Belated Friday Five: Feeling Better
Yes, I know: I almost never post my Friday Five on time. Usually, I'm kind of pooped by the time I get to Friday, and scheduling the post ahead of time just doesn't feel spontaneous enough, you know?
Anyway, I thought that in honor of Mental Health Awareness Day (October 6), I should feature some mental health-related reads.
- Awakenings by Oliver Sacks. Actually, if you want to feel better, this probably isn't the best book to read, but Oliver Sacks is a wonderful writer, and he has a talent for showing us how extraordinary the human mind can be. It's like the science fiction of real life. Sacks went on to write plenty of other books you've probably heard of like The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars.
- The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner. This is a terrific book. I still refer back to it sometimes when I'm feeling frustrated with people in my life and it seems like there's no way to keep from exploding.
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Another self-help classic only instead of focusing on how to restrain yourself from clobbering others, this is all about the strategic alliances without the creepy Machiavellian stuff.
- Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers. I love this book. It's a must-read for anyone struggling with insecurity that seems to be coming out of the blue.
- The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Another self-help classic to help unbottle those emotions through creativity.
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