There is a lot of information about mental health circulating on the internet. However, from all the available information, you will find it difficult to distinguish which ones can be trusted or not.
The right books can be a good source of information and help us deal with difficult situations. Not only self-improvement, books can also help us recognize what's going on inside us even further.
I like most popular science genre books because they are written using a scientific foundation in ways that are easily accepted.
In addition, there is also my favorite book in the form of essays from patients who experience dysthymia. Books like this are interesting because they are written from the point of view of people who are mentally ill and struggling to recover. These books are mostly self-help so they can be our brief guide.
1. Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. - The Body Keeps The Score
Recognizing trauma from the point of view of modern science
Trauma is a common but neglected experience. This book explains about trauma, starting from parenting to trauma in the battlefield which turns out to have the same pattern. Unresolved trauma will have an impact on the body and affect how a person processes their emotions.
Trauma problems are not as simple as moving on which can be handled with gratitude or just forgiveness.
Trauma has a huge impact on the body that needs to be taken seriously. In neuroscience, there are real changes in the body when we experience trauma. From these changes we can know the direction to achieve recovery.
In its continuation, this book explains scientifically what can be done in the trauma recovery process. What I like about this book is that it explains the phenomena that occur during trauma from the point of view of modern science.
2. Lori Gottlieb - Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Describing the human side of psychologists in an interesting way
Psychologists and psychiatrists are often portrayed as calm, calm, and as if able to solve complex problems that are being experienced by their clients.
However, not many people actually knew what was going on behind that calm face. By reading this book, we can know that making ourselves grow is actually obtained from the process of self-acceptance.
Well, this book tells about the journey of a psychologist's heartbreak that led him to a professional and personal crisis. At the same time, the writer also gets the case of a Hollywood producer and a young man who is critically ill.
Not only that, he also handles cases of elderly people who threaten to commit suicide if they don't feel better in their next birthday. In my opinion, the author's journey to healing and helping his clients is very enlightening and very human.
3. Baek Se Hee - I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteopokki
Essays on dysthymia that provide many lessons from the journey to healing
This book is intended for those of you who have long considered yourself low, unhappy, full of self-criticism, and don't love yourself. This book comes with the story of the journey of individuals who experience these feelings.
This essay is written in the form of a reflection question from the author to himself. However, as readers we can also feel the uncertainty and confusion of his feelings.
There are many lessons that can be drawn from the author's journey to treat this confusion. When reading this book, it feels like we are invited to recognize our own thoughts and realize them.
For some people, this book may be considered redundant because there are so many things the author thinks about in his daily life.
However, it is a reality for people who are having problems. This is indeed difficult to understand for people who have not experienced it themselves. Precisely by seeing writers who experience a complicated mind, you can be more relieved because you don't feel alone.
4. Guy Winch, Ph.D. - Emotional First Aid
Contains information about first aid for wounds to the soul
From childhood, we know what to do if someone falls, hits their hand with a knife, or catches fire. We know the first aid that needs to be given to a physical wound. However, problems arise because we don't have ideas for dealing with emotional wounds, such as rejection, failure, and loss.
On average, we're just stuck with clichéd suggestions that don't do much for the wound. In fact, emotional wounds that are not realized and are not immediately healed will become complications and become more severe along the way.
This book was created to provide practical, easy-to-follow tips for dealing with these emotional problems. Just like simple first aid tips, this book is not meant for emotional wounds that are already heavy and disturbing.
However, this book is devoted to new wounds that can prevent them from growing. For those of you who are in need of first aid in dealing with emotional wounds, this book will be very helpful.
5. Mark Wolynn - It Didn't Start With You
Learn to trace trauma passed down from generation to generation and how to overcome it
Trauma can be passed down from generation to generation without realizing it. A child can inherit trauma from his grandmother without him ever knowing. Things like that have an impact on life today for which it is difficult to understand why.
A pregnant mother has three generations in it, the mother herself, her child, and her grandchildren who are still in the form of egg cells or prospective sperm cells.
The genes from the mother are already present with the future grandchildren. From there, trauma can be passed down from generation to generation.
In addition to explaining why this happened, the author invites us to find out what things are inherited from previous generations. Of course, the author also gives us information on how to deal with this inherited trauma.
6. Victor E. Frankl - Man's Search for Meaning
Tells the story of a psychiatrist who survived a Nazi concentration camp who wrote about the meaning of life
Viktor E. Frankl is a psychiatrist who became a Nazi concentration camp survivor. He seeks the meaning of life from the horrific event in which his wife and family were killed.
From such a dark situation, Frankl hypothesized that suffering was unavoidable. However, we can choose a way to survive, find meaning in it, and move forward with a new purpose.
In his travels, Frankl discovered a psychotherapeutic technique known as Logotherapy. He found this psychotherapy technique as clear evidence that humans are not just following instincts and instincts.
However, humans also direct themselves to a meaningful life. If we feel empty in this busy and fast-paced era, this book is the right read to rediscover the lost meaning.
Conclusion
Books on mental health can provide useful information. These books can also inspire us to improve our situation or feelings. In addition, the steps in the book can also help us to become better.
However, there are things that cannot be solved by reading books alone. Sometimes, we need to have a face-to-face meeting with a mental health professional. If you've read the book and done the steps in it, but it's not getting any better, it's okay to seek help.
