This reading list is recommended by a Licensed counselor and is designed to be an ever-growing and changing suggestion. If you have books that have helped you or have impacted your mental health, make sure to let us know so that we can recommend them to others.
Ways to Read Digitally:
Libby: App by Overdrive - Requires a Library Card
Book Bub - Lists of free or on-sale books through Kindle and other sources.
Audible - Audiobooks on a subscription basis.
"Is stress preventing you from enjoying your daily life? Do you find that you’re becoming more distracted or forgetful? Are "the blues" sapping your spirits? Or do you simply feel not quite like yourself?
If you want to reclaim you focus, memory, and joy, you’re not alone. There are millions of people fighting against the epidemic of brain fog that’s sweeping the nation. The good news: It’s not an irreparable condition; rather it’s a side effect of modern-day living.
Many of the foods we eat and the habits we have do not support our brains. We no longer get what we need in order to produce essential brain chemicals that keep us energized, calm, focused, optimistic, and inspired. And even worse, our choices could lead to long-term problems, like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and anxiety. Sadly, if you look at the way most of us live, it seems almost as though we’ve chosen a lifestyle deliberately intended to undermine our brain chemistry and our health.
Fortunately, there is a solution. The Brain Fog Fix is an easy-to-follow three-week program designed to help naturally restore three of your brain’s most crucial hormones: serotonin, dopamine, and cortisol. Rebalancing these chemicals will in turn enable the rest of your brain’s chemistry to reach optimal levels. Each week of the program focuses on a different element of your life:
• In week 1, you’ll improve your mood by modifying your diet and using cognitive strategies to overcome pitfall thought patterns.
• In week 2, you’ll increase your energy by focusing on sleep, exercise, and memory-boosting games.
• In week 3, you’ll enhance your spirit through practices that help you connect to something larger than yourself and enable you to rediscover your joy in life.
By the end of this simple program, you’ll be thinking more clearly, remembering more accurately, learning more quickly, and unleashing the floodgates of your creativity. And you’ll simply feel better – for now and in the long term."
"Number-one New York Times best seller
A timely and important new audiobook that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the number one best-selling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection.
Hello Sunshine book club pick
“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives - experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.
Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.”
Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness. Brown writes, “The wilderness is an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it’s the bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand."
"Based on the highly effective, proven Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) program: a practical plan for natural ways to treat depression -- without medication
In the past decade, depression rates have skyrocketed, and one in four Americans suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. Where have we gone wrong? Dr. Stephen Ilardi sheds light on our current predicament and reminds us that our bodies were never designed for the sleep-deprived, poorly nourished, frenzied pace of twenty-first-century life. Inspired by the extraordinary resilience of aboriginal groups like the Kaluli of Papua New Guinea, Dr. Ilardi prescribes an easy-to-follow, clinically proven program that harks back to what our bodies were originally made for and what they continue to need with these six components:
Brain Food
Don't Think, Do
Antidepressant Exercise
Let There Be Light
Get Connected
Habits of Healthy Sleep
The Depression Cure's holistic approach has been met with great success rates, helping even those who have failed to respond to traditional medications. For anyone looking to supplement their treatment, The Depression Cure offers hope and a practical path to wellness for anyone."
"For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare—poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a US Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America.
In Can't Hurt Me, he shares his astonishing life story and reveals that most of us tap into only 40 percent of our capabilities. Goggins calls this "The 40% Rule", and his story illuminates a path that anyone can follow to push past pain, demolish fear, and reach their full potential. An annotated edition of Can't Hurt Me, offering over two hours of bonus content featuring deeper insights and never-before-told stories shared by David."
"The good news is that anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other 'black holes' of depression can be cured without drugs. In Feeling Good, eminent psychiatrist David D. Burns, M.D. outlines the remarkable, scientifically proven techniques that will immediately lift your spirits and help you develop a positive outlook on life.
Now, in this updated edition, Dr. Burns adds an all-new Consumer's Guide To Antidepressant Drugs, as well as a new introduction to help answer your questions about the many options available for treating depression.
Recognize what causes your mood swings.
Nip negative feelings in the bud.
Deal with guilt.
Handle hostility and criticism.
Overcome addiction to love and approval.
Build self-esteem.
