Teen Reads: Self Care

Your brain needs a hug : life, love, mental health, and sandwiches Earl, Rae

author Rae Earl offers her personalized advice on the A to Zs of mental health, social media, family and friendship. When she was a teenager, Rae dealt with OCD, anxiety, and an eating disorder, but she survived, and she thrived.

Your Brain Needs a Hug is filled with her friendly advice, coping strategies and laugh-out-loud moments to get you through the difficult days. Witty, honest, and enlightening, this is the perfect read for feeling happier and healthier and learning to navigate life without feeling overwhelmed or isolated

The stress survival guide for teens : CBT skills to worry less, develop grit, & live your best life Bernstein, Jeffrey

School pressure, BFF drama, body changes, social media, dating—is it any wonder you’re feeling stressed? You aren’t alone. Many teens today find themselves worried, anxious, and stressed out. But there are ways you can take control of your stress before it interferes with your life. This go-to “survival guide” will show you how to deal with stress so you can get back to the things that make you happy.

With this fun and easy guide, you’ll learn how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you challenge negative thoughts and replace them with more helpful, flexible ways of seeing life’s challenges. You’ll also discover how important it is to slow down and notice the things that are really going well in your life! Finally, you’ll learn to figure out what’s really important to you, and how you can use your values to build resilience against stress and future setbacks.

Positively teen : a practical guide to a more positive, more confident you Morgan, Nicola

Breezy and compassionate, Positively Teen teaches teens how to approach their adolescent years with optimism and understanding, giving them the skills they need to develop long-term well-being. Full of practical, proven strategies, it includes advice on how to flourish both physically and mentally–from learning to do things you enjoy, to understanding how to look after your diet, exercise and attitude, to understanding your personality. With these strengths and skills in hand, teens will learn to weather any storm and thrive on the challenges of this time in their lives.

Body positive : a guide to loving your body Dick, Emily Lauren

What does it mean to be beautiful? How can a girl embrace and develop her individuality and unique qualities when the world is constantly comparing her to the plastic perfection of Barbie? 

Body Positive: A Guide to Loving Your Body is the number one resource for young adult women who desire to redefine and understand true beauty. Focusing on correct body image, self-improvement, thinspiration, mental health, bullying, sexual harassment, and more, Body Positive is packed with introspective questions and inspiring, un-retouched photographs that display the bodies of real, everyday women. Body Positive is a helpful, informative and inspirational guide that will help any girl transcend society’s standards.

Self-esteem for teens : six principles for creating the life you want Schab, Lisa M.

How you feel about yourself affects every aspect of your life. When you have healthy self-esteem, you’ll approach people, situations, and feelings with confidence. You’ll have an easier time making friends, excelling in school, and interviewing for jobs. You’ll be able to see yourself more clearly—celebrating your strengths and accepting your weaknesses. And finally, you’ll be better able to accomplish any goal you set. This book can teach you how.

Self-Esteem for Teens will show you how you are in control of your own self-esteem. When you truly believe in your own worth, discovering and developing your authentic self gives you the power to feel good and succeed in any area of life. You can learn to turn any life situation into a positive one and see mistakes and hurdles as opportunities and challenges. You can develop inner strength and peace. And you can make choices in your thoughts and actions that lead to positive outcomes with friends, family, dating, school, jobs, and activities.

The PTSD survival guide for teens : strategies to overcome trauma, build resilience & take back your life Raja, Sheela

If you’ve experienced trauma or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the world can seem like a very frightening place. You may even question your own deeply held beliefs, as well as the motives of others. It’s important for you to know that you aren’t alone, and there isn’t anything wrong with you. Many teens have suffered traumatic events, and there are solid skills you can learn that will help you recover. So, how can you begin healing and start building the life you were always meant to lead?

In this compassionate guide, you’ll find skills based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you tackle anxiety and harmful avoidance behaviors; manage negative emotions; cope with flashbacks and nightmares; and develop trusting, healthy relationships—even if your trust in others has been shaken to the core. You’ll also learn more about the diagnosis and symptoms of PTSD and understand what kind of help is available to you.

#MeToo and you : everything you need to know about consent, boundaries, and more Bondy, Halley

The #MeToo movement has changed the way many people view the world, but how well do tweens understand it? Middle-grade readers are ready to learn about consent, harassment, and abuse, as well as healthy boundaries in all their relationships.

#MeToo and You includes essential terminology, from consent to assault, from just plain yes to just plain no. Author Halley Bondy explores the nuances of emotions, comfort, and discomfort in sexually charged and emotionally abusive situations. Detailed scenarios, both real and hypothetical, provide valuable examples of what’s acceptable and what is not, along with tools to help everyone treat others appropriately and to stand up for themselves and their peers.

Your life, your way : skills to help teens manage emotions, and build resilience Ciarrochi, Joseph

Being a teen in today’s world is tough. Between school pressure, family, friends, and extracurricular activities—sometimes it can feel like you’re being pulled in a dozen different directions, and none of them are your way. On top of that, you may feel lonely, angry, or depressed; or you may wonder if you’re good enough, smart enough, or attractive enough. So, how can you overcome these self-doubts, and cultivate the strength to face life’s challenges and reach your full potential?

In Your Life, Your Way, you’ll learn how to deal with all the changes and challenges of the teen years—and how to grow into the person you want to be. You’ll learn doable skills grounded in mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and positive psychology to help you form positive friendships, manage difficult emotions, and get unstuck from bad habits.

You’ll also learn real tips for dealing with several life challenges, including: Feelings of uncertainty, Concerns about your looks, Deadlines, School/college/work, Family, Worries about the future, and Relationship stress

Once you identify your own personal struggles, you can decide how you want to face them—as strong, assertive, kind, honorable, caring, fun, supportive, friendly, agreeable, bold, persistent, or giving.

101 ways to conquer teen anxiety : simple tips, techniques and strategies for overcoming anxiety, worry and panic attacks McDonagh, Thomas

Teens today are more stressed than ever. Whether they face problems with school, friends, parents or all of the above, teens need help. Based on cognitive behavioral therapy, the most
widely used and popular anxiety therapy among clinicians, 101 Ways to Conquer Teen Anxiety offers dozens of beneficial quizzes, activities, tips and illustrations to help teens:

• Identify the most common anxiety triggers
• Learn essential skills to prevent anxiety attacks
• Redirect risky behavior, including substance abuse and self-harm
• Understand the options of therapy and medication
• Overcome the spike-and-relapse cycle

From mindfulness meditation and the repetition of positive mantras to diaphragmatic breathing and nature walks, the activities in this book both calm the body and keep thoughts from spiraling.

Everything a band-aid can’t fix : a teen’s guide to healing and dealing with life Russell, Nicole

This book was written for YOU and all the curious young adults who are looking for an instruction manual on how to deal with the craziness of the teen years.

It’s a set of guidelines for understanding how to cope with feelings and experiences that aren’t always easy to share. It will help you master the ability to defeat adversity with or without the help of others; it will encourage you to speak out against the wrongs in your world and help protect yourself from them.

Self-care doesn’t require coverings. So hold the Band-Aids and let’s get started