World Mental Health Day — 5 Books to Help you with your Mental Health
October 10th marks World Mental Health Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and ending the stigma that, perplexingly, is still very much around in 2020.
While a day dedicated to recognising the ongoing struggle around mental health is important, it’s also important to remember that this is an issue affecting men, women and people alike all year round. And while we wouldn’t dare to unpick the broad subject of mental health in a three minute article, investing in your mental health and practising everyday, daily self-care is something we should all get on board with.
Self-help and mental health books can be great additions to your mental well-being regime, so here’s five to get you started this World Mental Health Day.
Matt Haig - Reasons to Stay Alive
Because I could recommend Matt Haig ‘til I’m blue in the face. In Reasons to Stay Alive, Matt Haig opens up about his own depression and anxiety, from his very lowest point to the moments leading up to him learning how to live again — all, of course, wrapped up in Haig’s classic warm, honest, and candid method of storytelling. With many reviews mentioning a number of ‘lightbulb’ moments of, “perhaps I’m not alone in this?”, this is definitely one to add to your bookshelves.
The Courage to Be Disliked - Fumitake Koga, Ichiro Kishimi
The Courage to Be Disliked is the Japanese phenomenon that claims to ‘show you how to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness.’ How to achieve self-forgiveness, how to set boundaries, and how to free yourself from the expectations of others are just some of the learnings you can expect from this book — a few teachings we could all get onboard with, particularly amidst a global pandemic.
Speak Your Truth, Heal Your Heart: The Broken Girl’s Guide to Radical Self-Care - Christy Abram
Christy Abram, the founder of Brown Girls Write (a initiative that encourages women of colour to ‘reflect, heal and thrive through self-expression‘) bares her heart and struggles in Speak Your Truth, Heal Your Heart as she lays down the events that led to her own depression, and shares her tips from how to heal past hurts to transforming negative self-talk. As well as providing her own insights and tips, the book includes 10 writing prompts, designed for reader self-reflection.
Get it on Amazon
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark Manson
Mark Manson’s New York bestseller cuts through the noise of ‘positive thinking’ to instead provide a number of thought-provoking, brutally honest, and pretty entertaining tips and tricks to stop caring so much about what others think of you. While you shouldn’t expect much sugar coating from this one, what you should expect is how to embrace fear and failure, and how doing so is really the key to becoming a happier, healthier person. Or, as Manson puts it, “shit is f**ked, and we have to live with it.”
My Sh*t Therapist & other mental health stories - Michelle Thomas
‘Having a crappy mental health day? I've got you. Want to chat antidepressants and mental breakdowns? Pull up a pew and let's get into it.’ A raw, honest, and witty read, My Sh*t Therapist is the self-care guide for the modern wxman. In it, Thomas will help you to navigate the world, look after yourself (and your mind), and teach you how to get through the sh*t life throws at you: from sh*t jobs, boyfriends, habits, and, of course, therapists.