You’d think that in a world where we have more accessible information than ever, we would feel powerful enough to tamper our anxiety. Instead, it seems we suffer more needless anxiety than our ancestors. Most of us do not live in a war zone and do not have to worry about the basic needs of life. In fact, one of our challenges seems to be what to do with all of our possessions; that is when we’re not anxious that someone is out to take our possessions.

The daily dose of news launches all sorts of anxieties, without regard to how remote a threat to our wellbeing might actually exist. Whether it is disease, unwelcome foreigners, crime or just plain change we take in the news like a vacuum. To be sure, there are things in the world that can cause anxiety. What attracts us to stories that are designed to cause even more anxiety?

Whether you prefer nonfiction books to help you understand and overcome anxiety or fiction about characters dealing with anxiety, there are plenty of very worthy books to choose from.

On the nonfiction end, you might want to check out these books:
The Anxiety and Phobia Workout Book – Edmund J. Bourne
The Chimp Paradox – Dr. Steve Peters
Overcoming Anxiety – Helen Kennerley

If you prefer to seek entertainment in anxious characters, you’ll find them in these novels:
Oscar & Lucinda – Peter Carey
Of Human Bondage – Somerset Maugham
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
Portnoy’s Complaint – Philip Roth
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

For children:
Scaredy Squirrel – Melanie Watt
Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears – Emily Gravett

Dare I wish you “happy reading”?