Best Book?

Question

What's a good book to read which will help me with my depression and anxiety?
Please mention how the book helped you personally.

Jaquta · Accepted Answer

Most anxiety advice is the same:  do deep breathing exercises, most also encourage visualisation and/ or progressive muscle relaxation exercises.
I have found that exercise, deep breathing and music help my anxiety.

I like stuff written by a former expert here at medhelp.  He has a book Shrink yourself: free yourself from emotional eating forever.  His name was Dr Roger Gould.  I think that he was strong on focussing on the current reality.  This helped me heaps on my ocd which has become manageable.

He has several websites you may be interested in visiting.
shrinkyourself.com  (free subscription and he asks questions in his newsletters which you can work through yourself.  It doesn't just apply to food or emotional eating.)

myvirtualshrink.com.

cdt for depression and anxiety.  You may like to check out ?The FeelGood Handbook written by Dr David Burns.

One of my therapists told me not to try and resolve my problems myself.  I have complex issues but it did actually feel really good to have someone take charge and direct where therapy needed to go.

Reading can be good and it can be enlightening but sometimes just having someone work through the stuff with you can be good.

Just do what you feel you need to do to get well again.

therese83 · Answer

YES !

You know the phone can be a great help.  Earphones on,,,,,,,into my own little world.

nexus788 · Answer

I have an android phone but haven't even thought about apps for this sort of thing. 

I've never heard of Glen Harold. Does hypnosis really work? I would be willing to give it a go.

therese83 · Answer

Do you have an iphone there are great APS that have helped me so much?

Glen Harold meditations, i believe he has books website etc.  I do use the APS

He is the best hypnotist in the world and i do his meditations.

Hypnosis CD and MP3 Download
for Building Self-Confidence and Motivation

Has changed my life completely, believe me i have tried everything else over six and a half years,,, this is my cure

SaintNomad · Answer

It is :) and epic series like this one also have the effect of making one feel like a hero while reading them :) a completely irrational, yet usually quite welcome, feeling of accomplishment. lol

nexus788 · Answer

Thanks for your suggestions I haven't read 'Personal best' or 'In search of self' but will definitely look them up.

I read a book on anxiety and I swear it just made mine worse.

Today has actually been ok. The first day that I'm starting to feel normal again. Although, I still threw up this morning and had to take a lorazepam. I think the prozac is starting to finally do its thing.

Anyway, I've ordered a self guide CBT workbook which I'm waiting for to arrive in the mail. There is a counseling service where apparently you just pay a donation and I've signed myself up for that. My plan is to take the book along and get the counselor to go through the exercises with me. 
I figure it will be cheaper than going to a CBT specialist and I can't afford to see a professional counselor anymore either so this will have to suffice.

Jaquta · Answer

Picking up any book that you enjoy should help you with depressive symptoms.

My doctor gave me a clinical text on anxiety to read which I found helpful.

You could check out your local library or ask a doctor or somebody else treating you if they have books that they would suggest.

Doctors have recommended various books to me.
Personal Best by ?George Sheehan.
Dibs: In search of self
Rich dad, poor Dad.  ??  About the personal aspect not the financial one.

You just need to find that something that resonates with you and how you're trying to get well again.

There are websites that may be helpful too.
moodgym.au
depression.org.nz

There are a number of them out there.  Just find what works best for you.

nexus788 · Answer

Cheers your your suggestion. Sounds like a good read!

SaintNomad · Answer

I have had depression and anxiety since i was in 8th grade. I am a strong Christian, so people always suggested reading christian literature to lighten me up... but i didn't find an escape in that at all. when you are stuck in your head, the last thing you need is to try to wrap your already racing mind around trying to feel better... that isn't what will get you there. at least not for me. What i found helps the absolute most is simply to find an engrossing series. For me, it was "the Circle Trilogy" by ted dekker. he is a Christian author, but he caters to a secular crowd, so you can get alot out of his books even if you are not religious. the point of finding a series like this is to get out of your head instead of trying to get everything else out of it. what does it for me is character driven stories. stories of far away places completely unlike my own. where i can delve into someone else' life and then go to sleep at night thinking of that instead of what i am anxious about. it is not only biblical, but it is widely accepted among all people that "this too shall pass". so i say, let your sorrows fade away whilst you pay them no attention :) it is near impossible to forget your woes when you are thinking about anything that pertains to them. the mind is a wondrous thing.. and a menacing thing. if you are depressed over the loss of a child and then read something with a strong child character, odds are your mind will connect that very powerfully. keep that in mind when selecting your series :)

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