Overthinking and associated anxiety are coded in us humans. Show me someone who doesn’t experience negative thoughts now and then.
I handpicked the best books for overthinking to stop anxiety and have peace of mind in your daily life. You’ll find evidence of scientific research along with practical strategies on how to manage overthinking.
Before we get started, let’s see what overthinking means.
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What is overthinking?
According to the Berkeley Well-Being Institute, overthinking refers to “the process of repetitive, unproductive thought.” You ruminate about the past or worry about the future or some bad thing happening.
Overthinking has been linked to anxiety, depression, and poor sleep, among others. Oftentimes overthinking becomes a habit and you’ll find yourself in a loop of unproductive rumination.
But no worries! Here’re the best books for overthinking. Enjoy and fill up your reading list.
What are the best books for overthinking?
Here are my top picks for the best books on overthinking:
- The Worry Trick by David A. Carbonell
- Unf*ck Your Brain by Faith G. Harper
- Reclaim Your Brain by Joseph A. Annibali
- The Manual for Living by Epictetus
- Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle
- Rewire: Change Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior by Richard O’Connor
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
- Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
- Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World by Meredith Arthur
- Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross
- Poke the Box by Seth Godin
- Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind by Judson Brewer
- Eliminate Negative Thinking: How to Overcome Negativity, Control Your Thoughts, And Stop Overthinking. Shift Your Focus into Positive Thinking, Self-Acceptance, And Radical Self Love by Derick Howell
- Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton
The Worry Trick by David A. Carbonell
Are you an avid worrier? Not anymore.
In his book, clinical psychologist David Carbonell gives you science-backed & helpful tips on how to stop worrying. His work is based on acceptance & commitment therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, which are evidence-based psychological treatments.
The book is written in an easy-to-digest form and won’t leave you without laughter. You’ll find out how your anxious mind works and what you can do about it.
About the author: David A. Carbonell is a clinical psychologist specializing in anxiety disorder with 30+ years of experience. He authored four self-help books and gives presentations in the topic of anxiety disorders. He is also the host of the Anxiety Coach website.
Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
Unf*ck Your Brain by Faith G. Harper
Dr. Harper combined her unique experience and engaging voice to teach you the most recent neuroscience research in an easy-to-digest form. Unf*ck Your Brain will teach you what’s going on in your own mind and how to deal with it. The author is famously known for her 5-minute therapy—she doesn’t believe in long-term, intensive therapy.
About the author: Dr. Harper is a psychologist by degree and a licensed professional counselor supervisor & certified clinical hypnotherapist with experience in individual, family, and group therapy.
Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD
Reclaim Your Brain by Joseph A. Annibali
If your brain is too busy, this book will teach you how to calm your thoughts and achieve peace of mind. Dr. Annibali gives you specific action plans to stop overthinking and calm your busy brain.
This great book will show you that you can do so much more for your brain health than you previously thought. You’ll learn how your brain works so that you can finally reclaim it with an implementable action plan.
About the author: Dr. Annibali is a chief psychiatrist at Amen Clinics. He’s a recognized expert in psychological & psychiatric disorders and anxiety.
Formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD
A Manual for Living by Epictetus
This classic book may not be among the best books for overthinking, but everyone should read it sooner or later as one of the greatest self-help books. Or should I say manual?
This is only 32 pages long but says so much more than a heavy book. Fully packed with wisdom, this book will leave you with great ideas on how to achieve freedom and live a better life.
About the author: Epictetus is known as one of the greatest ancient Stoic philosophers. Although the book was compiled by his pupil, Arrian, it contains the essence of Epictetus’ wisdom. Epictetus thought that philosophy is something you live, and not a discipline per se, which is reflected in the book.
Formats: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD
Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle
New York Times bestselling author Eckhart Tolle is back with a follow-up to the bestselling The Power of Now. His main message—living in the now—is congruent with ancient Stoic philosophy.
By embracing the power of now, you’ll get rid of the past and future thoughts, which are the hotbed of overthinking. His teachings helped millions of people to achieve inner peace in daily life.
