The Best Books About Anxiety

Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D., is the acclaimed author of The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook and a pioneering psychologist specializing in anxiety disorder treatment. A clinical expert with over 25 years of practice, he served as director of The Anxiety and Treatment Center in California, blending cognitive-behavioral therapy with holistic strategies like relaxation techniques and nutritional guidance.

Bourne holds a Ph.D. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago and has authored multiple authoritative works, including Coping with Anxiety, Natural Relief for Anxiety, and Beyond Anxiety and Phobia, which distill complex psychological concepts into accessible self-help tools.

His bestselling workbook, recognized with the Benjamin Franklin Book Award for Excellence in Psychology, has become a cornerstone resource for mental health professionals and patients alike. Bourne’s telehealth consultations and evidence-based frameworks emphasize practical, lifelong recovery strategies. Translated into over a dozen languages and selling more than one million copies worldwide, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook remains a globally trusted guide for overcoming anxiety disorders.

1. Replace catastrophic thoughts with constructive self-talk to reduce panic attacks.
2. Exposure therapy rewires fear through new learning instead of desensitization alone.
3. Challenge mistaken core beliefs daily to dismantle negative self-talk cycles.
4. Abdominal breathing disrupts early-stage anxiety by activating relaxation responses.
5. Progressive muscle relaxation lowers physical tension linked to chronic anxiety.
6. Nutrition and aerobic exercise significantly reduce generalized anxiety symptoms.
7. Safety behaviors perpetuate phobias; gradual exposure fosters lasting healing.
8. Postpone worry sessions and use exposure to break overthinking patterns.
9. Mindfulness practices enhance CBT strategies for long-term emotional resilience.
10. Controlled incremental exposure is essential for overcoming specific phobias.
11. Cognitive behavioral techniques interrupt panic disorder’s fear feedback loop.
12. Antidepressants correct neurobiological imbalances underlying chronic anxiety.

David A. Carbonell, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and anxiety treatment expert, and the author of The Worry Trick, a practical self-help guide rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy. Specializing in anxiety disorders since 1985, Carbonell combines clinical experience from his Chicago-based practice with actionable strategies to help readers dismantle chronic worry patterns. His work builds on decades of treating panic disorder, phobias, and generalized anxiety, reflected in companion books like Panic Attacks Workbook and Fear of Flying Workbook.

Founder of AnxietyCoach.com, Carbonell reaches global audiences through free resources and therapist training programs, having educated over 10,000 mental health professionals worldwide. A DePaul University doctoral graduate and member of the Anxiety & Depression Association of America since 2003, he uniquely blends evidence-based methods with creative approaches as founding member of The Therapy Players improv troupe. His books remain recommended reading in CBT workshops and anxiety support networks, with The Worry Trick praised for reframing anxiety management through humor and relatable metaphors.

1. Recognize the "worry trick" where your brain mistakes doubt for danger
2. Chronic worry thrives when you treat anxious thoughts as urgent problems
3. Schedule daily "worry appointments" to contain anxiety instead of fighting it
4. Humor defuses worry’s power—write parody songs about your worst fears
5. Practice belly breathing to disrupt anxiety’s physical feedback loop
6. Stop arguing with worry—treat intrusive thoughts like an annoying uncle
7. Accept uncertainty as unavoidable rather than trying to eliminate it
8. Worry about sleep creates more insomnia through performance anxiety
9. Use the AWARE method to respond calmly during panic attacks
10. Anxiety persists when you mistake mental "what-ifs" for real threats
11. Replace avoidance behaviors with gradual exposure to feared situations
12. Identify worry’s "trick" by tracking how solutions accidentally fuel anxiety

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, is the New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety and a globally recognized psychiatrist specializing in mindfulness-based habit change.

A professor at Brown University and director of research at its Mindfulness Center, Brewer combines over 25 years of clinical practice with groundbreaking neuroscience to address anxiety, addiction, and emotional behaviors.

His work, featured on TED (20+ million views), 60 Minutes, and in The New York Times, bridges academic rigor and practical application, with app-based programs like Unwinding Anxiety and Craving to Quit used by individuals, healthcare systems, and organizations worldwide. Brewer’s earlier book, The Craving Mind, explores the neuroscience of addiction, while The Hunger Habit (2024) tackles emotional eating.

A sought-after speaker, he has trained U.S. Olympic athletes and government leaders. Unwinding Anxiety has empowered millions to break cycles of worry through its evidence-backed, step-by-step framework.

