“You can never be lonely with the company of a good book.”

~Maeve Wiley

Ever since I heard this phrase, I’ve come to realize that it’s a comforting truth that I resonate with. 

As someone who has ridden the waves of life, there will be inevitable times where you’ll feel like you’re stuck, lost, and have hit a wall that you’re unable to overcome. Going through those days feels like an eternity. 

There will be days where I’ll look into the mirror and ask myself, “when will it end?”. The feeling of uncertainty, doubt, anxiety—all mixing up together, and it will suddenly hit me that it’s clouding over me again. 

Depression: it sucks. Somedays I try to fight it, and there are days that I succumb to it. But one thing that I realized is that the darkest time will give you the most clarity. 

All worrying does is ruin the present and cloud my future, I knew that I had to free my mind. 

And then, there were books. Books that helped me feel again and cope in a healthy way until I’ve risen through the dark days behind me. 

It’s the reason why I’ve put together this list of books to read when you’re depressed. A way to reach out and help people who are currently going through a depressive episode. 

I’m not saying that these books will cure you of depression but what I can guarantee is that these books will keep you company and even uplift you while you cope in your own way. 

This goes out to everyone who feels like they’re alone and are fighting their battles silently to find their happiness again. 

We might be strangers but know that I’m rooting for you, and it gets easier. I promise. 

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Check out these Top 5 Editor Picks!

*Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links below, meaning that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

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35 Best Books To Read When You’re Depressed

*Disclosure: There are Amazon affiliate links below, meaning that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

1.) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 

One thing that I can say about this book is that it’s a classic. I know that you might have already seen the movie, but trust me—the book just hits different. 

The book is actually a memoir, its story follows Elizabeth Gilbert, a 30-year old writer who already has everything a person could possibly ask for. A fantastic career, a spouse, a great house, and just everything a successful person would possess, she had it. 

But instead of feeling like she’s on top of the world, she felt the opposite. She was overwhelmed with panic, grief, and confusion as she went through a divorce, she felt like she was at her all-time low, and to put it simply she was at a very bad place at that time in her life while everything was falling apart in front of her consecutively.

And what do you do when everything falls apart? Well, Elizabeth Gilbert has a radical plan. She left everything behind, her job, her house, and all of her belongings, and took her bag to travel around the world all year long. 

As the book goes on, you’ll get to immerse yourself in Elizabeth’s adventures and the different cultures that she got to experience. She got to learn all about the art of pleasure in Rome (EAT); in India where she centered herself and learned all about the art of devotion (PRAY); and in Bali where she had a chance to be a mentee to an elder medicine man who taught her all about the art of balance between the worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence (LOVE). 

And of course, throughout Elizabeth’s roller coaster ride of mixed emotions throughout the year, she also found love in the most unexpected way. 

It centers on self-discovery and it will teach you how you can claim the responsibility for your own contentment and how you can live outside the boundaries of what society dictates. 

The most important takeaway that you’ll get from this book after reading it is how you can start accepting yourself as you are as you realize the universal truth it entails that I’m leaving for you to find out so get yourself a copy of Eat, Pray, Love asap!

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2.) Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Daniel G. Amen M.D.

If you are looking for a life-changing read, look no further because this book is about to turn your world upside down but for the better. This book will provide you with practical and actionable approaches on how you can pick yourself up. 

Neuropsychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Amen, the author of the book imparts detailed and well-balanced academic and practical information backed up by cutting-edge research showing the relationship between brain patterns and problem behavior. 

In the book, the author, Dr. Daniel Amen, shows how anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, and impulsiveness are results relating to how specific structures work in your brain. 

And to me, it makes sense. If the brain is not working properly, how will you expect the person to work properly as well, right? This book explains the behavior in a whole new and easy-to-understand way. 

It’s like a practical roadmap on how you can rewire your brain to enhance its health and functionality which will consecutively heal your brain and change your life for the better. But keep in mind that it’s not a quick fix, you have to really commit to helping yourself and know that slow progress is better than no progress at all. 

From simple breathing techniques to quell anxiety and panic, and teaching you about how to shutdown ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) to help combat depression, to helping you get unstuck with a number of writing exercises to put a halt to obsessive worrying—this book will help you realize that you are not stuck with the brain that you have right now. 

