Books for Tough Times: Relationships

Whether we're talking about friendships, romantic relationships, casual dates or casual intimate partners, this guide will help you not only live authentically in your ace and aro identity, but joyfully share it with others.

A road map for building strong and secure relationships for those who struggle with anxiety in their romantic connections. Seasoned psychotherapist and couples counselor Jessica Baum guides readers through understanding their attachment style at its core and building the inner strength and self-love that will lead them to more secure and satisfying relationships.

The Assertiveness Workbook contains powerfully effective skills grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you communicate more effectively, improve social interactions, and express yourself with confidence and clarity.

Melissa Urban has helped millions of people transform their relationship with food. Now, in this powerful and practical guide, she shows how boundaries—clear limits you set to protect your energy, time, and health—are the key to feelings of security, confidence, and freedom in every area of your life.

A much-needed guide to dating—from apps to hooking up, sex, long-term relationships and more—from disabled essayist and author Jessica Slice and bioethicist Caroline Cupp.

A comprehensive and practical self-help book designed to help couples with children from prior relationships thrive despite the complexity of stepfamily life.

Reclaim your power from narcissists, manipulators, and other toxic people. This book teaches evidence-based skills grounded in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you recognize and shut down the common manipulation tactics used by toxic people, such as gaslighting, stonewalling, projection, covert put-downs, and love bombing.

Harnessing the latest scientific research, Dr. LePera teaches us to recognize how unmet needs from our earliest relationships create our current, dysfunctional relationship patterns, and leave us in a state of constant internal threat, even with those closest to us. Whether you struggle to maintain the kinds of relationships you want, or are facing a specific challenge with a spouse, partner, parent, sibling, child, friend, or colleague—Dr. LePera teaches us how to break painful cycles and reconnect with the wisdom, appreciation, and compassion that lives in each of our hearts.

YouTube sensations Shane and Hannah Burcaw are back with a groundbreaking, uproarious collection of essays and short stories about what it means to be in an interabled relationship.

Two therapists analyze their own relationship to help untangle the common and frustrating barriers many individuals face on the road to a happy, loving, rewarding partnership. The surprising truth is falling in love is more about you than your partner. It's more about challenge and growth than comfort and ease, and roots don't grow from wishful thinking--they grow in the soil of communication, curiosity, patience, and understanding.

Finding love can be hard. Being single can feel even harder. Matthew Hussey provides a practical roadmap for letting go of past relationships, overcoming the fear of getting left behind, and finding the love we want.

Does your other half have Asperger Syndrome or do you suspect that he or she is on the autism spectrum? This title explains Asperger Syndrome, discusses whether or not seeking an autism diagnosis will help, and offers simple strategies for coping with a range of relationship challenges including communication, social, and intimacy difficulties.

A compassionate guide to help couples survive infidelity and improve their relationship.

Offers a refreshing and innovative approach to understanding and improving relationships in today's increasingly polarized world. Kelley and Marriott make complex concepts accessible and relatable, emphasizing the realistic capacity for neural change and psychological growth.

Healthy boundaries. We all know we should have them--in order to achieve work/life balance, cope with toxic people, and enjoy rewarding relationships with partners, friends, and family. But what do "healthy boundaries" really mean--and how can we successfully express our needs, say "no," and be assertive without offending others?

When people you know are hurting, you want to let then know that you care. But many people don't know what words to use—or are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. Crowe and McDowell have created a guide to help you increase your emotional intelligence and learn how to offer comfort and support when someone you know is in pain.

You or someone you love may be in a toxic relationship, but it doesn't have to stay that way. In this compassionate and practical resource, Stephanie Quayle shares her powerful story alongside psychologist Dr. W. Keith Campbell's professional insights to give you the help and hope you need—and remind you that you are not alone.

So, you just got dumped, huh? Or did you just dump someone? Doesn't matter who ended it. Either way, you're sleeping alone tonight. But don't worry, you're not really alone. With its universal, all-inclusive approach to the subject, The Art of Breaking Up is an acute observation of love and heartbreak in modern times, and maybe-just maybe-a salve for anyone with a broken heart.

This book guides the reader through all the steps of negotiating a divorce settlement, using mediation or collaborative law. It explains mediation and collaborative divorce and shows you how to choose the right method for your family; maximize opportunities for settlement; get an agreement in writing; find mediators, attorneys, and advisers, and protect your children first, last, and always.

