Books That Heal: A Mental Health Reading List
I was sitting on a plane Wednesday afternoon when I got a text from my sister asking, “Where are you?” I thought she was joking around, so I replied, “On the tarmac at LaGuardia. Where are you?” I was surprised to read her response: “I wanted to make sure you weren’t still downtown in Atlanta. There’s a live shooter.” I pulled up the story on my phone and saw that not only had the shooter killed someone at a hospital but he’d fled to the neighborhood where I’d been working and staying all week. I felt my anxiety rising. I tamped it down. Then I sent a bunch of texts to my husband, turned my phone on airplane mode, breathed deeply, and tried to relax.
Thoughts of my kids came one after another, and my anxiety kept rising. I remembered the day just after the start of school last fall when I got a text from my 9th grader saying, “FYI—We’re in lockdown” and the agony I went through for six hours until I saw his face emerge from the bus where they had been evacuated. Standing in the reunification line that day, I have never felt so powerless, never felt my own anxiety so uncontrollable, so tangible. Since then, every time another school shooting is reported on the news, one after another, I’ve been left wondering, like so many parents, when this will stop, how to make it stop.
Experiences like these stick with us, whether we want them to or not. And while they certainly reflect realities about social change that needs to happen, advocacy and discourse and policies that need work (especially in the US right now), I want to talk about something a little more personal, a little more self-growth related, with you today.
May is mental health awareness month.
An important month in my circle of friends and family as anxiety and depression are monsters so many of us reckon with daily. So I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of the books that have been healing us, helping us grow, and showing us the way. (I’ll be sending more throughout the month of May.)
Earlier this week, I finished two books that delivered so much soul comfort:
It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs by Mary Louise Kelly
A working mom’s story about trying her best to make the most of her son’s senior year (something that hit very close to home for this mama of a senior; also, a really good read!)
Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
A novel about second chances and healing from deep wounds (warning: there are some triggers for sensitive readers)
A few months ago, a friend sent a sweet message telling me how much she loves my book recommendations and asking if I knew of a few books for healing, inspiration, and encouragement for dealing with a bruised heart, deeply buried dreams, and disappointment.
Here’s what I sent her:
Simple Abundance by Sara Ban Breathnauch
I don’t know if it has something to do with turning 40 or having teenagers in high school and pre-college mode or what, but this book has become so dear to me over the past 15 months or so. If you’ve been on my blog’s book love page, you might be tired of hearing about this one, but it’s my #1 salve right now. It’s a great daily reader if you follow the dates, but also, every month has a general theme and I’ve often found myself drawn to particular months and devouring the readings because they speak to my heart season rather than the calendar season. (I think August and October are my faves, but I especially recommend the “close your eyes and flip” method to find something unexpectedly fitting.)
What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey & Bruce D. Perry
This book is more geared toward healing from trauma and abuse, but I found it extremely healing for some reason. Maybe because the entire thing (and every beautiful story) is about shifting our thinking from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What happened to me and how can I heal from it?” I found the audiobook especially good.
Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins
This one goes really deep into how attachment and the stories we tell ourselves is so often what causes most of our emotional pain (something I definitely didn’t learn in my church service days and a new concept I’m just now learning to embrace). I came across it through a retreat I went to in the fall of 2021 and found it really healing. It’s pretty weighty though, so I stopped before the very end and skimmed. I have a bookmark holding my place for when I need it again :) — or for when I write about it, whichever comes first. If you’re tired of the same old advice for stepping into healing and out of pain, I highly recommend it.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
I’m pretty sure this book has been used by every single self-growth expert on the planet at one time or another and it’s really old, so I was hesitant at first to buy it. The first time I read it though, I quickly realized its power. I took 9 months to go through it and tried to do a lot of the activities, and it was life-changing—a perfect marriage of life healing, personal growth, and creative inspiration to me. Now I’ve read it 3 or 4 times, running through it for quick inspiration, and I’m astounded by the God-dreams it stirs up every single time.
& two more I haven’t finished yet — I’ve heard so many good things about two older books by Brene Brown: The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), and they’re sitting in my TBR book stack taunting me. The language reminds me of my undergrad sociology classes because it seems a bit clinical, but I know there’s healing to be had within these, so I’ll add them here.
Wherever you are this morning, whatever you’ve been dealing with that made you click on this blog and read all the way to the bottom, I want you to know something:
I see you. I’m grateful for you. You matter.
If you or someone you love has been through something difficult recently or is going through it right now, I hope these books help a little. (And if, like me, you could use more resources for talking about mental health with the people you love, here are some teen-friendly and adult-friendly conversation starters I’m loving right now)