About the author: Eckhart Tolle is a world-recognized spiritual teacher and a New York Times bestselling author. He is referred to as the most popular spiritual author in the US. Oprah keeps Tolle’s book at her bedside.
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook
Rewire: Change Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior by Richard O’Connor
Rewire demystifies how bad habits and addictions work against us, and help you get out of the downward spiral of bad habits. Some of the unwanted behaviors include excessive worrying, overeating, and procrastination.
The book is fully packed with actionable advice on how to stop worrying, overthinking, and other disruptive behaviors.
About the author: Richard O’Connor is a practicing psychotherapist and author of many self-help books including Undoing Depression. Rewire comes from empathy with his patients: he had seen so many people suffering from their behaviors even when they do know what to do about them. The problem was overcoming the obstacles—rewiring their brains.
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audio CD
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
This New York Times bestseller book will introduce you to innovative treatments—like neurofeedback, mindfulness exercises, sport, or yoga—to recover from traumatic stress.
Dr. Kolk used his experience as a trauma specialist to pinpoint how humans adapt to traumatic experiences by using cutting-edge neuroscience and attachment research.
The result? A holistic writing about trauma research, theories, and traditional as well as alternative treatments to rewire your brain, all packed in a fascinating book.
About the author: Dr. Kolk is a medical doctor specializing in traumatic stress. He’s co-founder and chair of the Trauma Research Foundation, a non-profit organization for promoting clinical, scientific, and educational projects on trauma.
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook
Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Lisa Mosconi
Although it may not be among the best books for overthinking on your list, I reserved its spot for mine. Here’s why.
Dr. Mosconi sheds light on brain health from a unique perspective: her scientific research covers neuroscience, microbiology, genomics, and nutrition. This holistic approach to cognitive health links diet to brain function and explains why you’re always tired.
The book comes with a comprehensive list of dos and don’ts for eating, a scientific quiz showing you how healthy your brain is, and lots of specific recipes to eliminate brain fog. (Dr. Mosconi is from Italy, so you can rest assured, they’ll be delicious.)
About the author: Dr. Lisa Mosconi is a neuroscientist and a certified nutritionist specializing in brain health, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. She is the director of the Women’s Brain Initiative and was listed as one of the 17 most influential female scientists.
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook, Audio CD
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The whole world seems to accommodate extroverts. Cain—an introvert herself—wrote the book from her passion to elevate introverts who are often viewing themselves as second-level citizens.
If you’re an introvert, you probably know that you can act like an extrovert in certain situations. In this book, you’ll find out why. The author explains the introvert-extrovert paradox from different angles including psychology, personal experience, and even brain chemistry.
In the book, you’ll find a quiz to identify where you’re on the introvert-extrovert scale. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you’ll see yourself and your introvert fellows from an entirely different perspective.
About the author: Susan Cain is a New York Times bestselling author. She was listed as the 6th top influencer in the world and one of the world’s top 50 leadership and management experts.
Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook
Get Out of My Head: Inspiration for Overthinkers in an Anxious World by Meredith Arthur
If overthinking, anxiety, perfectionism, and people pleasing all add up to your stress cup, this book speaks to you.
It’s a condensed manual that fits in your palm, is beautifully illustrated, and is fully packed with practical advice on how to stop overthinking and manage your anxiety. The hardcover edition comes with a small, secondary book, which is super innovative.
About the author: Meredith is a writer and video producer who founded Beautiful Voyager, the mental health website for overthinkers. She’s also the editor of Invisible Illness.
Formats: Hardcover, Kindle, Audiobook
Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross
We all hear the inner voice in our heads. Sometimes it helps us, but sometimes it backfires. Negative self-talk or “chatter”, as Dr. Kross terms it, can undermine your health, mood, or social life. If negative anxious thoughts are draining your energy, you need to read this book.
Kross used his scientific background together with great storytelling to show you how to calm your inner voice and stop negative thinking. Chatter will teach you how controlling your environment or temporal distancing from your thoughts—among others—may help to reduce anxiety.
