Books that Feel like Therapy

Today, I want to talk about something that has become deeply personal in my life: mental health representation in books.

There’s something I’ve come to learn about life: it’s wonderful and full of bright moments, but it can also be messy, unpredictable, and, frankly, hard. And no matter how much we try to plan or prepare, there will always be curveballs we can’t dodge. I used to think the goal was to create a perfect life — one where I had everything figured out. But therapy (and books — always books) taught me that perfection was never the goal. Instead, it’s about perspective, acceptance, and finding the little sparks of joy even when things feel heavy.

In these past few years, alongside cozy stories and magical escapes, I found myself reaching for books that didn’t shy away from the messy, complicated parts of being human. Like many others, I’ve wrestled with my own mental health. And what I learned—through therapy, through trial and error, through good days and bad ones— is this: life can be wonderful, but it’s never perfect. No matter how much we plan, something will always find a way to derail us. That doesn’t mean we’ve failed—it just means we’re human.

For me, reading books that spoke honestly about anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and resilience was a kind of quiet therapy of its own. They reminded me that I wasn’t alone, that struggle doesn’t cancel out joy, and that perspective can be just as powerful as progress. These books became companions in my growth, nudging me toward a healthier, more grounded version of myself.

Here are some of the books that helped me shift my perspective and accept life for what it is—beautiful, imperfect, and sometimes incredibly hard:

✨ Wintering by Katherine May – A tender, lyrical reflection on seasons of rest and retreat, teaching me that slowing down isn’t weakness but wisdom.

✨ Broken (In the Best Way Possible) by Jenny Lawson – Raw, hilarious, and heartbreaking all at once. Jenny Lawson’s honesty about living with mental illness made me feel seen. This book helped me through one of the darkest times in my life.

✨ Everything is OK by Debbie Tung – A beautifully illustrated memoir that captures the weight of anxiety and the slow, hopeful path toward healing.

✨ Me vs. Brain: An Overthinker’s Guide to Life by Hayley Morris – Lighthearted yet painfully relatable, this book gave me permission to laugh at the spirals my brain creates.

✨ Everyone But Myself by Julie Chavez – A thoughtful memoir about identity, burnout, and learning how to find yourself again when you feel lost.

✨ Anxious People by Fredrik Backman – Quirky and tender, this story captures the absurdity of being human—and how anxiety quietly threads through so many lives.

✨ Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – A love story, yes, but also a gentle exploration of resilience and self-compassion when life doesn’t go to plan. I particularly enjoyed the therapy that the main character experiences, as I felt that it was a healthy and accurate representation of what good therapy looks like.

✨ The Wedding People by Alison Espach – Funny and poignant, with characters stumbling through life’s chaos in ways that felt familiar and grounding. (*Trigger warnings for attempted suicide)

Each of these reads reminded me in its own way that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth living. We’re allowed to be messy. We’re allowed to be in progress. And sometimes, the best thing we can do is simply meet ourselves where we are, instead of where we think we “should” be.

If you’ve ever found comfort in a book that understood your inner world better than you could put into words, you know what I mean. These are the kinds of books I’ll carry with me, the ones that remind me that healing isn’t linear—and that none of us are alone in the struggle.