You might think that this book might be too technical or too sciency for you, but you’ll be surprised that it actually provides plenty of straightforward information regarding self-help to help you get back on track one thought at a time. 

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3.) Everything Begins with Asking for Help by Kevin Braddock

The last thing that a person going through depression would want to do is ask for help. As someone who is still experiencing bouts of depression every now and then, I can really say that it takes its toll to muster up the courage to ask for help. 

It may sound easy for some to do, but opening up is not as easy as it seems for someone with depression. Being open and honest about an illness especially mental illness can really be difficult. 

Everything Begins with Asking for help by author, Kevin Braddock put into words his exact experiences when tried to reach out for help. It gives an honest walkthrough of depression and anxiety from rock bottom all the way to recovery.

In the book, the author shares how he, a successful magazine journalist in Berlin suddenly when from top to bottom because of a major depressive episode. He also shares a number of recovery tools that he has formulated alongside various medical professionals and mental health experts. 

He also reiterated in his book that the sole act of asking for help whether it’s help from friends or from professionals set him up to start taking the road for a successful recovery. He also explains in the book the stages of asking for help along with knowing the ins and out of recovery.

You might think that it won’t help or you might not know what to say exactly, or it can be that you worry about how people will react or even feel like you’ll become a burden to the people around you and end up feeling guilty about it. 

If this is what you’re thinking, know that depression is an isolating illness and it’s exactly what it does so you need to keep on keeping on to fight it. The greatest challenges in life can be overcome knowing that there’s someone supporting you. 

The way the book was really heartfelt and you can really feel the genuine intention of the author to let people know that help is available. It’s highly comforting and therapeutic to read as well because sometimes a little bit of reading is all the therapy a person needs sometimes.

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4.) Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

(TW: this book portrays the suicide attempt of the protagonist.)

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho is a must-read for its originality and life-affirming take inspired by the life of the author himself. 

The story follows a young Slovenian woman named Veronika who had everything one might want in life. Youth, beauty, a few boyfriends here and there, and a loving family as well. But she always felt like there’s an empty void in her life. 

So one cold November morning she decided to take a handful of pills and expected never to wake up again—but of course, plot twist! She instead ended up in a mental health facility where she was told that she only had a few more days to live. 

You can only imagine how the rest of the book continues, and I’m telling you the pages of this book is a thought-provoking place to be. Questioning the meaning of madness and celebrating individuals who do not seem to fit the conformity of society. 

It’s a brilliant depiction of a young woman facing a crossroads of despair and liberation helping us realize that each day is a brand new opportunity for us to take advantage of. It clearly sends a beautiful message that will awaken the joy of living kept inside you. 

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5.) The Noonday Demon by Andrew Solomon

This next book on our list is guaranteed to keep your mind occupied in a good way while you work things out with yourself. 

If you have been dealing with anxiety and depression for quite some time, this book will help you realize that you are not alone. It shows that there’s hope and gives you a new perspective on how to find ways to push on. 

It touched almost every topic you can relate to depression, but it is not depressing in itself but is rather very informative. The author Andrew Solomon, was also very candid about his own experiences and struggles with depression while sympathetically relating it to the stories of other people. 

What’s the best way to tackle an enemy if not by learning all about it? This book examines depression on a personal, cultural, and scientific level that will give you an insightful headstart in the challenge of understanding not only the mental illness itself but the human condition compassionately. 

This is also a great book to share with family and friends who are going through the same, or if you want to understand someone who is going through a depressive episode. it’s truly eye-opening in the most unexpected way. 

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6.) Bird Brain: Comics About Mental Health by Chuck Mullin

Reading a good book that you genuinely enjoy is one of the best forms of self-care because someone who reads will never be lonely. This next book is something a bit more light with a dash of hilariousness and comfort to help lighten up your mood. 

This comic about mental health by Chuck Mullin was a result of her way to release bad feelings that she had cooped up during her teenage years. And of all things that could give her the best inspirations, she found pigeons to be the perfect subject to portray mental health issues that humans experience. 

I mean, why not pigeons right? They’re quirky, lovable, and most importantly reviled creatures that Mullin surprisingly made highly relatable in this chuckle-inducing series. 

