In the past, I had written a few books about running ultramarathons. After being diagnosed with a chronic health condition, the sport I felt so much passion about began to slip away. I noticed myself falling into depression. Even though I’ve worked as a social worker for nearly 20 years, there was so much about depression that I didn’t completely understand until I experienced it myself. My path toward healing became the storyline for my book Stronger Than the Dark, and increased my desire to advocate for the importance of mental health.
I wrote...
Stronger Than the Dark: Exploring the Intimate Relationship Between Running and Depression
By
Cory Reese
What is my book about?
In his gripping memoir, Cory Reese offers a compelling and vulnerable insight into the pervasive destruction of depression. Drawing on lessons learned over a decade of ultramarathon running, Stronger Than the Dark offers a powerful new approach in the battle against depression: the willingness to embrace suffering.
In a moment of physical and mental crisis during a 314-mile race across Tennessee, he realizes with clarity life’s ultimate purpose. We are here to endure. We are here to help others turn pain into peace. We are here to be a beacon of kindness and compassion. Cory’s beautifully broken path of healing speaks to anyone feeling lost in insecurity or despair, and gives hope that even in life’s darkest moments, we can find the light.
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The Books I Picked & Why
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself
By
Michael A. Singer
Why this book?
The Untethered Soul completely opened my eyes to the fact that I am not my thoughts. I love the author’s insight about how our minds are like an annoying roommate that often refuses to shut up. He provides a brief, simple framework for how we can take control of our negative self-talk, and choose happiness.
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The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
By
Eckhart Tolle
Why this book?
This book was such a great reminder for me that ruminating about the past can keep us stuck in depression, and obsessing about the future is an easy trigger for anxiety. He reminds us that the magic lies in being present at this very moment. My biggest takeaway from the book was to notice when I start feeling depression or anxiety, and ask myself “What problem do I have RIGHT NOW?” Usually, the answer is far less than what my mind has fixated on from the past or future.
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Reasons to Stay Alive
By
Matt Haig
Why this book?
Haig pulls back the curtain and paints a powerful picture of what depression looks like and feels like. His writing is infused with raw vulnerability, and gives voice to what so many people all around us are experiencing. He shows that even when we’re feeling lost in the darkness of depression, we can make it back to the light.
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The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions
By
Christopher Germer
Why this book?
I happened to listen to The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion around the time that I first started seeing a therapist. So much of the coaching from my therapist was mirrored by the messages in Germer’s book. He provides specific tools we can use to increase self-love, including an emphasis on the value of meditation.
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The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
By
Bessel Van Der Kolk
Why this book?
This book is full of fascinating science, research, and specific experiences about how the way we think impacts the way we feel. But it is so much more than a clinical textbook. Bessel van der Kolk provides a deeper understanding of trauma, as well as practical ideas for how to work through the effects of the trauma we have experienced.