positive mental health, while 7 in every 10 women say they’ve experienced mental health problems.
It can feel like an impossible task to take control of your mental health, but self-care books can be a great starting point, providing a blueprint to follow with actionable insights.
In this article, I’m sharing 8 of the best books to read for improving your mental health, from helping you overcome anxiety and prevent self-sabotage to reducing your daily stress levels.
Why Are Mental Health Books So Popular?
If you’ve been into a bookstore recently, you’ll have seen a self-care section almost as soon as you walk in. While there are always a few career-focused books on these shelves, most of them tackle the topic of mental health, even if it doesn’t look like it.
The benefit of reading a self-help book – just like listening to a podcast – is that you can take immediate action. You don’t have to join the waiting list at your local therapist’s office or pay a subscription fee to use services like BetterHelp and Headspace.
Adding a mental health book to your TBR list is something we should all be doing. Whether you’re struggling at work, navigating health challenges, or focusing on personal growth, these self-help books can help change your outlook on life.
Books That Will Improve Your Mental Health
It’s time to open your Amazon wish list or Barnes & Noble app, because we’re about to share the 8 best mental health books to take control of your life by building better habits!
1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
One of the most popular self-help books, Atomic Habits, has sold over 25 million copies globally and focuses on the tiny changes that can create remarkable results. Based on biology, psychology, and neuroscience, this book gives you a practical framework for breaking bad habits and building better ones. It’s a great book to start with if you’re looking to make actionable changes or if you’re new to the self-help world.
2. The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Trauma manifests itself in both the body and the mind. If you’re trying to overcome trauma – whether it’s recent or as far back as your childhood – this self-help book will help you understand how trauma shapes your brain and nervous system, while showing how mindfulness and movement can help heal your body. The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist, builds on decades of research on the impact of trauma on the brain, mind, and body.
3. Ten Times Calmer by Dr. Kirren Schnack
Living with anxiety isn’t easy, and it can quickly take over your life. If you’re struggling with anxious thoughts or increased stress, pick up a copy of Ten Times Calmer. Written by Dr. Kirren Schnack, who has built a following on TikTok and Instagram. This book serves as a first aid kit for tackling anxiety, covering everything from how to deal with anxious thoughts to managing feelings of uncertainty across 10 easy-to-digest chapters.
4. How to Feel Better by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Life can come at you fast, and the only choice we have is how we respond to difficult moments. How to Feel Better focuses on those tough moments in life, from dealing with grief to navigating bad news with compassion and empathy. This book is warm and gentle, ideal for those going through the aftermath – or preparing – for a death or bereavement close to them.
5. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Are you a people pleaser who feels like you’re living life trying to meet someone else’s expectations? Then, you need to read Untamed. This book is part memoir, part self-help, promoting the importance of listening inward and finding peace within yourself by no longer hiding your true self. It’s a must-read if you’re on a personal growth journey.
6. How to Grow Through What You Go Through by Jodie Cariss and Chance Marshall
Daily life isn’t easy, but How to Grow Through What You Go Through is designed to help you become more aware of your feelings every day, and not just when you’re feeling depressed or burned out. It focuses on ‘mental maintenance’ and offers advice on how to proactively take care of your mental health, navigate life’s challenges, unlearn bad habits, and embrace your authentic self.
7. How to Build a Healthy Brain by Kimberley Wilson
If you want to improve your mental health, you’ll need to start by focusing on your brain. How to Build a Healthy Brain takes a science approach to mental health and is written by Kimberley Wilson, a chartered psychologist. It offers practical advice on improving your mental health, from how to understand your emotions, the importance of breathing through stress and anxiety, and why sleep and proper nutrition are crucial to your mental well-being.
8. Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab
Setting boundaries is one of the hardest things to do, whether you’re trying to find a healthier work-life balance or if you’re dealing with toxic people in your personal life. Nedra Glover Tawwab’s book Set Boundaries, Find Peace explores what happens to our mental health when we don’t have healthy boundaries.
Based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), it offers practical advice on simple yet powerful ways to identify and express your needs clearly and without apologizing. Whether you’re dealing with a co-dependent relationship, work related burnout, or depression, this self-help book will give you the tools to speak up.
Change Your Identity, Change Your Life
Don’t wait to get started on your mental health journey. Pick up a copy of one of these self-care books. Whether it’s an e-book, physical copy, or audiobook, they can help you make small changes that will drastically improve your life. And soon you will no longer recognize who you are today, because you’ll be a new, better version of yourself.