If you’re looking for a light and uplifting read to help you get through tough times, then this might be your best bet. It’s not too overwhelming and you’ll get your “Read a book” crossed out in your to-do list in no time. 

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7.) It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

You’re only one book away from a good mood, and that book is a book by Ned Vizzini entitled It’s Kind of a Funny Story. 

The book’s story goes on about a 15-year-old boy named Craig who was, yes you guessed it—depressed. It came to the point where he have decided to end things for him once and for all. That sounds sad right, so how will this book give you a good mood? Please hear me out.

Well, the reason why you should read it is that he will not go through with it, and from there, things will start picking up for him, and his long journey to find his happiness again will come through as he got institutionalized and met a lot of people who gave him a different lens to look through in life.

The author brilliantly wrote Craig’s character that it made him so believable and easy to relate to especially to young adults. 

Basically, by the end of the book, you will surprisingly see yourself smiling in the last few pages, and I definitely recommend this as a good read when you’re feeling gloomy. 

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8.) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Another masterpiece from Paulo Coelho—The Alchemist. Giving you thoughts to ponder on with its inspiring tale about self-discovery. Dubbed as a modern classic, you will never go wrong with choosing this book. 

The alchemist follows the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd who is longing to travel the world in hopes of worldly treasures. In his quest, he will come to find himself with far more than any riches that he was hoping for. 

Along his journey, he meets an eclectic cast of characters. And everyone he met left him with something to learn about his quest, about himself, and about following his heart’s desire. 

The very heart of the story teaches us about the importance of listening to our hearts, recognizing opportunities, learning to read omens hints that we might look past down the road, and most importantly doing whatever it takes to follow our dreams. 

Overall, a very easy-to-digest read that is also inspiring and helpful as well to rekindle a hope that might be losing the spark in you. 

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9.) The Crying Book by Heather Christle 

Did you know that emotional crying can release oxytocin and endorphins which are known feel-good chemicals that can help ease both physical and emotional pain? Amazing, right? That something like crying can actually do good for you. 

I love the essence of crying. I feel like it’s a great way to relieve yourself of all the pent-up emotions that you might have. Having a good cry and releasing big emotions can really unload your chest with all the heavy burdens that you might have been carrying. 

If you’re not a big fan of crying, I’m here to change your mind with this next book on our list. The Crying book by Heather Christle will switch up your view when it comes to crying. 

Focusing on tears and about crying the author unpacks the biological reason behind tears and investigates the influence of crying in different areas such as art, politics, race, and culture. 

And she does all this while sharing her own personal experiences with tears from the suicide of a close friend and a lot of events that let her find new ways to understand life, loss, and mental illness. 

This is a book that is moving, interesting, and brave all while being in an engaging format. So my advice is, read your heart out with this magical book and let your eyes bawl out, and let go of the things that you shouldn’t be holding on to.

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10.) The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This book is my daughter’s favorite and mine as well. If you’re not yet familiar with the book I’ll give you a gist of what its story entails. 

The story of The Little Prince follows a little blonde boy who decided to leave his own planet to travel and explore other galaxies and meet different people with their peculiar occupations. And with each planet, he visits and people he meets he learns a thing or two. 

This might be a kids’ book, but you’ll surely appreciate how this book conveys its message which made it one of my favorite books of all time. 

This book caught me by surprise because of the valuable life lessons it imparts, like how we should appreciate the simple things and be able to look at them and be able to think of them in a more profound way.

What’s more fascinating about this book is that the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince all while flying a plane during World War II, and that’s just something extraordinary, I must say. Sure to enchant children and even grown-ups for generations to come! 

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11.) Hunger by Roxane Gay

Hunger by Roxane Gay is a book that you won’t forget once you read it. It will surely leave an impact pertaining to self-analysis and body image, something that most people will surely relate to. 

The author, Roxane Gay went out in the open to write a raw and honest experience of how she was perceiving her life and body starting at the young age of 12 as she became a victim of sexual assault—an experience that nobody can ever go in-depth to explain how it really feels. 

While you’re reading the book, you’ll feel that the author is authentic and personal with writing this feat. She even shared that it was the hardest thing that she ever had to write as she spoke her truth and really bared her soul during the process of writing Hunger. 

