The past several years have been tough for all of us, whether we found ourselves dealing with the pandemic directly, watched the devastation it caused around the world, or felt its impacts on work, school and our social lives. Every time we have taken a few steps forward, it has frequently felt like several steps back and it’s been hard, I think, for us all to catch our collective breath before there’s something new to worry about.
As we inch towards the promise of spring and renewal, here are some books that deal with carving out space to heal, grieve and take care of our minds and bodies.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön is a classic book on facing emotions and figuring out a path forward when things don’t go as expected. This no-nonsense, encouraging book can be helpful when processing loss, uncertainty and chaotic situations. The audiobook version is worth a listen as well. Pauline Boss’s The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Change deals with some of the same themes around learning to deal with uncertainty and the complexities of loss in a global pandemic.
Sometimes creativity is a vehicle for things that are harder to confront head-on. A picture can convey a thousand words, and poetry can express what prose alone cannot. How Art Heals by Andra Fischgrund Stanton explores how visual art can help express intense emotions. Bring these into your own life through following along with the prompts and techniques, or simply spend time with the art and artists shown within these pages. Poetry often evokes strong emotion in just a few words, whether you read pandemic poetry in Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill, peruse classic and modern Poems of Healing, or turn to Good Poems for Hard Times.
For more books on hope, health, rest, and recovery, we have a list of books to explore.
If you are struggling with your wellbeing, please reach out to NYC Well 1-888- 692-9355, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255, or the Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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