For many people, their day is an emotional battle. An excellent resource on health facts and questions of all sorts is the website Family Doctor. There is a whole section on mental health and behavior, which is helpful to anyone who suffers from a mental disorder. It would also be a helpful resource for family members, too.

There is an article on the Mental Health and Behavior page titled “Keeping Your Emotional Health”. They ask the question, what is good emotional health? Their response says “People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships. They can keep problems in perspective…. Mental illness often has a physical cause, such as a chemical imbalance in the brain. Stress and problems in the family, work or school can sometimes trigger mental illness or make it worse. However, people who are emotionally healthy have learned ways to cope with stress and problems. They know when they need to seek help from their doctor or a counselor.”

Keeping emotions healthy can be a REAL challenge for many people. One of the skills to practice in working to keeping your emotional/mental health problems under control is to read books. I find books to be helpful. I have compiled a list of books which hopefully will help with emotional health. Many of these books are just motivational books which have a goal of helping to make our thinking positive.

This list is FAR from complete! I am sure you may know of additional books which we need to know about. If you know of a good book which will help someone, please let us know about it. I hope this list of resources will give help to someone!

INSPIRATIONAL/MOTIVATIONAL

The Last Lecture Randy Pausch

Just Who Will You Be? Big Question, Little Book, Answer Within Maria Shriver

The Secret Rhonda Byrne

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Eckhart Tolle

Go Put Your Strengths to Work: Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance Marcus Buckingham

Now, Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham

Strenghts Finder 2.0 Tom Rath

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen R. Covey

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy Jon Gordon

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao Wayne Dyer

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom Miquel Ruiz

Stop Whining, Start Living Laura C. Schlessinger

Codependent No More Melody Beattie

Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone Joyce Meyer

Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out Merci Shomoff

If Life is a Game, These Are the Rules Cherie Carter-Scott

DEPRESSION/BIPOLAR, ETC

The Feeling Good Handbook David D. Burns

Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life Steven C. Hayes

Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life Scott E. Spradlin

Madness: A Bipolar Life Marya Hornbacher

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness Daniel G. Amen

Manic: A Memoir Terri Cheney

I Hate You - Don’t Leave Me Jerold J. Kreisman, M.D. and Hal Straus

You Can Feel Good Again Richard Carlson, Ph. D

You Can Heal Your Life Louise L. Hay

ADD

Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the Six Types of Attention Deficit Disorder Daniel G. Amen

GRIEF

How to Survive the Loss of a Love Harold H. Bloomfield

Good Grief Granger E. Westberg

Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief Martha Whitmore Hickman

Forever Remembered: A Gift for the Griefing Heart Dan Zedra

EATING DISORDERS

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think Brian Wansink