Anxiety, tension, pressure, uneasiness… it’s a feeling we all know and emphatically do not love.

Here’s a selection of recent titles, ranging from personal stories to practical self-help guides, that tackle different approaches to easing our minds and breathing through the stress.

Presence by Amy Cuddy

Cuddy’s 2012 TED Talk swept the Internet and had everyone (including us) posing like Wonder Woman in the mirror before job interviews and other high-stress situations. Now, she brings the theory that body language physically affects the brain to a full-length book, backed up by years of Harvard research.

 

 

 

 

10% Happier by Dan Harris

Journalists know stress—and Harris knew it intimately when he had a panic attack on air while he was co-hosting Good Morning America. This book follows his journey back to calm (and back to live TV) through a sensible look at meditation and Buddhist practices.

 

 

The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar

Making decisions, large and small, is a huge stressor. Iyengar takes a discerning look at the “biological need for choice and control,” contrasts Asian and American approaches to choice, and makes the underlying theory accessible and readable.

 

 

 

 

10 Mindful Minutes by Goldie Hawn, with Wendy Holden

The actress/journalist/activist offers practical tips for children, and her co-author writes the sections for parents in this how-to book about handling stress, sadness, and other strong emotions.

 

 

 

 

Learning to Breathe by Priscilla Warner

Panic attacks were second nature to Warner, who details her year-long process of trying out coping techniques that range from yoga to therapy and Jewish mysticism to eye-movement desensitization.

 

 

 

 

The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal
McGonigal posits that learning to manage and channel stress—not get rid of it—should the calm-seekers’ true goal.

 

 

 

 

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!