Recommended Reading: Books on Working With Stress
Stress can be experienced as helpful and healthful, draining and debilitating, or something in between. If you’re finding it difficult to manage the stress in your life, then one of these books may be for you.
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good For You, and How To Get Good At It
by Kelly McGonigal, PhD
In this book, health psychologist and researcher Kelly McGonigal dispels the common myth that our brain and body respond to all stresses the same way. She explains how this misconception came to be and how it can actually harm us in the long run. In reality, our bodies have many different ways of responding to stress, depending on what we expect to encounter. She want to relieve us of the illusion that we could ever live a stress-free life and advocates for a mindset shift from “I must minimize my stress” to “I can harness my stress.” The book is filled with ideas and research that might just help you make that switch.
This book is very digestible and does not require any prior understanding of stress research.
TL;DR? McGonigal has a great TED Talk on this exact topic!
Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work
by Melody Wilding, LMSW
“Are you a Sensitive Striver?” If so, then there is a good chance you find boundary setting to be a challenge, which has led to burnout at some point in your life. Licensed social worker Melody Wilding offers a way to turn your sensitivity and drive into strengths in your life and in the workplace. This book is full of self-quizzes, worksheets, and templates to guide you in developing more awareness of your needs and better self-care all around.
This book is well-organized and chock-full of concrete strategies for preventing and managing stress. However, if you don’t identify as a “Sensitive Striver,” it might not speak to you directly.
TL;DR? Watch this Ladies Get Paid video interview with Wilding, which touches on the ideas from the book.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski, PhD & Amelia Nagoski, DMA
Emily Nagoski is a health behavior researcher and expert in women’s health. Her sister Amelia is an assistant professor and music conductor. Together they’ve crafted this book to speak to American women about why they might feel like they are constantly in a cycle of burnout and recovering from burnout and what they can do change this. While the authors take a specifically feminist and sociological perspective on the topic, the book is full of warm and funny stories about real women and practical strategies for every day life.
Much of their research and many of their insights applies equally to men and non-binary people, but their intention is to speak to a female audience.
TL;DR? Listen to a TED interview with the Nagoski sisters as they discuss this book and its ideas.
The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
This is one of the most influential books on trauma by one of today’s leading experts on the subject, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. This book is powerful - and that is not a word I use very often. The author shares his deep understanding of how trauma can leave invisible scars on our minds and bodies as well as a well-rounded, compassionate approach to healing them. We can’t just think our way to wellness; recovery is an experiential, whole-person process.
This recommendation comes with a few of warnings:
1) some of the real-life stories might be disturbing or triggering for some readers
2) if you’re looking to avoid some of the most intense content and still learn about how to heal and move forward, you might want to go straight Part 5 of the book.
TL;DR? Check out this video from The School of Life that summarizes the book and its ideas.
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