Introduction
Accept How You Feel by Dr. Karen Gaye Graham
While at first, this book can seem very dense and incomprehensible, once the author dives into the "nuts and bolts" of how to accept and then moderate your reactions to your emotions, the assistance provided is of great value.
These recommendations require you to put in some work to practice and remember the different strategies you can take to help you recognize, identify, and release the emotions that you feel.
This book requires going into these exercises with an open mind. If you are not willing to take time to sit with yourself in the quiet to learn from your internal self, then you will not benefit from this book.
You can purchase this book here.
4 out of 5 stars.
Touch Is Really Strange written by Steve Haines and Illustrated by Sophie Standing
If reading is not something you enjoy, this book is for you. Short (just a little over 30 pages!), informative, and full of illustrations, this book details the importance of touch in general, but also for massage and physical therapists. It ends with some good exercises to do with a partner to explore touch.
Even if you aren't a therapist, the principles and exercises are a good way to practice giving yourself and others a safe and affirming touch. At a minimum, this book will encourage you to seek out a person to hug for your sake or their own.
This book will be released on April 21, 2021. You can purchase it here.
4 out of 5 stars.
The Essential Companion to Talking Therapy by Karin Blak
This book is my favorite book that I read this month to review. It goes through the entire therapeutic process, from beginning to end. It discusses how to select and find if a therapist is a good fit. It discusses the ethics of therapy, and how therapy is supposed to slowly come to an end, with the tools to take on the challenges that you face.
This book is the perfect starting place if you are not urgently seeking therapy services. However, if you are at a point of crisis, then it is more important to get in touch with a psychotherapist or crisis hotline as soon as possible.
5 out of 5 stars.
This book will be released on February 9th, 2021. You can purchase it here.
If you are experiencing a crisis and need immediate care, please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255)