Best audiobooks for anxiety disorder
November 18, 2018 5:05 PM Subscribe
After a bit of a perfect storm of physical health events happening at the same time I was weaning off an SNRI after 20+ years (see previous question), I'm in the middle of a bit of a relapse of a moderate-to-severe anxiety disorder and looking to augment my current coping and healing strategies with some audiobooks, specifically around accepting and releasing worrying thoughts and sensations that create spirals of anxiety over days and weeks. Whatcha got?
I know a few questions like this have been asked on the green with regards to books on the subject, but it seems like in the last 5-6 years especially there's a plethora of new books etc out there, so just hoping to get some more up to date responses, specific to audiobooks though.
Assume I already have the basics down (or working on them) - nutrition, talk therapy, meditation, medication, etc. I find that I'm really struggling with some of the basics at times and looking for some real solid and basic tools that I can implement to try and break out of the incessant self-monitoring and 'crazy thought / what-if' rabbit holes that can be particularly troublesome when consistently in a overstimulated anxiety state.
If this resonates with you and there's a particular audiobook (or book, that has an audio component), please let me know! :)
I know a few questions like this have been asked on the green with regards to books on the subject, but it seems like in the last 5-6 years especially there's a plethora of new books etc out there, so just hoping to get some more up to date responses, specific to audiobooks though.
Assume I already have the basics down (or working on them) - nutrition, talk therapy, meditation, medication, etc. I find that I'm really struggling with some of the basics at times and looking for some real solid and basic tools that I can implement to try and break out of the incessant self-monitoring and 'crazy thought / what-if' rabbit holes that can be particularly troublesome when consistently in a overstimulated anxiety state.
If this resonates with you and there's a particular audiobook (or book, that has an audio component), please let me know! :)
Best answer: Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson isn't so much actual coping strategies, but it's all about living with anxiety and depression, feeling that you're not alone, and helping to remember that you can get through the dark times. It's also hilarious, and laughter is a pretty damn good way to feel better, even for a bit. I re-listen to it and her other book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened when I need to break out of a worry rut.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:25 PM on November 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:25 PM on November 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Don’t Feed The Monkey Mind by Jennifer Shannon.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:19 PM on November 18, 2018
posted by armoir from antproof case at 10:19 PM on November 18, 2018
Best answer: Just reversing up a bit (given that you mention looking at recent books) to suggest the old-but-good Claire Weekes's Hope & Help for Your Nerves in case you've not tried it already. I think it maybe has a couple of different titles in different countries, but there's definitely an audiobook by that name because I've got it, and it's one of my first ports of call when the old anxiety hits.
It's *old* - you'll catch references to "The new, 1968 edition of this book" and "When you listen to the other side of this record"! And some of the language can also be dated - she talks about nerves rather than anxiety, talks quite a bit about housewives having agoraphobia more than their husbands who go to work and so on.
But if you can overlook that (and to be honest the dated language mostly makes me chuckle and appreciate how far we've come), the ideas underneath it are bang on, brilliant, and way ahead of their time. Most of what she talks about predicts the kind of mindfulness and acceptance advice that are common now, by decades.
She's a brisk, firm but kindly Australian, and full of hope for her listeners. I really enjoy listening to her and the audiobooks are a decent length - I think about 1h30 over four separate tracks.
posted by penguin pie at 7:17 AM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's *old* - you'll catch references to "The new, 1968 edition of this book" and "When you listen to the other side of this record"! And some of the language can also be dated - she talks about nerves rather than anxiety, talks quite a bit about housewives having agoraphobia more than their husbands who go to work and so on.
But if you can overlook that (and to be honest the dated language mostly makes me chuckle and appreciate how far we've come), the ideas underneath it are bang on, brilliant, and way ahead of their time. Most of what she talks about predicts the kind of mindfulness and acceptance advice that are common now, by decades.
She's a brisk, firm but kindly Australian, and full of hope for her listeners. I really enjoy listening to her and the audiobooks are a decent length - I think about 1h30 over four separate tracks.
posted by penguin pie at 7:17 AM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Pema Chodron's Getting Unstuck: Breaking Your Habitual Patterns and Encountering Naked Reality might be helpful.
posted by Lexica at 12:15 PM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Lexica at 12:15 PM on November 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
« Older Should I go to Kerala, India, if I don't want a... | Where can I get good non obvious sci fi themed... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
I have found some lovely anxiety meditations on Youtube (and some bad ones; there's a lot out there). I have found this one helpful recently. It's a little much, but allowing slightly cornball visualizations to guide me is something that breaks the cycle for me for a while.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:59 PM on November 18, 2018