If ever there was a time to write about anxiety self-help books then April 2020 is it. Coronavirus lockdowns across the world have created feelings of fear and isolation and worries about an uncertain future. People are losing their jobs, being faced with social isolation, having difficulty getting food and medicine and worried about what is around the corner. This means that anxiety levels have risen rapidly as people try and work out how to deal with this new normal.

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Anxiety Books

Anxiety self-help books are a great way of helping people understand their feelings and then teaching them methods to manage their anxiety. Anxiety books are relatively cheap which means they are accessible to most people. Plus you don’t need to go out to a bookshop to get one. Simply head online and you are able to get them downloaded to your electronic device of choice without ever leaving the home.

This means that your only problem is choosing the best anxiety book to suit your particular problem. There is a huge choice out there which is why I thought it would be important to help my readers find the very best solutions on the market. I have split up the categories to reflect various subsections of anxiety to make it even easier for you to get help. I hope my choices show you that it is possible to manage anxiety by teaching yourself more about the subject.

Best Anxiety Books for Adults

Let’s start with Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks. This book by Barry Mc Donagh talks about his DARE technique which can be used to stop panic attacks and end feelings of anxiety. The technique can be adapted to any anxiety-provoking situation so is a great all-rounder to assist with everything from fear of flying to driving. If you buy the book you can also get access to his app that can be used on your smartphone. With 85% of the book reviews getting five stars this is a clear winner in the anxiety for adults category.

Conquering Anxiety: Stop worrying, beat stress and feel happy again by The Speakmans is another great book on the topic of anxiety. What we love about this book is that it gives you real-life examples of people who have had anxiety and what caused the problem in the first place. They do not believe in the idea that you are born with anxiety. Instead, they show you how problems that you experience in your life start to create anxious feelings as a way of protecting you. Understand the reason behind your problem and you can start to challenge your old unhelpful behaviour.

Anxiety: Panicking about Panic by Joshua Fletcher is another great bestseller. This book aims to simplify anxiety so it is easier for you to understand and get to grips with. It also talks about the common anxiety phenomenon worrying about worry! The anxiety loop can be created because a person worries about their anxiety or panic. So even if nothing else is going on in their life to cause anxiety or stress they can create anxious feelings by revisiting experiences from the past.

Well, we did say this section was for adults and this book title clearly reflects this. Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety By Robert Duff (who has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology) takes an approach with more humour. Recognising that many books on anxiety were a chore to read he has made this book much more accessible to adults. Just don’t give it to your kids as the adult themes and swearing are not suitable for children!

Anxiety Books for Kids

Adults are not the only people who suffer from anxiety. In fact anxiety in children is growing year on year with nearly a third of children expected to have anxiety between the ages of 13 and 18. Anxiety is rising in children because of increased pressure to succeed as well as social media problems. Self-help books for anxiety can be a great way of teaching kids about their feelings and giving them adequate coping mechanisms going forward.

What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner is a great book that has what to do guides for children. Dawn uses CBT techniques to guide children to create coping strategies to help with their feelings. The book is designed to be used by children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old.

No Worries! Mindful Kids: An activity book for children who sometimes feel anxious or stressed is a book aimed at children who are aged 7+. This book takes a different approach as it uses colouring and doodling exercises to help. The simple activities help to tackle the feelings of anxiety or stress but do it in a fun way that appeals to a child.

Starving the Anxiety Gremlin is a useful book if you are looking for something to help children over the age of 10 years old. This book uses cognitive behavioural techniques in a workbook to help change thoughts about anxiety. As part of the process, there are quizzes, crosswords and word searches to help the process. The book can be with an adult or a child can work through the exercises themselves.

Anxiety Journals

The best anxiety self-help books in 2020 don’t all have to be wordy huge manuals. In fact, there is a big trend at the moment for anxiety journals which help without the need to wade through a big book. Some of the best of these include:

The Anxiety Journal: Exercises to soothe stress and eliminate anxiety wherever you are by Corinne sweet is a perfect example of this new wave of anxiety solutions. It is a beautifully illustrated journal full of CBT and mindfulness exercises to assist you in managing your anxiety. The tips, strategies and exercises are written in a such as away that you can dip in and out of the book without having to read whole chapters. Just find a section that you think may be useful and do an exercise.

Alternatively, The 6-Minute Diary which comes in various colours can be used to create a happier life by using positive psychology. Here the author has used research to show that just taking small positive steps can make a massive difference to the way that you feel. So there are suggestions of what you can do in 3 minutes during the morning and evening to move yourself to where you want to be. Plus it is a diary as well so it kills two birds with one stone.

How to Overcome Social Anxiety Books

If you are looking for more specific help there are books that can help with all aspects of anxiety. Social anxiety the fear of being judged or embarrassing yourself can create significant problems for people. If you are looking for anxiety self-help books to create positive changes then you should try reading the following.

Overcome Social Anxiety and Shyness by Matt Lewis is a book designed to help you overcome shyness and increase your confidence. This is a step by step programme with an associated workbook to help. As well as the exercises in the book there are also links to audio information and online resources.

How to be Yourself by Ellen Hendrickson concentrates on silencing your inner critic. This is the part of your brain that loves to tell you that you are doing things wrong or that everyone is staring at you. She believes that you already have all the tools that you need to be a success you just need to tap into them. Ellen talks about her personal experiences with social anxiety and shows you how it is possible to overcome your fears and worries with her strategies.

How to Beat Health Anxiety

Anxiety self-help books for health worries are also worth mentioning particularly in this current climate. It is well known that health anxiety has increased significantly since Coronavirus came along so learning to manage this fear is important. Here are a couple of anxiety books that can help to make a difference.

Help Me I’m A Hypochondriac! by Philip Martins uses humour to tell his story with health anxiety and helps you understand that you are not alone. He tells you exactly why you are not alone with this anxiety and why you may be experiencing a long list of physical symptoms that are linked to the worry. There are even a part one and part two of this book.

Alternatively, you could try Overcoming Health Anxiety by David Veale and Rob Wilson which goes back to the CBT root as a way of resolving the problem. Through questionnaires, case studies and exercises you are guided through ways of dealing with anxieties relating to health. In particular, they talk about the fear of death and a fear of vomiting (emetophobia).

Anxiety Help Books

Anxiety self-help books are a great starting point at trying to understand the reasons why you may have the condition. They can guide you and assist you with exercises, worksheets as well as tips and strategies to try and change the way you think.

If you want to take things a step forward we have an online anxiety course with videos and downloads that can help address most common forms of anxiety. This can be purchased in our online store.

For one to one help we run an anxiety management program consisting of four sessions which are conducted online. To get more details simply fill out the contact form below and we will be in contact to arrange your sessions.

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