About the author: Dr. Kross is a psychologist and an acclaimed university professor at the University of Michigan. He’s the founder of Emotion & Self Control Laboratory, which brings together different disciplines to understand how self-control works and how we can use the latest research to enhance our daily lives.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
Poke the Box by Seth Godin
My reading list of the best books for overthinking couldn’t be complete without mentioning Seth Godin’s book.
Starting something new often feels overwhelming, but in retrospect, we almost always enjoy it. This is a tiny book by a great author. Poke the Box will teach you how to embark on your creative journey and begin acting instead of dreaming and overthinking.
About the author: Seth Godin is the author of 20 bestseller books. He writes a daily blog that is one of the most influential ones not only in his niche (marketing & entrepreneurship) but in the whole world.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, MP3 CD
Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind by Judson Brewer
Obsessing thinking and worrying is a habit. Counterintuitive as it sounds, but it’s addictive. In his New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller book, Dr. Brewer will show you how to break your bad habits.
Based on 20 years of research on addiction and anxiety, this book is a practical guide to stop worrying with useful techniques everyone can follow.
About the author: Judson Brewer is a psychiatrist and Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University. He has studied the science of addiction and bad habits for 20+ years.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
Eliminate Negative Thinking: How to Overcome Negativity, Control Your Thoughts, And Stop Overthinking. Shift Your Focus into Positive Thinking, Self-Acceptance, And Radical Self Love by Derick Howell
In this book, anxiety coach Derick Howell will help you identify the source of worrying and negative self-talk. If you want to approach anxiety from a coaching perspective, this book will help you.
About the author: Derick Howell coaches people on panic attacks, anxiety, and stress. He’s a trained specialist, published author, and public speaker on anxiety & stress management.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
Stop Overthinking: 23 Techniques to Relieve Stress, Stop Negative Spirals, Declutter Your Mind, and Focus on the Present by Nick Trenton
As the title implies, this book will teach you practical techniques to stop overthinking, slow down your thoughts, and enjoy the present moment. The author taps into behavioral psychology and explains what’s going on in your own head. Then he goes into stress management and actionable advice on how to overcome stress, procrastination, and anxiety.
About the author: Nick Trenton became an expert at—how he phrased it—people watching. He got an MA in behavioral psychology and has written a book that soon became a No 1 best seller in the Emotional & Mental Health category.
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook
Is overthinking a mental illness?
Overthinking is part of everyday life. According to the Mayo Clinic, anxiety disorders are more intense, excessive, and persistent fears about everyday situations.
The most common anxiety disorders include social anxiety, separation, and specific phobias.
Symptoms can vary from feeling nervous and restless to have an increased heart rate and rapid breathing to sweating and sleeping problems. These symptoms can culminate in panic attacks as well.
In severe cases, you may seek professional help.
What are the best books for overthinking, anyway?
What I provided are the best books for overthinking from my reading list. It may differ from yours, but here’re my thoughts on what to pick up for reading next evening:
- If you want a classic and to-the-point guide on how to live in the moment and live a purposeful life, choose the Manual for Living by Epictetus. This is a great introduction to Stoic philosophy, which is central to anxiety management.
- If you like the coaching approach, try The Worry Trick by David Carbonell or Derick Howell’s Eliminate Negative Thinking.
- If you feel, you’re always tired, give a try to Brain Food by Lisa Mosconi, which links brain functions to diet.
- If you want to break your bad habits, read Rewire by Richard O’Connor or Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer.
- If you want a practical guide for overthinking, consider Stop Overthinking by Nick Trenton or Reclaim Your Brain by Joseph A. Annibali.
- If you think overthinking and anxiety stem from your introversion, consider Quiet by Susan Cain.
My confession about overthinking
I’m a very indecisive person. I could think about my choices for long hours or days without arriving at an answer. And when I finally happen to make the decision, I keep asking myself whether I made the wrong choice. And it keeps lurking on my mind for days.
What is it if not overthinking? 🙂
Cover photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash
