Lately, if you have felt like you don’t want to be a part of any social gathering or if an upcoming presentation feels more like a death sentence to you, you aren’t alone. You might be suffering from Social anxiety disorder or what is casually referred to as a social phobia. Don’t worry; this is something many worldwide suffer from all their lives, so you are not alone. Social anxiety has some degree of cure, but only if you are willing to put in the effort.
While it might not sound like a huge problem to many, social anxiety surely is something to be taken seriously. Firstly, it can temper your chances of personal growth and interacting with others might be challenging if you don’t work to eliminate it. Secondly, social anxiety symptoms can often be strong enough to affect the sufferer’s physical well-being in an individual with serious social anxiety.
Of course, not everyone has enough means to arrange proper therapy sessions to deal with social anxiety. So, besides trying journaling for anxiety and mandala coloring meditations, there are plenty of options for managing social anxiety. In this post, we’ve gathered some of the best self-help books for social anxiety.
Social anxiety books can be really helpful to deal with this mental block if you are ready to put in some time. Below, we are reviewing some of the best books for social anxiety for anyone wanting to get better control over themselves.
What Is The Best Book To Overcome Social Anxiety?
Honestly, there is no certain publication we can claim as the winner amongst other social anxiety books. While the options we are reviewing below are the best books to overcome social anxiety in one way or another, each one will work better for one person and not equally great for someone else. This is because each of us has particular reasons behind facing social anxiety, and not every guide or book on social anxiety can cover all the issues in one go.
Also, you cannot expect only one or two social anxiety books to help you eliminate your anxiety after a single read. Rather, you would have to go through several of the best self-help books for social anxiety before finding a few that can calm you down and help you put yourself together better.
Best Books To Overcome Social Anxiety
How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety
Written by Ellen Hendriksen, this book is what you need if you are determined to change your shy and introverted nature. The author of this book, who also happens to be an adept doctor in the same field, has spent a lot of time understanding and then bringing together the concepts from science, the concrete world, and real-life experiences of people to help a reader deal with their social anxiety better.
The book is more of a motivational lecture than a step-wise guide, and this is what gives it its unique character while making it an interesting read. The idea behind this book is to make the reader realize that they already have all that it needs to succeed and overcome all sorts of situations without feeling awkward or shy. The author herself has dealt with and overcame her social anxiety, and her books are the essence of all her life devoted to helping others like her. If you are ready to rewire your brain, this book is for you.
Pros
- Interesting read
- Easy language
- Great quality
Cons
- Heavy
- Paper quality could have been better
The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven, Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear
If you’ve been consistently told by people that your shyness is your most noticeable trait or if you ever felt like your shyness is keeping you from building great relations in life, this book needs to be on your TBR, and you should read it as soon as you can.
Written by Martin M. Antony and Richard P. Swinson, this 270-ish pages long book is like a proper guidance and support program that helps you tackle your fears and become more confident.
Reading this one means you would learn how not to keep being the quiet and shy kid on the block. Rather, you will start using some proven techniques in social situations that can help ease your anxiety and boost your esteem. This book has gone through several edits and revisions, and the current version seems like it could not have been better than this.
There is also a workbook section in the book that will help you figure out your weaknesses and strengths to help you ace at communicating and connecting with people better. This program book is helpful, and while it might not be the ultimate cure for you, it can still help you put yourself together better.
Pros
- Written by experts in the field
- Edited and fully revised version with better additions
- Comes with workbooks and activities
Cons
- Completing the initial pages might seem like a struggle
Essential Strategies for Social Anxiety: Practical Techniques to Face Your Fears, Overcome Self-Doubt, and Thrive
If you are searching for the best books for social anxiety that can take you step by step and understand and work towards your social anxiety, this one might be for you. This scientific guide for the anxious peeps combines proven practices like ACT, mindfulness, and CBT to help you get a better picture of your anxiety and then teaches you the actions and steps you should take to deal with your problem. The book comes with exercises and guides to help you physically and mentally calm in socially awkward situations.
