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.
By Cory Reese
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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By Michael A. Singer
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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By Eckhart Tolle
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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By Matt Haig
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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By Christopher Germer
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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By Bessel Van Der Kolk
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.
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