The author also went on to discuss a lot of topics such as eating disorders wherein she has shown a unique perspective on opinion towards it while sharing her struggles on how she came to fully accept herself and overcome it.  

I think that this book should be a must-read especially for people who are going through the same experiences. And even if they aren’t, this is still a powerful book to read to learn from and benefit from—definitely add this to your book to-read list. 

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12.) Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

I’ve always noticed something odd about me growing up and reading books, and when I got this book by Rupi Kaur titled Milk and Honey it suddenly dawned on me that I love heartbreaks. 

I just think that sad books are kind of therapeutic for me, and that’s why I came to love this gem of a book. I love feeling all different kinds of emotions and contemplating on life, it helps me feel and see things in a different way and live more meaningfully. 

This book is actually a collection of poems that will give you the perfect balance between sad poetry and uplifting poetry and they really tied all well together in this book. It speaks stories of love, heartache, grief, pain, and healing all throughout the book. 

I sometimes even flip through the book to randomly read a page and it somehow always end up resonating with how I feel at that moment. 

If you are looking for something random or something that will incite a certain emotion in you when you just feel nothing, I would definitely recommend for you to flip through this one. 

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13.) First We Make The Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson

Reading this book will help you understand yourself and people in your life if you or someone you know is going through anxiety, depression, and other mental health illnesses as well. 

The author, Sarah Wilson dissected the topic very honestly whilst not only giving the validation that depression, anxiety, and other mental health issue are real but she has also given plenty of advice enriched with insight, research, and hard-earned wisdom from the fruit of her own experiences. 

She wrote this book in a bid of help to help others that are going through the same situation as her, you will definitely appreciate how reassuring and insightful with how this book was written to help you fight for your mental health one day at a time. 

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14.) Depression Hates a Moving Target by Nita Sweeney

One thing is for sure, and that is depression hates a moving target, as the title of our next book suggests. 

“Get moving”—that’s what Nina Sweeney, the author kept in her mind to help her earn hard-won life lessons to combat a lifetime of depression. And although she still fights with her brain chemistry on a daily basis, she’s proven to herself that simply keeping herself on the move made a world of difference in terms of her mental health. 

Leading her eventually to long-distance runs with her faithful dog companion by her side, she found that running has become a therapy for her that helped her overcome obstacles and boost her overall mental health. 

Be inspired by how Nina found her inner strength through running with her dog and how it added a new dimension to her life that she didn’t know she needed. She also explains that there’s so much study behind the movement and how it can help manage depression and anxiety. 

Nina’s message in this book is for you to try and find a way and just stand up and do something take a few steps and the next thing you know, you’re already a moving target that depression will surely hate and you’ll beat the heck out of it!

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15.) Difficult Women by Roxane Gay

There has been a long debate about why women are so difficult, and up to this date, there still is. But why is it that women are difficult? Any good guess why? 

Well, to give you an answer to that extremely difficult question, I urge you to read another masterpiece by the one and only Roxan Gay entitled Difficult Women. 

Readers have mixed emotions and reactions towards this book by her, and once you have flipped through the pages of this book, you’ll understand why. 

It tells symbolic stories of how women outside the norm power through and succeed in all levels of life while being in conflict with themselves and in the different aspects of their lives. Don’t fret if someone is telling you that you are being difficult, instead embrace everything that makes you difficult. 

Difficult Women is a top-notch book by a top-notch author that lets you expand your mind just by reading what she wrote, and that for me is astonishing writing. 

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16.) Feeling Good by David D. Burns

Depression and Anxiety are not unsolvable as you might think it is, in this book titled Feeling Good, author David D. Burns will open your mind to simple remedies and answers on how you can push through your struggles. 

In this book, the author explains his theory of how your thoughts can make your mood, therefore by changing your thoughts, you also change your mood. The author also throws in and includes a number of helpful tools that you can use and follow to help retrain your through patterns to alter and improve your mood. 

And it’s not only centered on depression, his tools and guides can also help you work through guilt, shame, and anxiety as well. 

And to convince you even more of how powerful this book is, it is backed up by a stand-alone study showing that patients who read this book drastically reduced depression severity by utilizing the tools that are found in this book. 

It is truly a great read with clinically proven drug-free methods that you can try out to help you overcome mental health issues one page at a time. 