Moreover, reading this one also gives you some basic techniques that can help you quiet your inner critic, transform negative thoughts into positive ones, and practice calming meditation.
What we love the most about this book is that it comes with essential anxiety-shunning exercises for everyone, regardless of how their anxiety manifests in their behavior. In short, this book is nothing but a package of advice and tips on training your mind better and learning from the experiences of others.
Pros
- Very briefly and nicely written
- Easy to follow chapter flow
- Great page quality
Cons
- Not all exercises are equally easy
The Anxiety and Worry Workbook: The Cognitive Behavioral Solution
Next on our list of social anxiety books is this book with the bold name “Anxiety and Worry Workbook.” The best part about this book is that it results from 25 long years of research and practice in treating people with social phobia and is, thus, nothing but extremely helpful and practical for the readers.
Once you read this book, the tricks and techniques to use in social situations to avoid social anxiety will be at your fingertips. Thanks to the easy language and interesting anecdotes that this book has, it can easily be referred to as one of the best books to overcome social anxiety for all types of readers.
Pros
- Practical content
- Easy to follow
- Great page quality
Cons
- Some sections use heavy jargon at times
The Social Skills Guidebook: Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are
If you are not a fan of reading, don’t worry. Here is an audible book by Chris MacLeod MSW in the soothing narration by Chris Abel that can help you understand the basics behind your social anxiety and the ways to get rid of it to some extent by getting your shyness and nervousness under control whenever triggered. This social anxiety book comes with rich content with insightful ideas on people’s struggles and how they can improve their social skills.
The book generally focuses on helping its readers with mental barriers, conversation issues, and lack of social life. The book’s core purpose is to transform the way you look at social interactions and yourself; thus, it helps change you in the long run, which surely benefits you more than words can describe.
Pros
- Changes thinking
- Enhances productivity
- Easy to understand language
- Available as an audiobook too
Cons
- Expensive
Overcome Social Anxiety and Shyness: A Step-by-Step Self-Help Action Plan to Overcome Social Anxiety, Defeat Shyness and Create Confidence
Here is another audiobook that can help you learn and master a revolutionary technique to stop your shyness from becoming a hindrance or weakness in social situations.
Firstly, the book helps you understand the core reasons behind social anxiety and shyness development. Secondly, it helps curate a solid mental and behavioral foundation in its readers who want to bring about a behavior change in themselves.
Then, the book’s content and tips help the reader manage anxious mindsets and feelings and get control over themselves. Lastly, the book guides you on becoming confident and being the stronger voice in social scenarios.
Pros
- Step-wise and easy-to-follow guide
- Focuses on a practical technique
- Interestingly put
Cons
- The audiobook could have been recorded better
Social Anxiety: Easy Daily Strategies for Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness, Build Successful Relationships, and Increase Happiness
Are you someone who hates to read books and still wants to try out reading to deal with social anxiety? Well, we say you start with this book that is no more than 40 pages long and would take just a few hours of yours. The book helps the readers understand their anxiety better by sharing with them the new and modern causes of social anxiety and differentiating between shyness and anxiety.
The book also shares the basic psyche and science behind anxiety while sharing with you the easy daily tips and strategies you can adopt to minimize and treat your anxiety and overtly shy behavior.
Pros
- Very brief
- To the point and relevant content
- Easy language
Cons
- A bit expensive for the content and length covered
Social Anxiety Relief for Teens: A Step-by-Step CBT Guide to Feel Confident and Comfortable in Any Situation (The Instant Help Solutions Series)
Some teenagers often realize that they cannot communicate with others and would rather die than be asked to speak in public. If you are one such teen or know someone like this, this book can help.
This 200-pager book covers the basic 5-step CBT method to overcome anxiety and helps you recognize the triggers of your social phobia to deal with them before they overpower you. With simple language fit for a teen’s reading style, this book should be your next read for social anxiety.
Pros
- Easy to understand
- Great paper and cover quality
- Practical and therapeutic
Cons
- Should have workbooks and other interactive activities
Benny Beats His Shyness: Kids and Parents Overcoming Social Anxiety (CBT Tails: Kids and Parents Beating Emotional Difficulties)
While this might be new for you, children as young as 1st graders can have social anxiety that, if left unattended, can limit many chances of growth. Thankfully, this book can help such children and their parents altogether.
