In a world with increasing burnout, higher rates of mental illness, and a never-ending flood of breaking news, it's never been more important to prioritize caring for our mental health. From healing books on navigating the exhaustion of justice work to soothing reads on grief, and from meditations on digital detoxes to books on reclaiming your life and your boundaries, these books offer comfort and restoration in a world where it's desperately needed.
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Books on Caring for Mental Health during Trying Times
Books on Caring for Mental Health during Trying Times
Transformative change is often met with intense opposition, but we will not back down from the fight for social justice. Grounded in psychological research and cultural history, Weathering the Storm offers a blueprint for navigating personal and professional spaces. This guide is for anyone who has ever felt worn down by injustice, disillusioned by regression, or isolated in their advocacy. It offers validation, empowerment, and above all, the reminder that the fight for justice is a long arc that we will ultimately bend together.
We absorb the world around us through stories. It's how we make sense of our surroundings, our communities, and ourselves. But the stories we tell ourselves are not an end-all, be-all. Instead, they're all part of a larger, ongoing, unfinished narrative—one that we must continually refresh. That's where Story Work comes in. Through essays and prompting questions, GG Renee Hill invites readers to breathe new life into the stories we carry. Hill invites us to the transformative practice of creative self-discovery through storytelling—treating our life experiences as creative material that we have the power to shape.
Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul
Social justice work, we often assume, is raised voices and raised fists. But what does social justice work look like for those of us who don't feel comfortable battling in the trenches? Alongside inspiring, real-life examples of highly sensitive world-changers, Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul expands the possibilities of how to have a positive social impact, affirming the particular gifts and talents that sensitive souls offer to a hurting world.
Read an interview with the author here.
Many of us want to advocate for causes we care about—but which ones? We want to work for change—but will the emotional toll lead to burnout? In The Lightmaker's Manifesto, activist Karen Walrond shares strategies to help you define the actions that bring you joy, identify the values and causes about which you are passionate, and put them together to create change.
Books on Personal Growth & Self Care
The average smartphone user spends the equivalent of 61 to 80 days per year on their device—and we aren't just physically attached to our phones; we're emotionally attached as well. New research reveals how all of us are turning to our phones more and more to soothe and distract us, which numbs our empathy, diminishes the quality of our relationships, and drains the part of our brain required for creative focus. The Power in Your Hands invites readers to reckon with their attachment to technology through understanding the connections between compulsive smartphone behavior and their unique attachment style in relationships. Who will you become when you put down your phone and pick up your life?
The Ache in Your Heart Is Holy
We ache when we are confronted with longings, desires, disappointments, sorrows, and the unspoken hurts that come with being human. Yet so few of us know how to be with and attend to these aches, or the complexities that surround them. The Ache in Your Heart Is Holy is an accessible and practical guide for being with your ache. Rather than ignoring, denying, or rushing to fix, this book is an invitation to stay, to listen, and to trust. Each ache is a sacred opportunity to help you remember the truth of who you are.
Despite being the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the US, Black women face systemic barriers that threaten to derail their dreams, including lack of funding, racial and gender bias, and a lack of senior advocates in corporate spaces. Blending heartfelt storytelling with field-tested strategies, Never Wear Red Lipstick introduces you to the Paint Your Lips Red principles: ten truths to help Black women embrace their power and lead with boldness. From overcoming betrayal in the workplace to prioritizing wellness, from claiming spiritual inheritance to redefining what it means to be a real boss, this book speaks to every woman who's been told she has to shrink to succeed.
Many of us can regurgitate why healthy boundaries and saying "no" are important. So why are we still over-accommodating and actively participating in imbalanced relationships that fuel anxiety and exhaustion? In Serial Fixer, psychotherapist and wellness consultant Leah Marone will help you break old habits of fixating on—and fixing—the problems of others. Examine your habitual need to control, understand why you feel so invested in other people's drama, and explore ways to release perfectionism's grip.
Books on Grief & Loss
When someone we love is grieving, we want to help, but we often don't know what to say. "I'm sorry" feels empty. "Let me know if there's anything I can do" puts pressure on them to ask. "Time heals all" only makes things worse. But what if, instead of avoiding the conversation or saying something unintentionally hurtful, you had three simple phrases that reliably offer comfort? Of Course I'm Here Right Now is your guidebook to supporting a grieving friend, family member, client, or anyone who's grieving, and doing so with confidence and compassion. Whether you're consoling someone after a death, divorce, diagnosis, or another loss, this book will ensure you'll never be at a loss for words again.
Poetry can open the floodgates of feeling. Turning Toward Grief is a collection of highly accessible and comforting poems on grief and loss, each followed by a brief prose reflection and inviting and welcoming writing prompts. These elements encourage and support readers as they explore the personal images, memories, and emotions sparked by each entry. By paying attention to our grief, we can learn to see it as less threatening, and although it's terribly difficult, we can turn toward our grief in gentle ways each day.
There is no "right" way to grieve; grief is complex and deeply personal. For more than fifty years, Good Grief has helped millions of readers find comfort and hope after loss. This hardcover edition of the timeless classic pairs each stage with a comforting devotional, to allow readers to turn the process of grieving into a spiritual journey.
We are forever changed when we lose a loved one. Leanne Friesen thought she knew a lot about bereavement, but only when her sister died from cancer did she learn what grieving people need. In Grieving Room, Friesen writes with vulnerability, wisdom, and wit about lessons learned in the face of death. When we lose someone, we all need room to grieve.
Searching for resources for kids? Check out these picture books from our sister imprint, Beaming Books.
Set My Feelings Free helps children understand and manage their big emotions through engaging rhymes, playful movement, and scientifically backed self-regulation techniques. Inspired by the latest research in child development, this book provides young readers and their caregivers with simple, yet powerful tools—breathing exercises, grounding techniques, visualization, and movement—to work through emotions like anger, frustration, fear, and disappointment. Written intentionally to be sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," this picture book can also serve as a mnemonic device to remember the techniques and methods of coping with big feelings in the midst of a meltdown.
Squirrel feels squirrelly all the time! Porcupine gets the pricklies when things don't go the way she expects them to. And Bear only knows how to express his feelings ROARfully. When Squirrel is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his body, his squirrelly behavior causes such a commotion that Porcupine gets all prickly and Bear has a ROARful day. No one is having fun and everyone is overwhelmed. Until Squirrel turns to chalk art to express his big feelings. After some initial hesitation and insecurity over whether they can make art too, Porcupine and Bear join Squirrel in drawing their hearts out. Squirrel Draws Big Feelings will help readers understand that even when we don't have the words to express how we feel, we don't need to get stuck there.
Grief can be hard to understand and difficult to talk about, especially for kids. Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney, a psychologist who has worked with children experiencing grief, answers the big questions that surround feelings of loss. This engaging handbook looks at grief from many different angles, examining how it influences our emotions and relationships, our brains and bodies, and our behavior. Preteen readers will get to know when and why we are most likely to grieve, what purpose grief serves, and strategies for healing and finding hope moving forward.
If you're looking for spiritual resources, discover our list of encouraging books.
To view all of our books and resources, visit broadleafbooks.com.
