There are a lot of books out on the market that aim to help you with your mental health issues, but some are better than others. Here is a guide to some must reads if you are looking to study up on how you can work to improve your mental health.
The Tools, by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels is a good example of a book that gives you some concrete ways and actions you can take to help deal with issues in your life.
The Tools focuses on four issues they believe hold clients back. They are pain avoidance, a belief that people will treat you fairly, insecurity, and negative thinking. The authors then provide concrete techniques that can help use these situations in reverse as opportunities for growth. It is a great approach that builds on a psychological theory and solutions that have shown success in the past, such as those common in AA and other support groups. Due to the books close relationship to AA, there is a bit of discussion of a higher power, that may make some readers uncomfortable, but their techniques can appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck explains why the one’s mindset is key to reaching goals and becoming a personal success. This book grapples with similar issues to The Tools, but focuses on mindset. It offers some concrete examples of how you can change your mindset. While it does not seem to base itself on as much psychological theory as The Tools, it should appeal to a segment of the public that might have a hard time with The Tools.
The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal gives examples about how self-control can help people make significant changes in their lives. She examines how willpower can defeat temptation but requires sleep and an attention to overall health. McGonical offers ways in which individuals can get past guilt and shame, and find the appropriate times to use self-control as well as to give up control.
If you are looking for an inspirational read that should give you tools to deal with stress and general anxieties in your life, any of these three should give you some food for thought. Try all three to find one that suits your personality, or speak with a professional to see what he or she might recommend.
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