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17.) Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

A fun little book called Hyperbole and a Half spawned by Allie Brosh has been a crowd favorite ever since it came out. 

Originally a website containing a collective amazing tales and artwork by the author now turned into a book you’ll come to love her great gasp of finding comedy within a tragedy because we all know that laughter is the best medicine, right? So why don’t we try laughing our way out of the gloom? 

In the book, she makes these nice little doodles of herself and her dogs and whatever comes into her mind and pairs them well with her unmatched humor along with the parts of what it’s like to be depressed as well as her thoughts on perception and identity and the overall nature of thought itself. 

It’s kind of mind-blowing for me for something big and deep as depression, she disguises into a comic that you’ll surely genuinely enjoy and relate to.

Overall a 10/10 for me, a book that will give you a rollercoaster ride that will have you wetting your pants from all the hilariousness and wetting your eyes from all the heartbreaking stories that you’ll ever read. 

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18.) Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

Once you start reading this, I guarantee you that you will not be able to put this book down. If you are someone who’s really going through a tough time in your life right now, you would see this mirror as a book that’s also giving you a hug at the same time as well. 

The book goes on to tell the story of the author at 24 years old found himself no longer seeing himself going on with living. 

It shares the story of how he came through the darkest times of his life and conquered an illness that almost got him but he won over by learning how to live better, love better, and how to feel more alive. 

The author, Matt Haig, perfectly described what it feels like to go through depression and anxiety using anecdotes and figurative language based on his own experiences. You’ll realize how he perfectly hits the nail to the head with his writing and how relatable it is—almost word by word. 

I think that everyone should have the chance to read this book not just the ones who are feeling depressed as it really starts a conversation that has long been overdue. 

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19.) Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Another book that you should add to your depression reading list is this gem by Jenny Lawson, titles Furiously Happy—do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book, asap. 

To briefly give you an overview of what’s coming at you with this book, you’ll mainly encounter the author’s experiences with her crippling mental illnesses, which I think you can relate to since you’re here and reading this. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, this book is not that sad and depressive in its state, but you’ll be surprised with the contents of it. It makes a hard-to-talk-about topic much more accessible and easier to digest as well. 

You’ll find yourself half of the time you’ll find yourself trying to understand her experience and the importance of understanding mental health issues, while on the other half you’ll just find yourself literally laughing until tears are starting to fall down your cheeks because of her stories that are just out-of-this-world hilarious. 

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20.) Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb

We’ve already gone through a number of books of authors telling their stories of dealing with depression. So why not switch things up and read the lines of someone from the other side? 

This next book is a book that you’re going to love, written by a therapist herself, Lori Gottlieb gives a refreshing perspective of what it looks like from the other side. We always hear the side that talks, it’s about time we hear the side that listens. 

What makes this book fresh air for readers is the fact that the author, managed to insert two contradictory perspectives into one book which is as a client and as a therapist as well. How the story was written was very real, authentic, and honest as well. 

This book also greatly helps remove the stigma about reaching out and asking for real help. And it helps open up conversations about how therapy really works and that it shouldn’t be something that’s frowned upon. 

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21.) Let That Sh*t Go by Nina Purewal 

There will be times in our lives where stress will get the best of us, it might be happening now, or it can happen tomorrow, or somewhere in the distant future. Stress has been a big factor that contributes to depression. 

When we feel like we don’t have to control everything, we spiral and curl into this deep cloud of fear, anxiety, guilt, and depression and it’s not really a place where you want to be. 

This next book will help remind you that you need to stop feeling like your problems are so unique that they can’t be fixed. Try to remember the past problems that you thought of the same, you got through them, right? 

This book is a life-changer that will help you keep things in perspective to help you overcome any obstacle that you are facing right now. It preaches on how you can live in the moment and take time to appreciate the little things and only focus and preserve your energy on things that you can go control. 

To give you a refreshing mental reset, this book is such a delight to read—so go ahead and grab a copy asap!

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22.) Self-Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff

Every day is a good day for books. And this next book is a life-changing read that will help you learn about how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects for you to be able to reach your highest potential and live a more fulfilled and contented life. 

Self-love is one of the most difficult forms of love. We tend to give our full selves to others but we sometimes forget to leave a little love for ourselves. This book will help you with applicable and easy exercises and action plans on how you can develop yourself and learn to accept yourself as you are. 

