My favourite self-help books

Guest · My favourite self-help books

Here are a few of my faves...

Succulent Wild Woman by Sark
I find this a big self-esteem boost. Very fun and encourages you to be creative.

When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
This is a Buddhist book but you don't have to be Buddhist to get something out of it (I'm not). Focuses on acceptance and always helps me to feel less freaked out by whatever's going on in my life!

Mind Over Mood by Greenberger and Padesky
A CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) self-help book for depression and anxiety. Teaches you coping skills and ways of challenging negative thoughts.

Hecateh

They sound good - specially the first one. I haven't heard of any of them - will have to seek them out I think as my shelves could do with an overhaul.

Guest

Yes, I highly recommend Sark. Most self-help books take themselves so seriously - not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but if you get bored of the genre Sark is refreshingly different.

There are several others I could recommend but most are specifically for depression or related mental health problems - I don't know how many people here would be interested?

Hecateh

I would certainly be interested - especially if you included a very short review. - and I'm sure others would too. Some of us on here are or have been depressed and knowing some specific books people recommend and why can be very helpful.

For example - I always like 'Feel the Fear' as a great startging point but am well aware it doesn't suit everyone.

My daughter is struggling with depression at the moment and feel the fear does nothing for her. I'm wondering if your 'Mind over Mood' might be a good buy for her.

Guest

I've never read Feel the Fear for comparison, but here's some more info about Mind Over Mood...

It's a workbook and you do need to do the exercises to get something out of it. I like this approach but it's not for everyone. It's easy to follow, takes you through everything step by step and provides lots of blank worksheets to fill in - this is great if like me you find it hard to concentrate when depressed! It's American but is not as horrendously cheesy as some American books I've come across.

Here are some other books I've found helpful:

Depressive Illness: The Curse of the Strong by Tim Cantopher
This is not a self-help book as such but was pivotal in my recovery because it helped me realise that rather than being a weak person, I was pushing myself too hard and that was causing my depression. It's aimed at people with stress-related depression. I think Sally on RISI recommended it to me - thank you if you are reading this! :D

How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me By Susan Rose Blauner
This is for people who experience regular suicidal thoughts, feelings or even attempts and I found a lot of it applied to self-harm too. I was drawn to it by the title which seemed to sum up my experience perfectly! It's got lots of good ideas for coping and staying safe but it is very cheesy.

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay
I've been using this one as a supplement to a free DBT class I've been doing online but I think it would work well on its own, too. DBT is a kind of therapy developed for people with borderline personality disorder, which I don't have, but I find it very helpful anyway. It's basically all about developing healthy coping skills with a particular emphasis on mindfulness.

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne
I haven't read most of this but I thought the chapter on assertiveness was excellent. It's really helped me stand up for myself. The rest of the book focuses on anxiety disorders such as panic attacks, OCD, phobias, generalised anxiety, etc.

I think that's quite enough to be getting on with!

Guest

P.S. How come the Google ad in my posts always says, "Bored at work?" They know me too well! ;)

Hecateh

In reply to your question - Bored in work' comes up a lot - I think it is the word change in the the forum title that it links to.

Those books sound good. Mind over mood does sound as though it would be helpful for Sarah - she would be more inclined to do something like that than I would - I find the books that help me understand what is happening help best.

Will order them I think - and I'l let you know how I (we) get on.