If your heart is broken, this book is for you. Whether you're struggling with a death, break-up, illness, unwanted life change, or loss of any kind, this book will help you both understand your predicament and figure out what to do about it.

This seriously motivational guide mixes salty straight talk, humor, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and positivity to lead you to growth and recovery after a breakup.

Loving Me After We teaches readers how to rediscover self-love, confidence, and emotional security after leaving a toxic relationship. Celebrated psychotherapist Ginger Dean combines personal anecdotes and practical advice to guide readers through healing their hearts and breaking trauma bonds. This book empowers women to set boundaries and embark on a transformative journey towards the best love affair they've ever known—with themselves.

Written by an experienced family lawyer, it's a blunt, funny, empathetic look at one of the most challenging times in life. Filled with concrete advice and hilarious and sometimes cringe-worthy examples, it's the perfect blend of how-to and what-not-to-do.

This workbook offers step-by-step guidance to help you put your life back together when a relationship ends. With this powerful and practical guide, you’ll work through grief and anger, overcome the fear of being alone, and learn to establish a new sense of identity.

Written just for teens, will gently walk you through all stages of a breakup and offers evidence-based skills from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and neuroscience to help you weather the emotional storm and move forward with your life.

A completely practical, comprehensively researched information and advice on how you can do what is best for your child when you are going through a separation or divorce.

Self-help luminary Louise Hay and renowned grief and loss expert David Kessler have come together to start a conversation on healing grief. This remarkable book discusses the emotions that occur when a relationship leaves you brokenhearted, a marriage ends in divorce, or a loved one dies.

Black women experience domestic violence and abuse at a disproportionately high rate. Grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this first-of-its-kind book addresses the unique struggles faced by Black women who have experienced domestic violence, and empowers them to understand and heal their trauma, leave harmful situations, and regain a sense of safety and freedom.

For those who you want to learn how to survive domestic violence or want to learn more information about this topic.

When you are showered with attention, it can feel incredibly romantic and can blind you to hints of problems ahead. But what happens when attentiveness becomes domination? If you or someone you care about are trapped in a web of coercive control, this book provides answers, hope, and a way out.

An easy-to-use workbook full of healing exercises and journaling prompts to empower survivors of abusive relationships. The self-guided approach offers critical thinking, coping skills, and other proven tools to help you strengthen and rebuild from domestic violence—and move forward into a new stage of life.

When survivors of domestic violence reveal their predicaments, the first question many ask is "Why did you stay?" Here, an abuse survivor answers that question through her own story of survival and offers help to those who want to leave and rebuild their lives.

Illustrated throughout with Jean Wei's dynamic art, here are the tips and tools readers need to make new pals and improve the quality of existing friendships. Insightful, empathetic, and just a touch irreverent, the advice stresses practicality, self-forgiveness, and inclusivity, with scripts and step-by step guides for making and keeping friendships that are fulfilling, accepting, and lasting.

As we grow older and school friendships fade, it can be difficult to meet new people and cultivate meaningful friendships. How do you strike up a conversation with a stranger? How do you move from mutual acquaintances to real friends? Here to Make Friends has the answers to all of these questions and more. Written by a licensed therapist, this book is packed full of helpful advice and tips to overcome social anxiety and start building a stronger social circle.

This book offers practical strategies for navigating social situations without alcohol, addressing common challenges such as peer pressure and societal expectations. Readers will learn how to maintain fulfilling relationships, handle trigger moments, and embrace the benefits of sobriety, from improved health to stronger connections with others.

Dr. Faith Harper applies brain science and her clinical and personal experience to help understand this vital type of relationship, offering insight into how to choose and make friends, sustaining and strengthening your friendships, friend group dynamics, friend breakups, setting excellent friendship boundaries, handling conflict, and managing all the different kinds of relationships we encounter in our lives.

This no-nonsense guide to beating social anxiety covers everything from surviving university and the workplace, through to social media and making it through parties and dates (whilst actually enjoying them!)

Part memoir, part self-help, You Will Find Your People uncovers the complex, frightening, and often vulnerable process of building real, healthy friendships and finally creating your chosen family.

A powerful collection of useful information, case studies, and exercises on how to manage your shyness so you can communicate with people you don't know very well (or at all) in a wide range of personal and professional settings and circumstances.

A groundbreaking redefinition of what it means to be healthy that introduces the need for social health—the part of wellbeing that comes from feeling connected—to truly flourish.