Whether if it’s dealing with emotionally debilitating struggles, parenting, or weight loss, and all kinds of trials that we face day after day. 

If you are someone who’s been a little too hard on yourself these past few days, this will definitely be a good read for you. 

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23.) The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris

Each and every one of us has our own definition of happiness, and in our journey to find it, why is it that sometimes we end up not seeing it through it and end up not contented if not miserable? 

In the book The Happiness Trap by author Russ Harris, he explains why this phenomenon tends to happen to most of us. 

He goes in-depth with how a certain technique he calls ACT or Acceptance and commitment therapy can help you clarify your values by developing mindfulness that will help you escape the happiness trap and find contentment and satisfaction in life. 

This technique claims to help you reduce levels of worry and stress, handle negative emotions more effectively, break bad habits that harm your mental health, overcome insecurity and doubt, and most importantly, help you create a rich and more meaningful way of life. 

I just love how this book helps you learn how to let go and ride the waves of life more gracefully, giving you a new lens to use to look at life from a more meaningful perspective. 

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24.) Body Full of Stars by Molly Caro May

It’s strange that sometimes, I read a book, and I think that I am the person in the book. Body Full of Stars by Molly Caro May is beautifully written what I perfectly felt when I went through post-partum depression. 

As a mother of two, I’ve already gone twice through it and I still am. It tells the long-awaited unwritten story of mothers, daughters, partners, co-parents, and the feminine surging beneath it all. Validation, understanding, self-acceptance, and blossoming are all in the essence of this book. 

This book perfectly captured all the still vagaries of being a mother, and it feels like a miracle to me how she craftily laid out all the challenges that the relationship between female and male go through in every chapter of their lives. 

Overall, it’s beautiful, raw, and absolutely relatable, I highly recommend this book for all women to read and to others who want to catch the perspective of what being a woman is like. 

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25.) Perfectly Hidden Depression by Margaret Robinson Rutherford PhD

One of the hardest parts about being a perfectionist is that you will always tend to be really hard on yourself especially with how you want others to see you. 

The book Perfectly Hidden Depression by author Margaret Robinson Rutherford tackles the unspoken truth about how people make their lives look perfect as they are silently falling apart on the inside. 

She saw many people who would sit down on her couch and would question themselves as to why they were there at that moment even though they have all the things they want in their lives. 

The author goes over how perfectly hiding all pent-up emotions, trauma, and hardships in life will not make them go away, but instead will only devour your mental health slowly and will catch up with you at some point in time. 

This book will guide you on how you can begin the process of understanding perfectionism, identifying destructive beliefs, and connecting with your suppressed emotions, and how you can begin your process of healing. 

And most importantly, you will learn in this book that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but is rather a sign of strength. If you are ready to start your healing and face all your hidden emotions that you kept for so long, this will be the perfect book that will guide you every step of the way.

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26.) Lost Connections by Johann Hari

A very important book that you should definitely read when you are feeling depressed is Lost Connections by Johann Hari. For the longest time, it has been believed that depression and anxiety are caused by chemical imbalances in our brains and that drugs are the only options to combat them.

But Johann Hari challenges this view both as a cause and as a solution as well. And in his in-depth research, he found nine causes with scientific evidence as to how depression and anxiety manifest. 

This insightful book takes a fresh and practical look at the root cause of depression which is hidden in plain sight and is something that we can easily control. 

He emphasized a checklist that includes a list of things that greatly influences depression that we can change or improve to combat the debilitating illness. 

He validated that the pain is real from his own experiences ever since he was a teen and that focusing on the underlying cause that results in depression and treating that specifically via lifestyle changes and reconnecting to the 9 areas that the author presented can greatly alleviate depression itself. 

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27.) F*ck Feelings by Michael Bennett MD and Sarah Bennett MD

A psychiatrist with a 40-year old career and his comedy/writer daughter brought forth a brilliantly sensible and funny book that will unexpectedly show you a different kind of freedom that will get you right back on track towards realistic goals and feasible results. 

While reading this book, you’ll feel like you talking to your psychiatrist that had one too many drinks that ended up slapping you with the truth to snap you out of— it serves a unique approach to depression, which is kind of amusing to me. 

