I take some of my EHT supplement and curl up with my blanket and whatever I’m reading. If I find my book too intense, I pick up my Bible or a devotional of some kind.
Depending on my current brand of anxiety/depression, either brain candy shifter romance (T.S. Joyce, Shelley Laurenston, etc) or zombie/ apocalyptic books (the more people dead, the better). If i need a comfort read, i reread Patricia Briggs, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery or The Stand.
As long as whatever I’m reading is moderately engaging, it’ll help me get through. But I avoid things that may feature whatever my current triggers are.
If I can’t get into whatever I’ve got, or if I’m just finding it hard to get into something new, I always go back to my favorites, the books I’ve had and enjoyed since I was a child. Harry Potter is the top one but I’ll also read Beautiful Creatures, Percy Jackson, and the Artemis Fowl books. Sometimes I get a bit embarrassed as they’re a little juvenile but whatever works works, y’know? They’re my favorites for a reason.
I’m a pagan. I grew up in the Bible belt of the deep south so reading/studying the bible was daily life. Even today I still find a lot of value in it’s pages. Humans have a lot of history. The bible is part of that. I also study the books of other religious worldviews. I’d love to look at books hidden in the Vatican!
@Barbe unless you could read Latin and aramaic you’d be out of luck for vatican books. 🙂 I too have read up on other religions inc wicca, but always came home to Catholicism. When I delved deeper into where their beliefs came from, it made sense. Plus honoring Mary warmed my feminist heart. I understand your interests, and thank you for your nonhating words. Don’t take offense, but God bless! 🙂
I think if those books ever became available, there’s tons of scholars who’d study, translate and interpret them long before someone like me would ever even know about it. But I’d get in line anyway. And BTW, blessings are always welcome. Thanks. Same to you and yours!
T.S. Eliot poetry. Ash Wednesday and Prufrock are my favorites.
Lol. Also, I see people posting the Bible. I appreciate some of its poetry. I do like the beginning of Ecclesiastes for anxiety. It’s very nihilistic, it reminds me that nothing really matters, it is all vanity. Why be anxious when the things I’m stressing about don’t even mean anything in the first place.
Urban Fantasy. For some reason, the combination of reality but not really i soothing to my nerves. I especially like listening while I am trying to get through a very stressful time or activity–it really helps. My dentist owes the fact that he still has ten fingers to the Mercedes Thompson series.
I’m rarely anxious. When I do go through a spell of anxiety I turn on TV and watch Days Of Our Lives while eating(!) a bag of potato chips and drinking an ice cold Pepsi.?
My guilty pleasure is JD Robb’s In Death series. But when I’m feeling really bad and I can still stand to read, it is Pride and Prejudice. That love story…sigh
When I’m feeling blah my go to book is Guys and Dolls by Damon Runyon. I’ve read each story half a dozen times, but they never get old. As a writer I marvel at his style and imagination.
I read Young Adult, historical romance, contemporary romance or paranormal but I have to also have Yiruma playing in the background. The other genres seem to spike my anxiety even more and keep me on edge. So my saying is, the higher the anxiety, the lighter the book.
Bible
Whatever I am reading. It helps to calm me down.
I take some of my EHT supplement and curl up with my blanket and whatever I’m reading. If I find my book too intense, I pick up my Bible or a devotional of some kind.
seven/seven
My favourite books like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter
Bible.
Whatever I’m currently reading. It calms and relaxes me. Gets my mind off of what is bothering me.
I might read the Love Simon book then. Anxiety came out of nowhere ?
Sorry Lynn. Hope you are ok.
MILLS and boons
Sometimes poetry…short and sweet. I don’t have to concentrate a lot. Sadly, sometimes…I just cannot read at all.
I like “Milk and Honey”
Netflix
This book changed my life with my anxiety
The Bible, poetry
A horror novel, this way my life doesn’t seem so bad.
Haha! Good point!!
Nope I can’t when I feel good
Depending on my current brand of anxiety/depression, either brain candy shifter romance (T.S. Joyce, Shelley Laurenston, etc) or zombie/ apocalyptic books (the more people dead, the better). If i need a comfort read, i reread Patricia Briggs, Jane Austen, L.M. Montgomery or The Stand.
I usually reread Harry Potter
As long as whatever I’m reading is moderately engaging, it’ll help me get through. But I avoid things that may feature whatever my current triggers are.