1. Anxiety forms habit loops triggered by uncertainty and temporary relief rewards.
2. Mindfulness disrupts anxiety cycles through nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and sensations.
3. Replace anxiety habits with curiosity-driven rewards via the “bigger better offer”.
4. RAIN practice disarms anxiety through recognition allowing investigation and noting.
5. Self-compassion dismantles anxiety patterns more effectively than self-judgment.
6. Mapping habit loops exposes anxiety’s triggers behaviors and false rewards.
7. Curiosity reduces fear by activating the brain’s natural reward system.
8. Mindfulness reveals anxiety’s ineffective coping mechanisms to decrease its power.
9. Brewer’s three steps: recognize anxiety loops dissect outcomes choose better rewards.
10. Chronic anxiety stems from maladaptive brain pathways strengthened by repetition.
11. “Bedside manner” mindfulness uses kind self-inquiry during anxious moments.
12. Clinical studies show 63% anxiety reduction with mindfulness in two months.

Chloe Brotheridge, bestselling author of The Anxiety Solution: A Quieter Mind, a Calmer You, is a clinical hypnotherapist, anxiety expert, and nutritionist specializing in mental health. Drawing from her own journey overcoming severe anxiety and panic attacks, her work blends cognitive-behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and nutritional insights to empower women toward lasting calm.

A trusted voice in self-help, she’s contributed to Marie Claire, The Independent, and Stylist, with her book serialized in the Daily Mail. Her second title, Brave New Girl: 7 Steps to Confidence, expands her focus to conquering self-doubt and perfectionism.

Brotheridge hosts The Calmer You Podcast, offering science-backed tools for mental wellness, and founded a supportive online community for anxiety sufferers. Her practical approach, honed through workshops and a London-based practice, has reached global audiences via her Anxiety Solution app, which integrates CBT and sleep stories.

Recognized for distilling complex psychology into accessible strategies, she bridges personal experience with professional expertise to help readers reclaim peace. The Anxiety Solution remains a cornerstone resource in modern mental health literature, embraced by therapists and featured in corporate wellness programs worldwide.

1. Anxiety spirals shrink by naming fears and questioning worst-case scenarios.
2. Daily mindfulness breaks rewire neural pathways to default to calmness.
3. Self-compassion exercises disrupt shame cycles fueling chronic worry.
4. Exposure therapy paired with breathing techniques disarms panic attacks.
5. The "Anxiety Solution Toolkit" provides customizable coping strategies for overthinking.
6. Social media cleanses reduce comparison traps that amplify insecurity.
7. Scheduled "worry time" contains anxious thoughts to specific windows.
8. Body-awareness practices reveal how physical tension fuels mental distress.
9. Behavioral experiments disprove catastrophic predictions through gradual exposure.
10. Chloe Brotheridge’s "grounding questions" replace anxious thoughts with present-moment focus.

Alice Boyes, PhD, is the bestselling author of The Anxiety Toolkit and a clinical psychologist turned authority on mental health and productivity.

Specializing in evidence-based strategies for anxiety management and personal growth, Boyes translates clinical psychology research into practical tools for everyday life. Her work, including The Healthy Mind Toolkit and Stress-Free Productivity, focuses on overcoming self-sabotage, enhancing resilience, and optimizing efficiency through tailored frameworks.

A prolific contributor to Psychology Today and Harvard Business Review, her articles have garnered over 23 million views, establishing her as a trusted voice in behavioral science. Born in New Zealand and based in the U.S., Boyes’ insights are informed by her PhD in social psychology and prior clinical practice.

The Anxiety Toolkit reached the Wall Street Journal bestseller list, with its ebook edition lauded for bridging therapeutic techniques with actionable self-help guidance.

1. Replace perfectionism with progress using Alice Boyes’ “good enough” threshold strategy.
2. Apply the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique to interrupt anxiety spirals in real-time.
3. Schedule designated “worry time” to contain anxious thoughts within set boundaries.
4. Convert rumination into problem-solving with Boyes’ cognitive-behavioral action flowchart method.
5. Practice strategic avoidance to build emotional resilience for high-stakes challenges.
6. Reframe criticism using Boyes’ feedback ladder technique to reduce defensive reactions.
7. Implement micro-decision deadlines to overcome analysis paralysis and chronic hesitancy.
8. Cultivate self-compassion rituals to counter anxiety’s self-critical thought patterns.
9. Design anxiety-reducing routines using Boyes’ energy management matrix for task prioritization.
10. Apply the “reverse engineering” method to break overwhelming goals into manageable steps.
11. Use Boyes’ fear exposure hierarchy to systematically conquer avoidance behaviors.
12. Develop personalized anxiety signals checklist for early intervention in stress cycles.

Jessica Schleider, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, associate professor at Northwestern University, and director of the Lab for Scalable Mental Health. Her book Little Treatments, Big Effects: How to Build Meaningful Moments That Can Transform Your Mental Health distills her groundbreaking work on single-session interventions (SSIs) into actionable insights for improving youth mental health.