And somehow with its unconventional way of being a self-help book, it really stood out from the bookshelves and served its purpose. This book might not be for the faint-hearted but if you’re intrigued with how the book will help change your perspective, add it to your cart, asap. 

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28.) My Path to Happy by Charlotte Reed

A someone who has experienced depression firsthand, I know that there will be times when doing even the most simple things like getting out of bed, or taking a shower seems to be the hardest—and reading 203 pages of a book might seem like the impossible.

That’s why I chose this next book, an easy and light read that you can easily finish in one sitting. My Path to Happy written by Charlotte Reed will turn tides for you once you’re done reading it. 

In this short book, the author shares her own experiences with depression as well as the practices that ultimately helped her through the hardest time in her life. 

This playfully illustrated book will help uplift your mood with how it acknowledges that recovery from depression is not the same for everyone which is comforting to know. 

It’s a simple yet powerful book that will instantly uplift your spirit letting you know that you are not alone and that things will get easier as time goes by. 

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29.) You Were Not Born to Suffer by Blake D. Bauer

If you’re looking for a book that will revolutionize how you perceive yourself and how you love yourself, then you have to grab a copy of Blake D. Bauer’s book titled You were not born to suffer. 

A lot of us do not let ourselves express our emotions authentically and effectively, and the author explains how that greatly affects the balance in our body that leads to depression.

This book will teach you how you can love yourself unconditionally and how you can start healing from all the damage you have done to yourself without you even knowing it. 

The book also gives us an understanding of how depression and other mental illnesses come from us never learning to fully love ourselves, rejecting our emotions, and never learning to understand them and go through them.  

It will also give you a guide on how to be more in tune with yourself and heal the inner child in you that needed validation and acknowledging. 

I highly encourage everyone who’s struggling with self-acceptance and regulating their emotions to read this book, as it would really help transform the very nature of understanding our own existence. 

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30.) Little Book of Letting Go by Hugh Prather

The methods of a real change is no longer a mystery thank to the book written by Hugh Prather titled, Little Book of Letting Go. 

It contains practical and life-changing suggestions that you can easily follow to start your journey of helping. If you are someone who has realized that there is an aspect in your life or something that you need to work on with you, this book will be your guide. 

Its simple and straightforward steps and exercises will teach you how you can cleanse your mind and help you realize and alter habits that might be damaging your mental health without you even knowing it. 

Get yourself this book, and you’ll find yourself feeling a bit better than before you had it. Learn how you can handle your issues and how to let them go. 

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31.)  Love For Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim

If I can describe this book with one word, I would say self-love. This book by Haemin Sunim a Buddhist monk wrote how accepting yourself as you are is enough to help you find peace within yourself. 

He goes on to write how fully accepting yourself as a person and who you are is what can lead you to live your life filled with compassion and fulfilling relationships that can fill the gaps of emptiness that you are feeling. 

In the book, he also talks a lot about how most mental health issues are related to childhood and how it stems from that period in our lives. It really goes to show how we can be greatly affected by the experiences and interpretations we had during childhood and how it can carry over a lot into our lives life from then on. 

There are 8 chapters in the book where each one sends a very meaningful message that will help you accept what makes you you, not only your positive traits but also your flaws as well. 

This is a very good read that I would highly recommend for someone who is struggling to love themself because I believe that the secret to a happy life is perfectly loving your imperfections. 

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32.) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

The perfect encore to close our books-to-read-when-you’re-feeling-depressed list is this mindset shifting book titled The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. 

I had this book sitting on my bookshelf for about a month and a half before I decided to read it because I had nothing better to do. And one thing I can tell you is that it did not disappoint. 

After reading it, I had this sense of empowerment about not caring about what other people think of me and how to stop worrying too much, and it helped me start having a better relationship with myself. 

It helped me reorient my expectations in life and choose what is important to me and what is not. 

It felt like a light-bulb moment and I was able to reassess myself and my thoughts and ultimately led to enlightenment about how I should better take care of myself first before thinking of others. 

Because what can you give to others, if you yourself do not have enough to fill your own cup, right? 

Focus on yourself and help yourself first, and stop caring and worrying too much about things that will not even help you grow or heal but give so much attention to, that’s what this book taught me. 

And I hope you’ll feel the same way about this book too if you ever decide to read it. And if you do, let me know down below! 