If I can’t get into whatever I’ve got, or if I’m just finding it hard to get into something new, I always go back to my favorites, the books I’ve had and enjoyed since I was a child. Harry Potter is the top one but I’ll also read Beautiful Creatures, Percy Jackson, and the Artemis Fowl books. Sometimes I get a bit embarrassed as they’re a little juvenile but whatever works works, y’know? They’re my favorites for a reason.
Comic books. Require very little attention span
Wine labels
Funny reads, something by Jana Deleon.
Bible book of Proverbs or Psalms. I know people hate folks who love God, but he is there for us. Haters can keep on hating, don’t bother me a bit.
I’m a pagan. I grew up in the Bible belt of the deep south so reading/studying the bible was daily life. Even today I still find a lot of value in it’s pages. Humans have a lot of history. The bible is part of that. I also study the books of other religious worldviews. I’d love to look at books hidden in the Vatican!
@Barbe unless you could read Latin and aramaic you’d be out of luck for vatican books. 🙂 I too have read up on other religions inc wicca, but always came home to Catholicism. When I delved deeper into where their beliefs came from, it made sense. Plus honoring Mary warmed my feminist heart. I understand your interests, and thank you for your nonhating words. Don’t take offense, but God bless! 🙂
I think if those books ever became available, there’s tons of scholars who’d study, translate and interpret them long before someone like me would ever even know about it. But I’d get in line anyway.
And BTW, blessings are always welcome. Thanks. Same to you and yours!
@Barbe good point! Thx.
T.S. Eliot poetry.
Ash Wednesday and Prufrock are my favorites.
Lol. Also, I see people posting the Bible. I appreciate some of its poetry. I do like the beginning of Ecclesiastes for anxiety. It’s very nihilistic, it reminds me that nothing really matters, it is all vanity. Why be anxious when the things I’m stressing about don’t even mean anything in the first place.
Romance ? Something to make me feel happy.
Urban Fantasy. For some reason, the combination of reality but not really i soothing to my nerves. I especially like listening while I am trying to get through a very stressful time or activity–it really helps. My dentist owes the fact that he still has ten fingers to the Mercedes Thompson series.
I can’t read then. I usually Netflix a favorite series. Same with depression. Or I watch kids sing on YouTube.
Psalms
I’m rarely anxious. When I do go through a spell of anxiety I turn on TV and watch Days Of Our Lives while eating(!) a bag of potato chips and drinking an ice cold Pepsi.?
Anything. Reading takes me away.
Anything good that takes my mind somewhere else!
I hide in Caldwell New York with the black dagger brotherhood series
I don ‘t have much anxiety, but for distraction I like travel books—low emotional content and no plot. And you learn something.
Be Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado. He’s awesome.
When I have anxiety I can’t read my mind is too scattered. I take a pill turn on some music and veg
Classic literature. Forster, Waugh, Austen etc or Anne of Green Gables.
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett or Hunt For The Red October by Tom Clancy
Tolkien. Heinlein.
I read all the time regardless
Being There by Jerzy Kosinski. About a man being at peace with who he is.
Was that also a film with Peter Sellers?
Yes it was. Wonderful book and a great movie too. I read the book before I saw the flic. I love anything by Jerzy Kosinski.
The film was great! I’ll look forward to reading the book! Thanks.
Urban fantasy. Butcher. Briggs. Jacka.
I read….books.
My guilty pleasure is JD Robb’s In Death series. But when I’m feeling really bad and I can still stand to read, it is Pride and Prejudice. That love story…sigh
I read books normally regardless. If I can’t concentrate, I watch one of my many favorite crime TV shows like Midsomer Murders.
Fear and loathing in Las Vegas always calms me. Chaos calms chaos lol
Reading itself often helps me feel less anxious.
When I’m feeling blah my go to book is Guys and Dolls by Damon Runyon. I’ve read each story half a dozen times, but they never get old. As a writer I marvel at his style and imagination.
Something familiar – usually fantasy, although cozy mystery is also an option, also positive sci fi (Anne McCaffrey comes to mind).
I can’t read when I have anxiety?
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke is a very comforting book for me for some reason
I read Young Adult, historical romance, contemporary romance or paranormal but I have to also have Yiruma playing in the background. The other genres seem to spike my anxiety even more and keep me on edge. So my saying is, the higher the anxiety, the lighter the book.
Yes I will be reading anyway also but if I feel down I find that surrounding myself by trees or the sea air can lift me up.
Romance
Roald Dahl. THE ROALD DAHL OMNIBUS. Perfect Bedtime stories for Sleepless Nights. Love love love.