Explores the epidemic of loneliness, and provides useful strategies on how to face the challenges of feeling alone. This book will show you: the issues, problems and challenges of loneliness; how to identify and acknowledge the reasons for not being lonely; and strategies, tips and advice on how to manage and overcome the issue.

Although spending time alone for short periods may be restorative and helpful, unintentional or involuntary isolation can have profound detrimental effects on emotional and physical health. The book touches on how social isolation, loneliness, and stress affect each of us individually and can sometimes provoke depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidality, and substance use.

Through the lenses of gender and violence, technology and art, Radtke ushers us through a history of loneliness and longing, and shares what feels impossible to share. Ranging from the invention of the laugh-track to the rise of Instagram, the bootstrap-pulling cowboy to the brutal experiments of Harry Harlow, Radtke investigates why we engage with each other, and what we risk when we turn away.

There's nothing wrong with being shy. But if shyness or social anxiety keeps you from building meaningful relationships with others, advancing in your education or career, or simply living your best life, The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook offers a comprehensive program to help you confront your fears and become actively involved in the world.

Right now, many of our relationships at home and at work, as well as in our communities are struggling. What, then, are the best ways back to belonging, and what might a more engaged community look like? Maggie Hamilton explores our growing loneliness and proposes practical solutions and an uplifting vision to combat the increasing social isolation in our families and communities.

This is a self-care manual for the days when you feel alone—the days when you worry that you're too weird or broken or unfixable to be normal. With compassion, humor, and honesty, Jill offers signposts to help you find the path back to yourself.

An empathetic and practical eight-step guide addressing workplace stress and anxiety. Drawing on their expertise, the authors delve into the causes of anxiety and offer effective management practices to cultivate calm and reduce tension in both managers and employees. Through strategies such as balancing overload, fostering resilience, and strengthening social bonds, the book provides actionable insights for creating a stress-free work atmosphere in today's volatile and fast-paced global climate.

The Assertiveness Workbook contains powerfully effective skills grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help you communicate more effectively, improve social interactions, and express yourself with confidence and clarity.

I'm not here to make work friends. Or am I? Managers, peers, work friends, mentors, frenemies, annoying people, romantic interests, your boss's boss, and so on. We probably spend more hours with our coworkers than with anyone else. So even if they're not all perfect, it's worth building connections with them that will provide you with support, help you network and learn, and keep your career moving forward. This book will help you make so-so work relationships better, keep the bad ones from bringing you down, and build lasting connections with incredible people.

Business Chemistry unveils the secrets behind interpersonal dynamics and team performance through a comprehensive framework based on research and analytics. By understanding the unique working styles of individuals, leaders can foster effective collaboration, maximize team potential, and create inclusive work environments where everyone thrives. This book provides practical insights and strategies to enhance personal effectiveness and leadership skills, ensuring success in diverse workplace settings.

Burnett and Evans show us how design thinking can transform our present job, and how it can improve our experience of work in times of disruption.

A research-based, practical guide for how to handle difficult people at work. Workplace expert and Harvard Business Review podcast host Amy Gallo identifies eight familiar types of difficult coworkers—the insecure boss, the passive-aggressive peer, the know-it-all, the biased coworker, and others—and provides strategies tailored to dealing constructively with each one.

Offers practical strategies for dealing with difficult work environments while protecting your mental health and career. It helps you recognize what's fixable, set boundaries, and decide whether to stay or move on, all with expert-backed advice.

A practical guide on how to identify conflict styles to better navigate workplace and personal disputes, help reduce stress, improve communication and foster collaboration using actionable strategies developed through decades of experience and research on team dynamics.

This book is every working introvert's handbook that they can reference throughout their career for guidance on tricky or draining situations and motivation to enlist the power of their inner introvert to succeed.

A humorously illustrated guide to navigating office life for the autistic employee, with advice on navigating the stressful and sensorially overwhelming world of office speak, endless meetings, workplace relationships, banter and bullying, to help you become the best advocate for yourself at work (and an expert on your neurotypical colleagues).

Offers step-by-step expert advice that empowers women to understand and overcome the conflicts they face at work with coworkers and managers.

With an emphasis on the positive actions you can take while being attentive to your specific situation, Work Jerks provides practical advice on how to deal with a variety of problematic coworkers—whether in-person or remotely—so work can stop being something you dread and start being something you enjoy.