A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and NIH-funded researcher, Schleider has published over 150 peer-reviewed studies and developed seven evidence-based mental health programs used by 70,000+ people globally. Her expertise in brief, accessible therapies stems from her Harvard-trained clinical psychology background and leadership role at Northwestern’s Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies.

Schleider’s work bridging research and real-world application has been featured in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and TED Talks. She co-authored The Growth Mindset Workbook for Teens and co-edited the Oxford Guide to Brief and Low-Intensity Interventions for Children and Young People. Little Treatments, Big Effects builds on her NIH-recognized research, offering science-backed strategies to democratize mental health care. Her SSI programs, deployed in schools and digital platforms worldwide, have been translated into 15 languages and endorsed by the American Psychological Association.

1. Single-session interventions (SSIs) disrupt traditional therapy models with science-backed micro-therapy
2. Target pivotal turning points to create outsized mental health improvements
3. Overcome systemic care gaps through accessible SSIs for immediate relief
4. Self-guided SSIs empower individuals to rewrite personal mental health narratives
5. Neuroplasticity-driven interventions reshape anxiety and depression pathways in brief moments
6. Evidence shows 58% efficacy rate for SSIs in youth mental health
7. Replace deficit-focused care with strength-based single-session resilience building
8. Clinicians can scale impact using SSIs without sacrificing treatment quality
9. Mental health transformation requires minutes—not months—of strategic intervention
10. Jessica Schleider’s research proves hope can be systematically engineered through SSIs

David D. Burns, author of The Feeling Good Handbook, is a bestselling psychiatrist and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) pioneer who popularized evidence-based self-help strategies for mental health. He is an adjunct clinical professor emeritus at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Burns developed T.E.A.M. therapy—a modern evolution of CBT—and created widely used assessment tools like the Burns Depression Checklist. His work bridges clinical research and accessible mental health guidance, reflected in The Feeling Good Handbook’s practical techniques for overcoming anxiety, depression, and relationship challenges.

Burns’ seminal book Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy has sold over 4 million copies and is frequently prescribed by mental health professionals. His 1988 appearance on The Phil Donahue Show catapulted CBT into mainstream awareness, cementing his reputation as a transformative voice in psychology.

Other notable works include Feeling Great and When Panic Attacks, which expand on his innovative approaches to emotional wellness. Recognized with awards like the A.E. Bennett Prize for brain chemistry research, Burns continues to train clinicians through Stanford workshops and the Feeling Great app, which adapts his methods for digital therapy. The Feeling Good Handbook remains a cornerstone of CBT practice, translated into numerous languages and endorsed for its actionable, science-backed framework.

1. Your thoughts create emotions—changing thoughts improves mental health
2. Identify cognitive distortions like all-or-nothing thinking to reduce depression
3. Use the triple-column technique to challenge irrational beliefs daily
4. Motivation follows action—start small to break inactivity cycles
5. Self-worth isn’t earned—inherent value exists beyond achievements
6. Labeling yourself as a “failure” perpetuates negative self-image
7. Daily record of dysfunctional thoughts reveals recurring harmful patterns
8. Replace “should” statements with flexible, realistic expectations
9. Emotional reasoning distorts reality—test feelings against factual evidence
10. Procrastination fades when you prioritize action over perfect outcomes
11. Externalize negative voices by debating them with rational responses
12. Cognitive behavioral techniques match medication effectiveness for mild depression

Seth J. Gillihan, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and bestselling author of Retrain Your Brain, known for his expertise in blending cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with mindfulness practices. A University of Pennsylvania-trained psychologist, Gillihan draws on over a decade of clinical experience in treating anxiety, depression, and OCD through evidence-based strategies. His work emphasizes practical, accessible tools for mental health, reflecting his roles as a former faculty member at Penn’s Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxiety and creator of the Think Act Be podcast, which explores mindfulness and emotional well-being.

Gillihan’s authoritative voice in mental health extends to his other acclaimed books, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple and Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, both widely recommended by professionals. As a therapy advisor for the Bloom self-therapy app and a medical reviewer for Everyday Health, he bridges clinical rigor with public education.

His free newsletter and stress-management guides have reached thousands globally, while his frameworks are incorporated into therapeutic practices worldwide. Retrain Your Brain has become a staple in CBT literature, praised for its actionable approach to rewiring thought patterns.