For children, this story is about a cute lion cub who overcomes anxiety and becomes a great communicator. For parents, this book is full of wisdom on dealing with such children and understanding what runs inside the mind of such a child.
Pros
- Illustrious and colorful
- Very interesting
- Very informative
- Perfect for readers of all age groups
Cons
- Nothing that we could find
Thriving with Social Anxiety: Daily Strategies for Overcoming Anxiety and Building Self-Confidence
Here is a book for all those who are on a journey to healing and dealing with their anxiety after understanding the root cause of it as well as the triggers that they need to keep an eye on. The book consists of several daily techniques you can use to control yourself and deal with anxiety better. Coming from someone who has lived with anxiety for years and is now in control of themselves, this book surely is nothing but practical and realistic.
Pros
- A great part-time read
- Excellent and straightforward strategies
- Helpful for all sorts of readers
Cons
- You need some background knowledge about your anxiety before you read it
Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks: A Workbook for Managing Depression and Anxiety
If you are not an avid reader, then this seven-week workbook could be your savior in case of anxiety. The trick is to take it slow and complete one worksheet at a time to complete a calming 7-week course to overcome your anxiety. The book combines the best CBT practices to help you deal with anxiety and depressive thoughts while you are also serious about getting professional help for these issues.
Pros
- Helpful and calming
- Won’t overwhelm you
- Easy to navigate
Cons
- You cannot rely on this book alone for social anxiety treatment
Social Anxiety: 7 Easy Ways to Overcome Your Inferiority Complex TODAY
Don’t like paperbacks? No worries, this simple and easy-to-understand kindle book is here to help. The content of the book is self-explanatory, and the title encapsulates all of what the book offers very well. So, grab the book today and get to reading.
Pros
- Very brief
- Easy to read
Cons
- Expensive
Nervous Ninja: A Social-Emotional Book for Kids About Calming Worry and Anxiety (Ninja Life Hacks)
This fun and interesting book is here to help the growing kids learn life skills and manage their behaviors better. But, in doing all this, the book helps them understand the concept of anxiety and helps them master the tricks to keep anxiousness as far away as possible from them in their growing years. Cool, isn’t it?
Pros
- Fun and interesting
- Pretty cover
- Brief
Cons
- Not exactly an anxiety help book
The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens: CBT and ACT Skills to Help You Build Social Confidence Paperback
Here is another workbook for teens who would not read a book but are happy to work on some mind-training exercises. This book comes with several amazing exercises that can train your brain and help you better understand your anxiety and its triggers.
Pros
- Easy exercises
- Easy language
Cons
- Should guide better on context
Rewire Your Anxious Brain: How to Use the Neuroscience of Fear to End Anxiety, Panic, and Worry Paperback
Lastly, we have another easy-to-understand anxiety self-help book. The book’s contents are pretty much well-explained in the title, and all we have to say is that grab this one if you are ready to spend some time on your anxiety and brain. Surely, it will reward you.
Pros
- Guaranteed results
- Great print and paper quality
Cons
- Not suitable for first-time readers of any social anxiety book
Can Books Help In Social Anxiety?
Of course, reading books has been shown to have great results for people trying to manage their mental and behavioral issues only if the books have relevant content and are designed to have self-help qualities. For years, authors have been writing social anxiety books to help and guide those trying to manage their anxiousness, and the books have shown great results in almost all cases.
However, you must be consistent with your readings and expect the results to show themselves after a considerable time has passed to you being a habitual reader of such books.
Can I Treat Social Anxiety By Myself?
While it is not always possible to entirely treat your social anxiety all by yourself, you surely have a great role to play when it comes to lessening its impact on your daily life and keeping yourself under control in social situations. Reading guides and social anxiety books, journaling, and trying out yoga are some things that everyone can do without professional assistance to keep their anxiety in check. However, if you find your social anxiety getting out of hand, there is no harm in seeking professional help whenever you want.