Feel good every day."
"Complete beginners can use this workbook for Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari and find immediate help in applying its major lessons. Lost Connections, Johann Hari's newest book, reveals many of the truths about depression and its treatments. The author recounts his own experiences with depression and includes testimonies from various experts that serve as a basis for his ideas and theories. This book has been acclaimed by such well-known people as Elton John and Russell Brand. Even Hillary Clinton referred to this as wonderful. Lost Connections is an extraordinary book that provides a tremendous amount of information and evidence to help us understand the true nature of depression and anxiety. In addition, the author includes several examples and practical solutions that are immensely helpful for people suffering from these diseases. Do you want to apply the major lessons to your daily life? The goal of this workbook is to help even the newest readers apply what may be the most critical lessons found in Workbook for Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression - and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari. Results have shown that learning is retained best through repeated hands-on applications. With Max Help Workbooks, readers will be able to find distilled information categorized into major lessons with applicable exercise worksheets to maximize learning. Don't Miss the Following Content: • Succinct breakdown of the book categorized into major lessons • Read and use the exercises yourself or as a group • Easy-to-understand analysis of each lessons distilled for even the newest of readers • Simple and practical worksheets to further reader's application • Quiz questions as a resource to be used for yourself or others So, what are you waiting for? Get your copy now and take out a pencil, pen, or whatever digital technology to jot down, implement, and make solid change."
A book for finding purpose and strength in times of great despair, the international best-seller is still just as relevant today as when it was first published.
“This is a book I reread a lot . . . it gives me hope . . . it gives me a sense of strength.”
—Anderson Cooper, Anderson Cooper 360/CNN
This seminal book, which has been called “one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought” by Carl Rogers and “one of the great books of our time” by Harold Kushner, has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold over sixteen million copies. “An enduring work of survival literature,” according to the New York Times, Viktor Frankl’s riveting account of his time in the Nazi concentration camps, and his insightful exploration of the human will to find meaning in spite of the worst adversity, has offered solace and guidance to generations of readers since it was first published in 1946. At the heart of Frankl’s theory of logotherapy (from the Greek word for “meaning”) is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but rather the discovery and pursuit of what the individual finds meaningful. Today, as new generations face new challenges and an ever more complex and uncertain world, Frankl’s classic work continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living, in spite of all obstacles.
"The Noonday Demon is Andrew Solomon’s National Book Award-winning, bestselling, and a transformative masterpiece on depression—“the book for a generation, elegantly written, meticulously researched, empathetic, and enlightening” (Time)—now with a major new chapter covering recently introduced and novel treatments, suicide and anti-depressants, pregnancy and depression, and much more.
The Noonday Demon examines depression in personal, cultural, and scientific terms. Drawing on his own struggles with the illness and interviews with fellow sufferers, doctors and scientists, policymakers and politicians, drug designers, and philosophers, Andrew Solomon reveals the subtle complexities and sheer agony of the disease as well as the reasons for hope. He confronts the challenge of defining the illness and describes the vast range of available medications and treatments, and the impact the malady has on various demographic populations—around the world and throughout history. He also explores the thorny patch of moral and ethical questions posed by biological explanations for mental illness. With uncommon humanity, candor, wit and erudition, award-winning author Solomon takes readers on a journey of incomparable range and resonance into the most pervasive of family secrets. His contribution to our understanding not only of mental illness but also of the human condition is truly stunning."
Audible Best Seller of 2017
Inc. 11 Great Business Books
New York Magazine Best Psychology Books
LinkedIn's 12 Books on Leadership to Read
Two mavericks in the field of positive psychology deliver a timely message
Happiness experts have long told us to tune out our negative emotions and focus instead on mindfulness, positivity, and optimism. Researchers Todd Kashdan, Ph.D., and Robert Biswas-Diener, Dr. Philos., disagree. Positive emotions alone are not enough. Anger makes us creative, selfishness makes us brave, and guilt is a powerful motivator. The real key to success lies in emotional agility. Drawing upon extensive scientific research and a wide array of real-life examples, The Upside of Your Dark Side will be embraced by business leaders, parents, and everyone else who’s ready to put their entire psychological tool kit to work.
Counselor's Suggested Reading List for Depression
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