Books To Turn To When You're Feeling Anxious

Ahead of World Book Day, here's a selection of reading material which always makes me feel better

Hello Team CCC! Hope you’re all as well and cheerful as can be. Hooray for Spring! The light has made a significant, positive difference to my mood, things are getting better and brighter, I hope.

I’ve absolutely loved meeting you ‘on the road’ for the Read Yourself Happy tour - and if you preordered Read Yourself Happy, I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Zoom workshop tomorrow night. I’ve just heard that the event with

Louise O’Neill

at Dubray in Dublin has sold out, hopefully I’ll see some of you there. And we’ve got a brilliant edition You’re Booked, for your ears - a conversation about creativity and sobriety with Coco Mellors. Listen here.

In other news, I’ve just handed in my first draft of my new novel - LET JOY BE UNCONFINED! I’m writing about that process, and I’m hoping to have something fun and thoughtful to share with you soon. But for now, because it’s World Book Day this week, I wanted to share a piece I wrote for Good Housekeeping magazine about how books ease anxiety, and the books that have helped me enormously.

Books to turn to when you feel anxious

My anxiety began when I was bullied at primary school, I didn’t know what to do. I felt so lost, lonely and scared. I longed for friends, but I struggled to connect with anyone. Then I met Matilda.

The moment I opened Roald Dahl’s book, I thought ‘At last!’ My shoulders dropped. I escaped the horrors of my head and entered a completely different world. I loved the mix of the familiar and the strange. I saw parts of myself in Matilda, and I was inspired by the way she responded to the challenges in her life. She knew how to overcome bullies.

Anxiety is still a frequent visitor, but over the years I’ve learned that picking up a book is most effective way of easing it. Reading puts me back in my body, while allowing me to escape the worst of my brain. These books are the ones I’ve returned to during my darkest and most difficult moments. They always help.