10 Best Self-Help Books To Help With Anxiety Of 2024
Last Update on December 27, 2023 : Published on January 9, 2023
It’s not uncommon for almost everyone you know to deal with some type of anxiety. I have to deal with my social anxiety from time to time, and it leaves me feeling drained. While I’ve seen and heard many people and their stories of successful therapy and subsequent overcoming of anxiety, there are times when I need something else, something that speaks from experience.
And what more can sum up this need than man’s oldest and everlasting friend? Yes, it’s time I introduce you to my best friend! Books!
Jokes apart, it is true that books are one of the best ways to learn something new, and over the years, I’ve realized that with self-help books, you can re-discover something new about yourself and learn how to cope with whatever’s troubling you.
To help you ease your journey to recovery, I’ve listed some of the best self-help books for anxiety. You can use these books as a guide or as a mentor to help you with anxiety as you go to seek help through therapy as well.
Let’s take a look at 10 self-help books for anxiety that you can read in 2024!
Best Self-Help Books For Anxiety
1. At Last, a Life
Author: Paul David
Long-term anxiety and panic can take over your life and make you feel like you’re losing control of your emotions. During anxious times, it can become overwhelming and harder to see a future free of anxious thoughts. In “At Last A Life”, author Paul David shares his recovery journey and provides hope to all who might believe that there’s no escape from anxiety.
It’s one of the highly recommended self-help books for anxiety full of personal experiences and insightful observations through the author’s eyes.
2. Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now
Author: Dr. Jill Weber
Designed as a quick reference book, “Be Calm” is another self-help book for anxiety that you can read. You can find several techniques in this book written by Dr. Jill Weber based on her years of experience and observations.
Through this self-help book, you can learn how to cope with panic attacks and anxiety quickly by using the effective techniques that are mentioned. You just need to keep in mind that building on the techniques might take patience and time.
3. Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind
Author: Jennifer Shannon
If you’re one of those people who feel like their brain can never quiet down or that you just can’t take a break from overthinking and constant over-worrying, then this book is for you! Written by psychologist Jennifer Shannon, “Don’t Feed The Monkey” teaches you to accept how your mind actually works when it comes to anxiety while not letting the anxious thoughts take over your life.
With fun illustrations and effective strategies, this self-help book is quite entertaining to read and would be perfect for anyone who gets easily bored when reading anything without an illustration.
3. A Liberated Mind
Author: Steven C. Hayes
Another book that made our best self-help book for anxiety list is “A Liberated Mind”. This book teaches us that anxiety is natural and that it’s OK to hurt because that means you care. This way you can learn to listen to the pain rather than avoiding it.
Written by Dr. Steven Hayes, this book is a well-researched and insightful book with easy-to-understand style and effective techniques to help you cope with anxiety. You can also find some amazing tips on how acceptance and commitment therapy can help you learn psychological tricks to cope with anxiety.
4. Panic Attacks Workbook: A Guided Program for Beating the Panic Trick
Author: Dr. David Carbonell
Panic attacks are terrifying and can be even more terrifying when you don’t know how and what triggered them. Even if you’re familiar with panic attacks, they can still make you feel helpless when you experience them. In this self-help book, which is more like a workbook, you can learn more about panic attacks and how to break down the cycle of anxious thoughts that lead to them.
In this cleverly-designed workbook, you can find charts and worksheets that can guide you through your recovery. Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it?
5. The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution
Author: David A. Clark, Aaron T. Beck
One of the most recommended therapy techniques that are used to treat anxiety is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and in this “Anxiety And Worry Workbook”, Dr. Aaron Beck, a clinical researcher, and Dr. David Clark, a CBT expert puts together effective CBT techniques used by almost all CBT therapists to help you work through your anxiety.
In this CBT self-help book for anxiety, you’ll find approaches that are developed and tested for over 25 years and some amazing worksheets and homework that can help you with anxiety, worry, anxiety triggers, and more.
6. From Panic to Power
Author: Lucinda Bassett
No one likes dealing with panic attacks. They leave you feeling out of control and no one but someone who’s experienced this ordeal can explain it better. “From Panic To Power” is a book that records the author, Lucinda Bassett’s, account of how she dealt with panic attacks and anxiety through effective techniques and took back control of her life.
In this personal account, she also offers skills and tips that can help you respond to negative self-talk and anxious thoughts. With over 72,000 copies sold, this book is a must-read book for anxiety if you’re looking for inspiration.
7. The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You
Author: Elaine N. Aron
If you’ve ever been called “too shy” or sensitive to others’ emotions, then you can be described as a highly sensitive person. In “The Highly Sensitive Person”, psychotherapist Elaine Aron, talks about how to recognize your sensitive traits and understand them, so you can improve your life and relationships.
The author recounts her experiences and understanding of a highly sensitive person and includes in her book some actionable takeaways that any HSP will find helpful. No more worries about dealing with anxiety as a highly sensitive person anymore!
8. Retrain Your Brain (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks)
Author: Dr. Seth J. Gillihan
CBT is one of the best therapy to help with anxiety management and relief and that’s what “Retrain Your Brain” is about. Written by a clinical psychologist, Seth Gillihan, this book will teach you how to identify anxiety-inducing thoughts, stop them, and reframe them with positive thoughts; a classic CBT technique.
This book explores scientifically-backed CBT techniques to deal with anxiety and highly personalized content with easy-to-follow guidelines if you falter. It’s undertaking a CBT session for anxiety from the comfort of your bed!
9. The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution
Author: Trudy Scott
Many experts talk about how our lifestyle affects our anxiety and this is what this book touches upon. An unbalanced diet can not only affect our physical health but can also put our minds, brain chemicals, and emotions in disarray. “The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution” offers tips on how you can maintain a healthy diet and reduce cravings that might aggravate your anxiety.
You can also find useful and actionable lifestyle tips to reduce anxiety and how the food you eat has an impact on your anxiety symptoms. The best thing about this book is that it’s written by a nurse, so you know the tips you’re getting are real!
Final Thoughts…
Reading self-help books on anxiety can be a good complementary way to counter anxiety or anxious thoughts. These books can also help you find the path that’s right for you and make new habits to counter your anxiety. Self-help books for anxiety can be helpful, but they can’t replace a professional’s support.
If you’re constantly overwhelmingly anxious and can’t find ways to cope with anxiety, then speaking to a mental health professional is recommended. If you’re already in therapy or consulting a therapist then you might find the above-listed books a good guide to help you work through your problems.
I hope you’ll find these books helpful and if you have any questions or want to recommend a book for anxiety to us, you can write an email at info@calmsage.com or DM us on social media.
Take care and Happy reading!
About The Author
Swarnakshi Sharma
Swarnakshi is a content writer at Calm sage, who believes in a healthier lifestyle for mind and body. A fighter and survivor of depression, she strives to reach and help spread awareness on ending the stigma surrounding mental health issues. A spiritual person at heart, she believes in destiny and the power of Self. She is an avid reader and writer and likes to spend her free time baking and learning about world cultures.
