Books That Have Helped My Mental Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I wanted to share resources that have been helpful in my own journey toward a healthier brain/soul/spirit/self/life.
I created a list of my favorites on Bookshop (a book shopping site that supports indie bookstores instead of Amazon!) and you can find it here:
And a few years ago, I rounded up this list (many of the same books are on both!):
But, if you’re looking for a simpler place to start, here are my 5 favorites, and my reviews from when I read them!
Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor // 5 stars (read in Nov. 2016)
I could not have loved this book more. After talking to a close friend (who happens to be a pastor at my church, an author, and one of the wisest women I know) about feeling like I was in a dark season, this surprise showed up on my doorstep. Such a gift. The words in this book just resonated SO deeply and in the most beautiful, poetic, personal, and meaningful way. I cannot praise this one enough. I've never read a book that just made it all make so much sense and also showed me how beautiful the darkness can be. I'll forever be singing the praises of this book.
The Healing Path: How the Hurts in Your Past Can Lead You to a More Abundant Life by Dan B. Allender // 5 stars (read in June 2017)
This one was recommended to me by my counselor (he read many excerpts in our sessions, and I knew I wanted to read the whole thing) and I can't rave enough. This book is rich and helpful and meaningful and so incredible -- if you're on any sort of healing journey from any sort of hurt, abuse, pain, grief, etc... read this one. It's a soothing balm for any aching soul.
No More Faking Fine: Ending the Pretending by Esther Fleece // 5 stars (read in March 2017)
I really, really loved this one. I needed to read it exactly when I did, and was so glad I had it waiting on my shelf. Fleece's story is seriously unreal-- I can't imagine going through what she went through-- but instead of telling it in a way that invited pity or feeling sorry for herself, she tells it honestly, openly, and in a way that really makes it bigger than just herself. It's a book I'm absolutely going to share with people struggling through feelings of depression/loneliness, because it's exactly the book I needed to read in the midst of my own season of those feelings.
Whole: Restoring What Is Broken in Me, You, and the Entire World by Steve Wiens // 5 stars (read November 2017)
This book was exactly what i needed to read in this season. Convicting, compelling, helpful, healing. I tend to focus solely on my brokenness and forget to remember God is in the business of wholeness and restoration, and this book reminded me of truth and the way to the Father’s heart where freedom lies. So, so good
Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber // 5 stars (read March 2020)
I can’t rave about it enough. Even dedicated an episode of #theradpodcast to sharing more about it (episode 5 if you want to listen!)— it’s beautiful, helpful, gentle, gracious, and so impactful. Big fan. I brought this book to several counseling sessions to talk about it more, and it was/is such a great tool in my own journey of learning how to be kinder and softer with myself as I heal and grow. It’s a gift and I’m grateful it exists.
