Ditch Stress Book Club: Top Reads to Manage Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Thrive
A Handpicked Collection of Books to Transform Your Stress Into Strength.
📚 Full Disclosure: I’m a Full-On Book Nerd
Like, worked-in-a-library-and-bookstore book nerd. Like, my-mom-is-a-librarian book nerd. And, like any curious book nerd, I read a lot… and I read a variety.
Before I started writing about stress, I spent a ton of time reading about it. One of the best things about books? They let us time-travel to find just the right words for whatever season of life we’re in.
This list is packed with books that helped me on my journey—I hope some of them help you too! They’re grouped into broad categories, but it’s not a comprehensive list (there are SO many gems out there). My advice?
“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” – Bruce Lee
📖 Quick Note on Reading More
I get it—reading a whole book can feel daunting these days. I read 60+ books a year, but I didn’t start there! Here are a couple of tips to sneak more reading into your life:
✅ Read in stolen moments: Waiting for pasta water to boil? Read. Waiting for someone to hop on Zoom? Read. Five minutes here and there add up.
✅ Hardcore DNF: If a book isn’t clicking, ditch it. Read what calls to you.
✅ The 10-Minute Rule: Tell yourself, “I’ll just read for 10 minutes.” That’s it. Just 10 minutes. You’ll be surprised how often you end up reading more once you start!
And with that… let’s dive in!
🧘♀️ General Stress Management
📌 The Stress Solution – Dr. Rangan Chatterjee
Tons of easy, practical steps to reduce stress. If you like this one, check out his others!
📌 Anchored – Deb Dana
A fantastic roadmap to befriending your nervous system with practical tools for regulation.
📌 When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress – Gabor Maté
A must-read on how stress, emotional repression, and illness are connected.
🧘♂️ Meditation & Mindfulness
📌 Radiant Rest – Tracee Stanley
A beautiful guide to Yoga Nidra (NSDR) for deep relaxation and self-discovery.
📌 Where You Go, There You Are – Jon Kabat-Zinn
A mindfulness OG! Great for bringing more presence into daily life.
📌 The Miracle of Mindfulness – Thich Nhat Hanh
Simple, powerful ways to bring mindfulness into your everyday routine.
🏃♀️ Movement
📌 Born to Run – Christopher McDougall
This book changed how I see movement—it’s part of being human! Also, a super fun read.
📌 What I Talk About When I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami
If you love running, this is full of deep insights on movement and life.
📌 Supple Leopard – Kelly Starrett
The ultimate guide to keeping your body moving smoothly.
🌟 Hope & Motivation
📌 Keep Going – Austin Kleon
For creatives (and anyone who’s ever wanted to quit). This book keeps you moving forward.
📌 All It Takes is a Goal – Jon Acuff
Goals don’t just happen—Jon has a great framework to make them stick.
📌 Soundtracks – Jon Acuff
We are what we repeat in our minds. This book helps you change the script.
📌 The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
A classic on being present instead of lost in past worries or future fears.
🥑 Health & Well-Being
📌 The Healing Self – Deepak Chopra
How stress, emotions, and lifestyle choices affect your well-being and how you can take control of your own health by using the mind-body connection.
📌 The Autoimmune Cure – Sara Gottfried
Links between stress, trauma, and autoimmune diseases, plus practical solutions.
📌 Why We Sleep – Matthew Walker
Made me obsessed with sleep! Essential reading for understanding its power and insights into how to improve sleep quality.
📌 Breath – James Nestor
Changed how I think about breathwork and stress reduction. Lots of practical tips here.
📌 Atomic Habits – James Clear
Tiny, consistent changes = life-changing results. Probably my favourite self-help book ever.
🧠 Psychology & Stress
📌 Self-Compassion – Kristin Neff
If you’re tough on yourself, this book is a game-changer.
📌 Scarcity Brain – Michael Easter
Why abundance stresses us out and how to rethink our relationship with more.
📌 Platonic – Marissa Franco
Friendships = stress reduction. This book shows why they matter so much and how to nurture them.
📌 Dopamine Nation – Anna Lembke
How our pleasure-seeking habits lead to stress and how to reset our brains.
📌 Four Thousand Weeks – Oliver Burkeman
Your life is about 4,000 weeks long—this book shifts how you approach time (and life!). One of my other top favourites.
✨ Mindset & Manifestation
📌 Mind Magic – James Doty
How our thoughts shape our stress, health, and happiness, and offering practical tools to harness the mind's potential for healing and stress reduction.
📌 Your Erroneous Zones – Wayne Dyer
Overcoming self-limiting beliefs and stress with practical mindset shifts. Lots of big insights!
📌 Deep Work – Cal Newport
In a world of distractions, focused work = less stress and more fulfilment.
📌 Effortless & Essentialism – Greg McKeown
How to do less, but better, and make life easier in the process.
🔥 Trauma & Stress
📌 It Didn't Start With You – Mark Wolynn
How inherited trauma affects stress and how to break the cycle.
📌 Anxiety Rx – Dr. Russel Kennedy
A deep dive into the mind-body connection of anxiety and stress.
📌 The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
An absolute must-read on how trauma is stored in the body and how to heal.
❤️ The Joy of Reading
"Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well." - Mark Haddon
I hope you find something here that speaks to you! All of these books have helped me in some way, with meaningful insights and practical solutions to managing stress and thriving.
What are your go-to stress-relief reads? Drop your favourites in the comments! ⬇️📚✨ I am always looking for my next read!
So many in this great post I haven’t read yet… damn you
Wow, thank you Genevieve