Books like The Comfort Crisis — picked by fans

This is an excellent book about relationships and attachment theory, which describes our attachment styles in relationships. I loved reading this book because it taught me about my own attachment style and how I am in relationships.

This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about themselves in relationships. I enjoyed the concepts in the book and how relatable it was. I recommend this to every human being who would like a relationship. It is a great way to learn about yourself.

This book is a staple in the field of psychology and mental health and for very good reason.

So many of us struggle with being kind to our mind and we worry that we’ll truly fall apart if we are compassionate to ourselves. Dr. Neff brings the evidence-backed research to prove that self-compassion is the antidote to anxiety and it has incredibly restorative potential to help us not only get back to baseline, but truly feel better.

This is a fantastic read if you want to understand not only the why behind why you feel anxious, but more importantly, what you can do about it.

By understanding how the vicious cycle of anxiety can take root, Dr. Brewer does an incredible job of teaching us how we can change our behavioral patterns, particularly through mindfulness and distress tolerance. This is also a great read if you’ve ever wanted to kick a habit, like smoking, and have been unsuccessful in changing your behavior in the past. 

In my research on Alzheimer’s, I was amazed at how many ways there are to modify your risk of having Alzheimer’s or reduce the severity of the symptoms. It became clear that lifestyle changes were key to controlling our own health regarding keeping our brain healthy and our body in sync with it.

I wanted to take my knowledge of food beyond just the familiar recommendations of following a Mediterranean diet and eating less meat. I found this book did indeed bring an understanding of not just long-term effects but also how to eat for more immediate relief of depression, poor sleeping habits, lack of energy, and so forth. 

As I continued researching the role diet plays, I found this book by a respected Harvard-trained doctor who combines her nutrition research with her experience as a professional chef with her degree in Psychiatry. This combination allows her to inform and… show more.

In my work in the world of mental health and trauma, anxiety is a common complaint. I love the positive (and scientifically accurate) portrayal of the function of anxiety in this whimsically illustrated book. “Sometimes your brain works so hard to protect you, it hits the panic button by mistake.” With this strengths-based framework woven into every page, Hey Awesome teaches kids how to be the boss of their brilliant and brave brains. A must-read for all children, and a lifeline for those who struggle with anxiety. And remember, “anxiety and courage always happen together.”

A Matter of Life and Death is a deeply personal double memoir, written in alternating chapters by a long-married couple in their late 80s. Irvin Yalom is a psychiatrist and well-respected novelist; Marilyn Yalom, diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2019, was a professor of literature and women's studies. Emotionally intelligent and unusually articulate, the couple was married for 65 years. Though plodding at times, they document in detail the last year of Marilyn's life, from diagnosis to experimental treatment to hospice to physician-assisted death. It is written as a testament as well as a guide.

New motherhood comes with it many pressures. The pressure to take care of a newborn and yourself, for starters. There is also a societal pressure, it seems, as we strive to be the perfect mother. We feel everyone is questioning our every "mother-move." Vicki Iovine's book is a help in this regard. Written with honesty and humor, it gives new mothers a glimpse "behind closed doors" to the "real" world of new motherhood. Knowing that you are not alone is always a help! My favorite part is the author’s honesty. It is refreshing to hear an opinion, agree or not.

Mindfulness is a powerful practice, proven to decrease stress and help us live more in the present moment. Acclaimed psychologist and researcher Dr. Lori Brotto is the brilliant pioneer to apply mindfulness to sexuality.

Dr. Brotto had been using mindfulness with great success to help her patients and she thus wrote a book to spread the word more broadly. In this book, she explains the reasons people have sexual problems and provides easy, effective exercises to help them. And, even if a reader doesn’t have a sexual problem, mindfulness can simply enhance sexual pleasure and satisfaction.

I have recommended this book to countless clients and students. I meditate each morning and practice mindfulness myself, inside and outside of the bedroom, and I’ve learned a lot from Dr. Brotto’s work.

As a black woman who has had to explain my hair texture, color, and why my hair does what it does has affected my self-esteem at times. This process was simplified with the help of Curly Nikki’s,  Better Than Good Hair which is a must-read.

It doesn’t matter if you struggle with kinky, coiled, or straight having a hair problem can be problematic. This book has changed my life in the sense of how I show up in my truth. If you have ever second-guessed yourself or are in a pinch and unsure what to do with your hair, products, or styling this is your book to grab.

Curly Nikki has changed the game on how women are seen in corporate and not only that hair is an extension of our outfits but tied to our souls. Therefore, it is super important to protect your hair piece and your… show more.

I know this book’s journalist co-author, so I may be a bit biased. But I’ve also had scary grizzly encounters—many during my arctic traverse—and few books capture the terror as does this account of a twenty-five-year-old blinded permanently in a bear attack.

Dan Bigley had not embarked on a grand adventure; he was on a trail through the woods, returning from a day of salmon fishing. Like me, Dan used to take troubled kids into the outdoors, so I easily identify with him. His true adventure, and true courage, shows in how he mended his life and even gave it new meaning.

After five reconstructive surgeries, he reconnected with a woman he’d fallen for just before the trauma and resumed his role as a caring member of his community.