Basically, writing and reading save my life on a daily basis, and I can’t help but share some of my favorites with you. These writers, bloggers, researchers, and creatives all write from the heart and discover things I simply refuse to live without. I recommend them because these folks are honest in their works, act with integrity, and call me to a higher way of living.
Books that Will Help You Feel Less Alone
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
Take This Bread by Sara Miles
Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans
The Gifts of Imperfection by Dr. Brene Brown
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Bittersweet by Shauna Nietquist
Carry on Warrior by Glennon Melton
Breathing Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr
Blogs that Will Help You Feel Less Insane
Jenny Lawson struggles with severe depression and anxiety, has avoidant personality disorder, and is laugh-out-loud funny. I recommend her to all my clients who need a good reminder that having depression isn’t the end of the world and may actually make you a comedian. Kidding. Only sort of.
Glennon is a recovering alcoholic/drug addict/bulimic who serves the world through her writing, filled with wit and pathos, and her non-profit Together Rising. A wonderful woman, Glennon speaks on living with mental illness and the need for social justice in our world.
Sarah hails from Western Canada and her writing is poetic, timely, and progressive. A practicing charismatic Christian, Sarah is downright liberal in views, celebrating the LGBTQ community in the church, working for social justice in the world, and she somehow manages to raise kids in all this.
Dr. Brene Brown has changed millions of lives with her groundbreaking work on vulnerability and shame resilience. Her work will challenge and inspire you. Read The Gifts of Imperfection first as that’s a great introduction to Brown’s work and then dive into the rest.
For those of us with minor issues with anxiety (I’m not talking about anyone we know, of course), Dr. Kristin Neff’s seminal work on the benefits of a self-compassion practice will help ease worries. A practicing Buddhist, Dr. Neff is a clinical psychologist in Austin, and her guided meditations on self-compassion are pure gold. I may or may not listen to them at 3 o’clock in the morning on nights when I can’t sleep.
http://www.self-compassion.org
Micah is a blogger/writer who lives in Minnesota and is too cool for school. His writing is beautiful and urgent, and he is extremely patient with folks who need help in understanding how to blog. (I’m not talking about anyone specifically, of course.) His workshop “Clumsy Blogger” is a great way to get started for any of you considering blogging.
Mental Health Resources
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Anxiety and Depression Association of America
(Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash)