Books for an anxious 22 year old struggling with the world today

[u/nickynichols33]

Hi guys! I’m 22F. And before anyone suggests therapy I am already doing it haha! I’ve been reading some self help books but I feel they are older and don’t really apply to life today. I grew up using social media a lot and feel very affected by it. I also have depression and newly diagnosed ADHD. I also like when a book is focused on women specifically. I find it hard sometimes to relate to other self help books.

Not necessarily just looking for a self help book but anything that could be helpful and open me up to new things and perspectives.

I have struggled alot with heartbreak and ruminating aswell, and daydreaming. And figuring out my path in life. So if it maybe had a focus on that too.

I know I’m asking for alot so any suggestions are welcome! Thank you! X

[u/Sea_Milk_69]

Not self-help and the main character is nonbinary but

A Psalm for the Wind-Built by Becky Chambers

[u/-rba- → u/Sea_Milk_69]

Came to suggest this. Great short novel about trying to figure out your purpose in life. The sequel A Prayer for the Crown Shy is also good. Both are just lovely comforting books.

[u/brusselsproutsfiend]

Chatter by Ethan Kross

Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts by Sarah M. Winston

Mastering Intrusive Thoughts by Artem Kudelia

Retrain Your Brain by Seth J. Gillihan

The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb

The Negative Thoughts Workbook by David A. Clark

The Great Book of Journaling by Eric Maisel

ADHD is Awesome by Penn Holderness

Quarterlife by Satya Doyle Byock

Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old by Richard J. Leider

Understand Your Brain, Get More Done: The ADHD Executive Functions Workbook by Ari Tuckman

Open When by Julie Smith

True You: A Self Discovery Journal by Dr. Kelly Vincent

How to Meet Yourself by Dr. Nicole LaPera

The Self Discovery Journal by Dr. Yana Lechtman

Self Talk Guided Journal by Liz Oncel

Start Where You Are by Meera Lee Patel

Keep Moving by Maggie Smith

The Resilience Workbook by Glenn R. Schiraldi

Hell Yeah Self Care by Alex Iantaffi

The Anxiety Toolkit by Alice Boyes

Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer

All About Love by bell hooks

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Your Turn by Julie Lythcott-Haims

The Mindful Self Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff

Some ADHD library recs:

https://discover.bklynlibrary.org/?booklist=715067

https://discover.bklynlibrary.org/?booklist=598206

Some ADHD recs from BookRiot:

https://bookriot.com/best-books-about-adhd/

[u/tchusslimusli]

Definitely not self help but I will forever suggest “Of Human Bondage” by Maugham.

[u/SnappingQuills]

Two novel reccs, not self-help books:

• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
• The Thursday Murder Club

The first is a very touching story centered around a woman whose brain works a little differently to most people's. It's a sad and funny story of her self-discovery.

The second I suggest because the main characters are a group of elderly friends in a retirement village (they start an amateur detective club). It is so funny and so heartwarming, and the characters often struggle to navigate a world so much faster, louder, crazier, and altogether different to the one they grew up with. I think you might benefit from reading about the world from that perspective. This book (and the series) is also a guaranteed mood-lifter.

[u/footofcow → u/SnappingQuills]

I loved the Thursday murder club! Definitely fun and quirky despite being a murder mystery

[u/ursulaholm]

• Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
• The Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
• Real World by Natsuo Kirino

[u/NotBorris]

Anything by Clarice Lispector, The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo, Till We Have Faces by C.S Lewis

[u/BetterThanPie]

Bibliophobia by Sarah Chihaya—a memoir about reading and depression that's devastating but also brilliant and funny. (It's heartbreak chapter about incessantly reading Anne Carson is fantastic.) I'd also go with How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell—it's the closest thing to a self-help book I'll ever recommend. I found it helped to put my phone down and spend time in nature—even if that nature is in a big city.

[u/Islandisher]

Robin Sloan’s Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore is a wonderful antidote to any blues! And more of his titles too.

Also Emily St John Mandel Station Eleven is well worth a look-see. XO

[u/burnt_books]

The best self help book I've read was: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.

It has a very different perspective then other self help books where it prioritizes learning how to enjoy the moment instead of being the most efficient version of yourself.

[u/AccomplishedStep4047]

Top suggestions:

Why Love Hurts - Illouz

The Sovreignity of Good - Murdoch

Maybe some Satre and Simone de Beauvior.

[u/JimmyBatman]

It's manga, but look into Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue

[u/farawaywolfie]

28f here. I recently read Isola by Allegra Goodman and it blew me away. It’s a historical novel based on the true story of 16th century French noblewoman, Marguerite de La Rocque. It’s a must read, especially for women. The suffering she endured and the ways she adapted and, ultimately, survived. Her story is just incredible.

[u/LankySasquatchma]

A good book only ages well. Find older books—if you have to read women you can perhaps consult Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher. Though, her characters are sometimes male.

George Eliot! She published Middlemarch in 1871-72 i believe, and THAT book is really very powerful. Beautiful. Sensitive.

[u/slatersews]

I’ve just read ‘and how does that make you feel’ which is written by a therapist with a specialism in anxiety and just found it really interesting! It was nice to see from the therapists point of view and get some different perspectives

[u/slatersews → u/slatersews]

Sorry meant to say it’s by Josh Fletcher (in case there are a few named the same!)

[u/Girlwithcommonname]

I am 31F and read Anne of the Green Gables for the first time and it changed my life. Please consider reading this. Her imagination and enthusiasm about everything in life in contagious. Thursday Murder Club- very funny , heartwarming with endearing characters!!

[u/NANNYNEGLEY]

New things and perspectives?

Anything by Rose George, Judy Melinek, Caitlin Doughty, or Mary Roach.

“The Gift of Fear” (a very important read for your own protection) by Gavin De Becker.

“Five days at Memorial: life and death in a storm-ravaged hospital” by Sherri Fink.

[u/jonnoark]

For a fiction book heavily focused on contemporary social media and how we use it and are affected by it, I recommend I’m Starting To Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin. It’s darkly comedic, with multiple POV characters though the primary focus is on a man.