Books

If you struggle with depression (and many people do, so you're not alone), this is an excellent read. John Moe does a brilliant job of navigating some of the shameful and harsh obstacles that we "saddies" encounter, including medication trial and error, imposter syndrome, guilt, and pain from unresolved trauma. I guarantee that you will find yourself thinking, "Oh, so I'm not the only person who feels like that," again and again.

Kristin Neff is the self-compassion guru. She has written numerous books on the subject, but if you're looking for a solid introduction to the topic of self-compassion, then this is a good place to start. I listened to the audiobook, which I would also recommend.

I cannot recommend Untamed highly enough. This is the only book that I will never lend to anyone; I will buy them their own copy instead. It's not a self-help book per se, it's a memoir about the author's journey of personal growth and her evolving understanding of women's roles in our society. I have not read either of her earlier works, and I honestly don't believe that you have to in order to thoroughly enjoy this one; Untamed stands well enough on its own.

I read this book in a day. Before I had even finished it, I was buying copies to give to other people. Maggie Smith has written several books of poetry and is perhaps most well known for her poem "Good Bones," but this book is a collection of personal essays, helpful reminders, and quotes about navigating life after loss. 

I heard about this book while listening to an episode of Brene Brown's podcast Unlocking Us, during which Dr. Brown interviewed the authors of this book, sisters Amelia and Emily Nagoski. The biggest (and scariest) takeaways from this book are that burnout is real, and that unresolved stress will eventually kill you, so it's imperative that you learn ways to manage your stress and 'complete the cycle.'

This book was given to me by a good friend of mine. It's short enough that you could finish it in a few days, but I would recommend taking your time with it instead. I would read a section and then try to practice that thinking over the next few days, which helped me get the most out of it.

I am a self-proclaimed perfectionist, and I could probably list out all of the ways in which this behavior negatively impacts my life (case in point: it took me days to write the notes for each book on this page, and in some cases, I actually put off writing them for months because I was afraid they wouldn't be "perfect"). I keep this workbook at my desk, and whenever I feel frustrated or anxious, I'll do one or two exercises. It helps keep me mindful of my behaviors, and it's full of good reminders that help me take myself a little less seriously.

If you're an adult who struggles with ADD/ADHD, I can't recommend this book enough. It's one of the best-selling books on ADD/ADHD in print. Before I read it, I didn't realize how much shame I carried with me in my day-to-day life because of certain "defects" that I blamed myself for. This book helped undo a lot of that negative self-talk, and I still practice some of the exercises daily.