1. How Seth Gillihan’s 7-week CBT program reshapes thought patterns in 49 days
2. Why challenging automatic negative thoughts breaks the anxiety-depression cycle
3. Behavioral activation: Replace avoidance with value-aligned actions to boost mood
4. Exposure therapy techniques to dismantle safety behaviors perpetuating chronic worry
5. Cognitive restructuring worksheet method to transform “worst-case scenario” thinking
6. Weekly time management hacks that prevent overwhelm in anxiety recovery
7. How to identify cognitive distortions fueling imposter syndrome and self-doubt
8. The thoughts-feelings-behaviors cycle explained through Gillihan’s CBT triangle model
9. Mindfulness exercises paired with CBT journal prompts for emotional regulation
10. Building relapse prevention strategies during the program’s integration phase
11. Why safety behaviors reinforce fear responses instead of reducing them
12. Evidence-based CBT techniques from Gillihan’s workbook for lasting neural rewiring

Catherine M. Pittman, PhD, and Elizabeth M. Karle, MLIS, are the co-authors of Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry. They combine clinical expertise and research-driven insights to address anxiety disorders.

Pittman is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience treating anxiety and brain injuries. She also serves as a psychology professor at Saint Mary’s College and conducts workshops on stress management. Karle is a library researcher and the author of Hosting a Library Mystery. She contributes firsthand experience with anxiety, ensuring practical, accessible strategies.

Their collaboration merges Pittman’s neurology-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) work with Karle’s analytical rigor, demystifying the amygdala’s role in fear and the cortex’s contribution to worry. Pittman’s acclaimed follow-up books, Rewire Your OCD Brain and Taming Your Amygdala, further solidify her reputation as a leader in anxiety neuroscience.

Recognized by mental health professionals and featured in resources like the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), their work is praised for translating complex brain science into actionable steps. Rewire Your Anxious Brain remains a cornerstone in self-help literature, recommended for its evidence-based techniques to rewire fear responses.

1. Instead of avoiding triggers, face fears through gradual exposure to weaken amygdala responses
2. Catherine Pittman's two-pathway model distinguishes amygdala-based fear reactions from cortex-driven anxious thought patterns
3. Neuroplasticity proves anxiety isn’t fixed—consistent cognitive restructuring physically alters brain circuits
4. Break anxiety cycles by separating amygdala’s sensory alarms from cortex’s catastrophic storytelling
5. Build an exposure hierarchy to systematically desensitize emotional brain responses to non-threats
6. Challenge cognitive fusion by treating worried thoughts as hypotheses rather than facts
7. Swap “what if” catastrophes with grounded problem-solving plans to redirect cortex energy
8. Calm amygdala hyperactivity through rhythmic breathing before attempting cognitive reframing techniques
9. Identify whether anxiety stems from body-based amygdala alerts or mind-made cortex narratives
10. Use mindfulness to disrupt the "anxiety channel" by consciously focusing on present sensory details
11. Strengthen neuroplastic change by pairing exposure exercises with positive sensory reinforcement activities
12. Rewire automatic fear responses by proving amygdala wrong through repeated safe experiences

David D. Burns, MD, is the bestselling author of When Panic Attacks: The New, Drug-Free Anxiety Therapy That Can Change Your Life and a pioneering psychiatrist renowned for revolutionizing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). A Stanford University School of Medicine adjunct professor emeritus, Burns developed TEAM-CBT, an evidence-based framework widely used in clinical practice.

His work bridges academic rigor and accessible self-help, with When Panic Attacks offering practical tools to manage anxiety through cognitive restructuring and behavioral techniques—themes rooted in his decades of research and clinical practice at institutions like Harvard Medical School.

Burns rose to prominence after a transformative 1988 appearance on The Phil Donahue Show, which catapulted his earlier book, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy—a multi-million-copy bestseller often prescribed by therapists—into the cultural mainstream. His other acclaimed works, including The Feeling Good Handbook and Feeling Great, further solidify his authority in mental health.

Honors like the A. E. Bennett Award and three "Teacher of the Year" awards from Stanford psychiatry residents underscore his dual impact in academia and public education. Feeling Good remains the highest-rated self-help book among U.S. mental health professionals, with translations spanning 30+ languages.

1. Cognitive distortions fuel anxiety—challenge irrational thoughts to regain control.
2. Gradual exposure therapy dismantles avoidance patterns that perpetuate panic attacks.
3. Hidden emotions like suppressed anger often manifest as chronic anxiety.
4. Confront feared scenarios through behavioral experiments to disprove catastrophic predictions.
5. Reframe "niceness" as emotional suppression—address conflicts to reduce anxiety.
6. Cognitive behavioral techniques interrupt panic cycles faster than medication alone.
7. Externalize negative self-talk by debating fear-based thoughts with logic.
8. Physical symptoms of panic often stem from distorted thought loops.
9. Combine cognitive restructuring with exposure for rapid anxiety reduction.
10. Identify "people-pleasing" behaviors that mask unresolved emotional triggers.
11. Practice daily thought records to dismantle anxiety’s cognitive foundations.
12. Biological models of anxiety overlook treatable thought and behavior patterns.