People on social media have so much to say about mental health. Throughout 2022, online comments concerning themes including trauma, eco-anxiety, social-emotional learning, anti-LGBTQ legislation, mass shootings, cyberbullying, and dangerous TikTok challenges have given rise to complicated conversations about our individual and collective well-being. In fact, this year represented a window of time in which the internet and mental health arguably grew more entangled than ever, with many looking to TikTok for diagnosis and others pointing out the probable ways screen usage might hurt adolescents and teens. Some of this discourse is actually informative, especially when it comes from widely known mental health specialists and people who mindfully relate their lived experiences with mental illness. But many of the interactions lack critical context — like insights from scientific research — and miss or exclude minority viewpoints. If we're being fully honest, a disturbing amount of influencers who provide content relating to mental health and wellbeing are aiming to transform their following into a source of revenue, regardless of whether the advice they share is trustworthy. All of this is why Mashable has produced this list of the 11 best mental health books, in alphabetical order, from 2022. As a reporter who's covered mental health for a decade, my concept of mental health and well-being is vast. These books cover a lot of terrain, addressing themes like rest as a radical act of resistance, loving someone who experiences suicidal thoughts, repairing a mental health system that fails so many people in the U.S., and consciously spending time in nature. The list contains my own favorite titles, as well as recommendations from professionals I know and trust. The books don't universally touch on the way the internet intersects with our mental health, but even if you pick just one of them, you'll gain valuable insight into ways to understand and talk about emotional and psychological well-being — and perhaps bring a more informed perspective to the online conversations you have in 2023. Here are 11 of the greatest books about mental health published in 2022: 1. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Selected by Dr. Jessica Gold, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine It seems almost meaningful that the book I recommend is the book my own therapist recommended to me. Even as a psychiatrist I struggle to grasp the importance of major sentiments in my life, particularly the ones that feel "bad," like grief. I feel like they "get in the way" or "I simply want them to stop.” In the middle of yet another conversation about this, my therapist stopped me and said, “Have you read Susan Cain's new book?" The rest was history. Like her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking, which helped people who were introverted feel noticed, Bittersweet helped me recognize that melancholy had power and value for all of us. It also normalized a lot of my, and my patient's, experiences. I am grateful to my therapist for the recommendation and hope it helps some of you, too. 2. Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America by Peter Wohllenben and Jane Billinghurst Selected by Chanel Tsang, creator and host of the Peace Out podcast The chapters in Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America are short and sweet, and authors Peter Wohllenben and Jane Billinghurst provide a gentle guide on how to engage your senses while walking in the woods, with interesting facts and stories about forest life lining the way (banana slugs are fascinating!). The book also offers exciting games you can try, such as "forest telephone" (hitting one end of a fallen tree trunk with a rock while someone else listens at the other) or looking for signs and stories of wildlife. Of course, I really appreciated the parts dedicated to experiencing outdoors with children. There are so many fantastic health benefits to walking in nature, including lower stress and anxiety, improved sense of well-being, and relaxation. Forest walking has motivated me to be more focused and thoughtful throughout my walks, reigniting my curiosity and pleasure in exploring the outdoors. Or, in the writers' words, to simply "go out and enjoy." Editor's note: Tsang also recommended the children's book Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness, authored by Maria Gianferrari and drawn by Pete Oswald. Tsang wrote: Looking for a book for kids? Maria Gianferrari’s Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness is a sweet and hilarious picture book that does a fantastic job of explaining mindfulness to youngsters and includes some fun and easy mindfulness activities to perform together. 3. Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis by Britt Wray Selected by Rebecca Ruiz, senior reporter, MashableEco-anxiety is one word used to express the uncomfortable and sometimes powerful emotions that come when pondering the grave repercussions of climate change. Taking this all in might become overwhelming, so closing off the ability to imagine that our dark future might finally look different with the appropriate policies in place. The researcher Britt Wray, who investigates the mental health implications of living through the planetary disaster caused by climate change, has spent years compassionately and rigorously exploring for strategies to respond to this dread. In this book, she proposes developing critical skills, like reframing eco-anxiety as "super fuel" to learn how to cope and find one's purpose; turning to resilience-building practices such as mindfulness, meditation, and gratitude journaling to alleviate despair and burnout; and prioritizing social connections, which can help tremendously during times of crisis. As I noted earlier this year, "Wray's approach is holistic, tying together diverse strands of thought from psychology and public health to help readers acquire the resilience and emotional intelligence they'll need to fight for the planet — and to survive the tragedies that might come." 4. Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media by Donna Jackson Nakazawa Selected by Rebecca Ruiz, senior reporter, Mashable Plenty of books have been published about the issues adolescent and teen females face nowadays. What sets Girls on the Brink different is science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa's ability to tie together her own captivating reporting and well-explained scientific data on child development. We hear compelling stories from girls and their parents about their experiences, but Nakazawa matches those recollections with science-based insights whenever feasible. The resulting literature gives readers professional advise about how to help girls thrive amidst severe demands, including the alluring lure of social media. When I spoke to Nakazawa earlier this year, we talked about the importance of protecting a girl's "in-between years," from age seven to 13; being someone a girl can talk to about hard things; noticing and praising a girl's positive behaviors and qualities; and helping girls create their own in-person community. You can learn everything about these and other tactics in Girls on the Brink. 5. Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health by Dr. Thomas Insel Selected by Juan Acosta, influencer, on behalf of the Seize the Awkward campaign This year, I was highly impacted by the book Healing, published by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Thomas Insel, which confronts our existing mental health care system. He agrees that what has worked in the system has helped only a few people, leaving many others unsupported and lacking access. As I read this, I was surprised by how much it actually resonated with my lived experience with mental health. Dr. Insel provides a road ahead, a path toward recovery that must entail addressing people’s social support utilizing what he labels as the "three P's": people, place, and purpose. These are often ignored, he argues, which I found to be compelling, as I have – in my darkest periods — been most supported by my family and friends. His attention on the need to address people's social support gave me hope for the future of mental health care, and it emphasized how crucial it is for us to connect with those around us. In a time of rising mental health crises around the nation, Healing is a reminder that our social support system may play a big part in our collective mental health. Ejtandemonium.com
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