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The Takeaway

Depression for me feels like finding my way back from who I was before it was here. I know that there is still a long journey to take and there’s still a lot of obstacles to hurdle through but I know and trust that it will get easier and that I am not alone. 

There will be times where you’ll feel unwell and alone and even scared or ashamed of how you’re feeling but know that help and support are out there, and you deserve it. You don’t have to be in it on your own. 

You just have to muster up the courage to ask for help and you’ll be better before you even know it. 

I’ll come back to myself, and you’ll come back to yourself. 

And that’s it for me now, here’s a little mantra that I practice, a song by Field Medic that I would like to share with you. It helps me get through tough times, and I’m hoping it will help you too.

“Just relax my friend

You are overthinking

And even if there’s a problem

There’s a solution

Remember to breathe

Put your mind at ease

Soon this feeling’s gonna pass

You will find relief.”

10 Tips for Coping with Depression in a Healthy Way

1.) Listen to something positive 

What you feed your mind is what will become your reality. It can be a podcast, an audiobook, or a motivational speaker, or anything that will help you change your mindset that can help remove the negative thoughts that are trailing in your mind. 

2.) Watch something positive

Immerse yourself in watching positive clips, movies, or any video content that can help you power through your tough times. This will help and you’ll be surprised how it can impact you and your mood. 

3.) Help someone out

My favorite thing to do is help someone out, whether if it’s a small thing or a big thing even if I’ve been feeling down and depressed, I somehow manage to find the courage and energy to help others when they’re in need. 

It gives me a sense of fulfillment and hope knowing that I can do something that helps and makes living worthwhile even if I’m feeling gloomy. 

4.) Take a walk

Just like what Nita Sweeney, the author of Depression hates a moving target suggests, if you’re feeling depressed just try to stand up and keep yourself moving, it doesn’t have to be a 5KM run or a marathon. Do something that you can tolerate as long as you know that you are moving. 

What usually does the trick for me is general cleaning our house, and surprisingly it’s kind of therapeutic for me. Being able to sweat it out and have a clean and neat looking afterward makes me feel so much better after.

5.) Call your friends and family

I know that it can be difficult to reach out and tell people how we feel especially to our friends and family. We might be afraid of how they will react or afraid that we don’t want them to feel that they are the one causing it. 

But you’ll be surprised that our loved ones would very much prefer that we let them in. 

6.) Do something you like

As we get busier and busier with life, we tend to forget things that we genuinely liked to do, and when we stop doing things that we like, there will be a higher chance that we will be depressed. 

And my question is when was the last time you did something that you liked? It might be going out, visiting the beach, having a drink with friends, painting, or drawing, or anything that you really liked to do. 

Touch base with yourself and find time to do those things again, and you’ll see yourself feeling a little bit better than before. 

7.) Journal your feelings

One of the most effective ways you can let out a heavy mind is by pouring all your feelings in a journal, bad or good. With the simple act of writing down your thought and feelings, you’ll be able to understand them more clearly and it’s also a healthy way to manage your mental health. 

Journaling can help you gain control of your emotions and even boost your mental health by giving you the opportunity to identify and learn how to tackle them one word at a time. 

8.) Unplug

Take some time for yourself and retreat from the online world, you’ll be surprised that unplugging yourself from the constant negative news and endless scrolls on social media can be a good thing for your mental health. 

When you don’t have any gadgets near you that constantly rings and dings, you’ll be able to be more in tune with yourself and it will allow you to be fully present with your surroundings and the people around you as well. Live in the moment, not online. 

9.) Pray

As someone who has gone through almost losing a loved one and almost losing everything we had, I can confidently say that praying has helped me a lot through it. Just as how meditation benefits us, praying helps calm our nervous system and shut down our fight or flight response. 

Praying will help you be less reactive to negative emotions and negative thoughts as well. Let go, and let God be your source of comfort and strength, and know that you will see it through your dark days. 

10.) Ask for help 

Depression is indeed a crippling illness that gets the best of us. But don’t let depression win over you. I know that it can be really difficult to ask for help but it will be your first step to heal and it’s a vital step to escape it and beat it and once and for all.

It may take time, but progress is better than no progress at all. You don’t need to suffer in silence.