The good news is there are plenty of resources available to help you navigate our social world. An ideal self-help book is tailored to your specific situation and fits into your schedule. Also consider the style of the book, from workbook style with writing prompts to more narrative approaches. Here are the best self-help books for social anxiety on the market, according to a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. The book is meant to be a self-help journey as it provides guidance, self-diagnostic questionnaires and techniques, case studies, and worksheets to cater to many different kinds of learning styles. Keep in mind that this pick demands more of a time commitment than some of the books on our list. However, if you have the time available, you may reap more benefits. Price at time of publication: $30 This workbook helps you by allowing you to process specific situations through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques and offering guidance to overcome the impediments that shyness may bring in social situations. This book is highly effective for people who struggle with shyness, but not in ways severe enough to need therapy. Price at time of publication: $23 This book focuses on readers who have been diagnosed with a social disorder or phobia to help them gain confidence in social settings. Price at time of publication: $23 This book stands out for its focus not only on the thought narrative, but also on calming the physical symptoms of social anxiety, including racing heart, poor eye contact, blushing, and even shy bladder syndrome. Price at time of publication: $19 This workbook offers a customized plan to address issues at home, school, and social settings with techniques meant to be practiced in less than 10 minutes a day. Price at time of publication: $16
Everyday anecdotes and examples are used to help readers connect with and apply the techniques. Price at time of publication: $13 The techniques focus on silencing the inner critic that lives inside your thoughts and on how to allow your authentic personality to shine through. Price at time of publication: $18 While the workbook offers sound techniques to make panic-inducing tasks like public speaking more manageable, the core goal of the workbook is to remove the barriers of anxiety in order to form greater bonds and connections with others. Price at time of publication: $25 The workbook works best when used in conjunction with therapy to pair education with emotional processing. Price at time of publication: $47 People with intense emotions are often naturally intelligent, but struggle to benefit from their intelligence due to not always being able to regulate their intense emotions. Price at time of publication: $25 Based on CBT techniques, this book offers readers easy-to-apply skills to everyday situations. Price at time of publication: $11
Time Commitment
Committing to a book or guide that does not really fit into your current schedule may lead you to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or defeated. It’s important to pick something simple that you’re able to practice within a reasonable time frame. If you have more space and time to dedicate to self-improvement, then a lengthy guidebook may be more beneficial.
Subject-Specific
To get the most out of your self-help journey, be sure to pick a guidebook that fits your learning style and targets your specific situation. If you have a clinical diagnosis of anxiety, it is best to pick a guidebook to use in addition to therapy services. If you have a personality trait that brings challenges in social situations, then a non-clinical guidebook may be the most helpful.
What Experts Say
“When choosing a book to help with social anxiety, look for one that challenges readers to face their fears in small, gradual steps. I encourage clients to encounter social anxiety through saying hello, initiating a conversation, or initiating setting a time to spend with someone. This approach allows teens and adults alike to gain confidence while experiencing mastery with small wins and big victories,” Aliza Beaulieu, LMHC
Why Trust Verywell Mind?
As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 15 years of experience working with clients to improve mental and emotional health, Mary K Tatum understands the importance of finding quality resources and techniques that work for each person. Not everyone will have the same kind of healing journey, therefore, having lots of options to choose from is vitally important in creating a lifestyle that combats mental illness and promotes health and wellbeing.
