

For those looking to learn new skills outside of therapy, libraries and bookstores are teaming with options written by experts and licensed professionals. Therapy and mindfulness are powerful steps in seeking help. population experiences mental illness each year.

While dealing with a mental illness can feel isolating, 20 percent of the U.S. On a practical level, reading allows you to learn new information and skills you might’ve not known before. In a literal sense, research shows that reading has the power to change your brain and create different patterns within it. They can be a portal to different worlds, a bridge to a new past or future, an outpost for philosophies, and a support system for times of need. Best for finding order in life: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleīooks are more than just a comfort.Best for practicing self-love: Loving Bravely.Best for highly sensitive people: The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You.Best for navigating relationships: Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find-and Keep-Love.

Best for understanding family trauma: It Didn’t Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle.

Best for healing from emotional pain: Emotional First Aid.Best for battling burnout: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.Best for understanding a therapist’s perspective: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone.Best for women survivors of relationship abuse: Healing the Trauma of Abuse: A Women’s Workbook.Best for recovery from addiction: The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober.Best for anxiety: Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now.Best for people battling trauma: The Body Keeps the Score.He then discusses how humanity has always used community rituals to cope with powerful feelings and how Ancient Greek theater, from which all western theater emerged.A quick look at the 12 best mental health books: In “The Theater of War,” the author describes another personal encounter with the therapeutic value of theater – seeing the way in which participating in a theatre project about war helped a trio of PTSD-afflicted veterans. “Acting,” the author says, “is an experience of using your body to take your place in life” (333). Author van der Kolk then prologues this chapter with an anecdote about his troubled son who began to find a stronger, healthier connection to himself as a result of engaging in acting. “Finding Your Voice: Communal Rhythms and Theatre” begins with a quote suggesting that acting, and more specifically finding a character, is about an actor discovering the character within him/herself.
