As far as I can tell, no one鈥檚 written the book specifically about听dealing with anxiety during a global pandemic except sci-fi writers. But since an estimated deal with serious anxiety in the best of times,听there are听lots of options for people seeking books that offer general mental-wellness help, from straightforward听advice to relatable personal stories. Three recent nonfiction books take听different approaches to the task.听When it comes to deeply felt, personal experiences听like acute anxiety, there鈥檚 no such thing as one size fits all. So take听what resonates, and leave the rest鈥攖here鈥檚 plenty else to worry about.
鈥榃isdom from a Humble Jellyfish and Other Self-Care Rituals from Nature,鈥櫶齜y Rani Shah
Shah鈥檚 book is pure self-help, but听with a distinctive conceit: the author dishes听practical advice through interesting anecdotes about creatures in the natural world. For example,听you鈥檒l read that sloths move an average of 123 feet听per day. Your takeaway as a human: yes,听we can move a lot faster than sloths, but slowing down to their pace can help us live longer.
Shah presents 18 well-researched examples that are accompanied by cutesy illustrations from听artist听Gemma Correll, pull quotes听that tend to feature specific animal trivia, and听gems of听little koans at the end of each chapter. The presentation gives 听the vibe of听a coffee-table听or novelty book. It would be a great gift for a younger person听or for anyone who likes advice delivered simply, like this lesson from a night-blooming cereus:听鈥淜nowing what time of day works best for you helps you truly bloom.鈥 Or this piece of wisdom, courtesy of a porcupine:听鈥淵ou can鈥檛 control whether or not you get hurt鈥. But you can control how much you allow it to affect you.鈥澨
I鈥檝e听found听that听a good way to ingest annoying truths you know you should listen to is to come at them听sideways.听Shah does just that听through highly specific facts about wombats and axolotls.
鈥楩irst, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety,鈥櫶齜y Sarah Wilson
If you鈥檇 like to face anxiety head-on and yet vicariously, this book is a blend of self-help, memoir, and researched meditation on the author鈥檚 own experience with it. She also lives with a thyroid condition and bipolar disorder. is a helpfully messy reflection on what anxiety feels like for Wilson听and an honest look at how she鈥檚 managed it. To Wilson鈥檚 credit, she鈥檚 not trying to sell anyone an easy fix. She emphasizes that anxiety tends to be a lifelong challenge, especially for those who suffer it acutely, and most of her advice is delivered in a sort of 鈥淚 know, but it does work鈥澨齮one. (The recommendations are all things you鈥檒l have heard of before, but Wilson听and probably scores of others have found听them to be effective: meditation, breathing exercises, long hikes, and seeking long-term听fulfillment instead of fleeting happiness.) It鈥檚 a meandering and conversational read, but many听of the feelings, activities, and themes Wilson describes are likely to resonate, and her advice is worth considering in a cafeteria-style way: pick whatever seems compelling听to you.听
At one point in First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Wilson evokes Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard鈥檚 saying that anxiety is the 鈥渄izziness of freedom,鈥澨齮hat modern anxiety can stem from the realization that life is finite, though the world seems to offer infinite choice. There is an existential dread, Kierkegaard argues, that comes with not knowing which听direction to take. Wilson writes:听鈥淢ore choice is meant to bring us more freedom (so says capitalism). And yet we鈥檙e happier when we鈥檙e bound. In fact, to be rendered choiceless is the ultimate freedom.鈥 Those words were printed long before mandatory self-isolation became part of daily life, but I had to laugh while reading them in my house, where I now spend 95 percent of my time. They feel very precient听right now.
鈥榃hy Fish Don鈥檛 Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life,鈥櫶齜y Lulu Miller
Not every book that helps you grapple with anxiety is branded that way. tells the story of taxonomist David Starr Jordan, who in the late 19th to early 20th centuries experienced both quirky success and devastating loss in nearly听equal measure. His wife died, his child died,听and then an earthquake caused听severe damage to Stanford University, where he was the founding president.
Incredibly, as Jordan passionately collects fish specimens from around the world, they keep getting destroyed in freak accidents: fires, lightning strikes, earthquakes. Miller, cohost of the beloved human-behavior podcast , takes us along for the ride while cheerleading Jordan鈥檚 freakish capacity for resilience. The book feels well-timed if you can鈥檛 stop thinking about all the things in your life鈥攁nd the world鈥攖hat you just can鈥檛 control. Miller addresses chaos as though it鈥檚 a living, breathing character in the book. Maybe in another听era听that would鈥檝e seemed dramatic. Right about now, it feels oddly relatable. This book is a great escape from听contemporary examples of despair, but it鈥檚 also an extended reflection on how to听weather the storm听during trying times.