Recommended Books & Podcasts

These books, podcasts, and videos are here to support you long after the moment passes.
When you learn why your mind and body respond the way they do — and how real tools can help — everything becomes less confusing and more manageable.

Education rewires your brain, strengthens emotional regulation, and helps you feel less alone in what you’re experiencing.
Take your time, choose what feels right, and let these voices guide you gently back to yourself.

Before you dive in

If you’re new to this work — or even if you’ve been here before — it helps to know that learning how to calm your mind isn’t about fixing yourself or reaching some final destination.

It’s a practice.

Most people start with mindfulness: learning how to notice what’s happening in your body and mind, without immediately reacting to it.

With time, mindfulness naturally leads to awareness — the ability to observe your thoughts and emotions instead of being pulled around by them. That shift alone can change how you experience stress, anxiety, relationships, and everyday life.

The books and podcasts on this page are here to support that progression. You don’t need to read or listen to everything. You don’t need to rush. And there’s no “right” order — only what meets you where you are right now.

Start gently. Stay curious. Let this be something that supports you, not something you have to master.

CALM DOWN

For panic, anxiety, overstimulation, fear

Recommended Books

  1. The Untethered Soul — Michael A. Singer
    Why: Helps people understand thoughts + emotions as passing experiences, not threats.

  2. Rewire Your Anxious Brain — Catherine Pittman & Elizabeth Karle
    Why: Clear neuroscience explanations that match the card’s techniques.

  3. The Anatomy of Anxiety — Ellen Vora, MD
    Why: Mind-body connection + practical tools.

Podcasts / YouTube Channels

  1. The Mel Robbins Podcast — science-backed emotional regulation

  2. Jay Shetty — On Purpose — grounding, compassionate, spiritual-but-practical

  3. Therapy in a Nutshell (YouTube) — calm, educational breakdowns of tools

Podcast / Episode Recommendations

  1. The Mel Robbins Podcast — “How to Stop Anxiety Fast”

  2. On Purpose with Jay Shetty — “How to Calm Your Nervous System & Stop Overthinking”

  3. Therapy in a Nutshell — “3 Ways to Calm Anxiety Fast”

  4. Huberman Lab — “How to Reduce Stress & Anxiety”

  5. The Anxiety Coaches Podcast — “The 5 Minute Reset”

  6. Ten Percent Happier — “How to Use Your Breath to Calm Down”

Come back

For spiraling thoughts, intrusive thinking, emotional disconnection, overwhelm

Recommended Books

  1. The Power of Now — Eckhart Tolle
    Why: Helps gently return someone to presence.

  2. The Happiness Trap — Russ Harris (ACT Therapy)
    Why: Perfect for thought spiraling, cognitive fusion, emotional overwhelm.

  3. Wherever You Go, There You Are — Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Why: Mindfulness + grounding in simple human terms.

Podcasts / YouTube Channels

  1. The Happiness Lab — Dr. Laurie Santos

  2. Mindful in Minutes (Meditation Podcast)

  3. Better Than Happy — Jody Moore (thought reframing)

Podcast / Episode Recommendations

  1. The Happiness Lab — “The Power of Mindfulness”

  2. Mindful in Minutes — “10-Minute Grounding Meditation for Overthinking”

  3. The Happiness Trap Podcast — “Defusion Techniques That Work”

  4. Ten Percent Happier — “You Are Not Your Thoughts”

  5. Huberman Lab — “Tools for Managing Overthinking & Rumination”

  6. Therapy in a Nutshell — “How to Break Out of Thought Spirals”

Cool Off

For irritation, anger, frustration, explosive emotions

Recommended Books

  1. Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames — Thich Nhat Hanh
    Why: Gentle, deep, teaches non-judgmental awareness of anger.

  2. The Anger Trap — Les Carter
    Why: Practical breakdown of anger cycles + tools for change.

  3. Nonviolent Communication — Marshall Rosenberg
    Why: Helps transform emotional reactions into clarity and communication.

Podcasts / YouTube Channels

  1. The Mindful Minute (Mary Dwyer) — mindful emotional processing

  2. Hidden Brain — human behavior + emotional triggers

  3. Greater Good Science Center (The Science of Happiness) — practical emotion tools

Podcast / Episode Recommendations

  1. Hidden Brain — “The Power of Reappraisal”

  2. The Science of Happiness — “How to Tame Your Inner Critic & Anger”

  3. Therapy in a Nutshell — “How to Process Anger in a Healthy Way”

  4. Ten Percent Happier — “The Art of Skillful Anger”

  5. Huberman Lab — “Tools for Managing Stress & Aggression”

  6. The Mindful Minute — “When Emotions Run Hot”