Five Mental Health Books To Read This Year

Lifestyle Collective, December 2, 2023

By Andrés Muñoz

The search for a healthy way to see ourselves and the world around us has become even more prevalent in recent years. The pandemic, international conflicts, and our personal struggles might have taken a toll on our mental health, not to mention the past traumas and issues we’ve been exposed to since we were young. 

As the new year rolls on, I’m preparing for what may come by checking out mental health books to read in 2023. In this busy, chaotic world, we must always remember to stay in touch with the most important person of all: ourselves! 

The market for mental health books is jam-packed, so where do we start? Right here! These five titles cover all sorts of topics and give some guidelines on what books you should look for to improve your mental wellbeing. Welcome to the couch.

And How Do You Feel About That? By Aruna Gopakumar And Yashodhara Lal 

When was the last time you went to therapy? Have you had doubts about even going? Indian psychotherapist Aruna Gopakumar and author and coach Yashodhara Lal share stories about their past patients letting us into a world of all kinds of behaviours from people from all walks of life.

A door is opened to us, showing the processes and openness behind therapy. Patients enter a world where the masks fall off, and we are forced to see the reality and road map to finding inner peace.

Unf#ck Your Brain By Dr Faith Harper

Still wondering whether to go to therapy or not? How about learning about how your brain creates harmful patterns so you can stop them in their tracks instead? Science, people!

In Unf#ck Your Brain, Dr Faith Harper provides the science behind trauma, anxiety, etc. Your brain is meant to keep you alive, not happy; sometimes, the difference between these two functions can cause strife. Trauma reaction, coping strategies, and bad habits.. all of these are methods that your brain has implemented to prevent you from having bad experiences. 

But what happens when the reaction to something is worse than the problem? This is an excellent guide for learning about your mind’s inner workings. 

This Is Depression: A Comprehensive, Compassionate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Understand Depression By Dr Diane McIntosh

Dr Diane McIntosh shares her experience of over 20 years working with patients struggling with depression. She goes into full detail about how this illness comes into being, how different areas of your life can be impacted by it, and possible treatment options for every individual. 

This Is Depression provides encouragement to take the first step towards your or someone you love’s healing journey. 

Set Boundaries, Find Peace By Nedra Glover Tawwab

While many people find happiness and thrive in going beyond boundaries, others might need to put some restraints in place. Healthy boundaries protect you from toxic people, ideas, and situations. Being assertive enough to state them is a challenge for many. 

In Set Boundaries, Find Peace, American therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab takes critical elements from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and melds them with her findings. She has shared much of this with her 1.6m followers on Instagram in what is becoming a new breed of content creator. By promoting healthy psychological practices, Tawab strives to make the internet and our world better for all.

The Forgiveness Workbook:Cultivate Compassion, Release Resentment, and Find Peace By Dr IIlene Cohen

Many of our problems, issues, and troubles stem from the fact that we have a hard time letting go. We hold on to our resentment and frustrations, which ultimately is harmful to our mental and emotional wellbeing. In this book, Dr Ilene Cohen states that forgiving is not about forgetting everything and returning to the past. This is impossible; you can’t go back to the past. 

Dr Cohen teaches us to release the resentment and embrace forgiveness, whether it is with yourself or with someone else. 

Needless to say, this is not a definitive list. While there are tons of mental-health books out there, make sure to pick the one that is best suited to you. Our friends at VeryWellMind suggest that when selecting books for your mental health, you should consider a few elements. First, look for easy-to-read books. You’re focusing on your health; no need to face some hard-to-read text. Secondly, always look for experts. Seek the advice of accomplished individuals in their field. Last but not least, nobody is judging you here. Look for books that are written empathetically, taking into account their intended audience.  

The road to mental wellness can be long, and it will surely be complicated here and there. But the first step is always the hardest one. Take one step at a time, one page at a time, one thought at a time. You’ve got this!