How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing (2022), by KC Davis, LPC

This revolutionary approach to cleaning and organizing helps free you from feeling ashamed or overwhelmed by a messy home.

If you’re struggling to stay on top of your to-do list, you probably have a good reason: anxiety, fatigue, depression, ADHD, or lack of support. For therapist KC Davis, the birth of her second child triggered a stress-mess cycle. The more behind she felt, the less motivated she was to start. She didn’t fold a single piece of laundry for seven months. One life-changing realization restored her sanity—and the functionality of her home: You don’t work for your home; your home works for you.

In other words, messiness is not a moral failing. A new sense of calm washed over her as she let go of the shame-based messaging that interpreted a pile of dirty laundry as “I can never keep up” and a chaotic kitchen as “I’m a bad mother.” Instead, she looked at unwashed clothes and thought, “I am alive,” and at stacks of dishes and thought, “I cooked my family dinner three nights in a row.”

Building on this foundation of self-compassion, KC devised the powerful practical approach that has exploded in popularity through her TikTok account, @domesticblisters. The secret is to simplify your to-do list and to find creative workarounds that accommodate your limited time and energy. In this book, you’ll learn exactly how to customize your cleaning strategy and rebuild your relationship with your home, including:

-How to see chores as kindnesses to your future self, not as a reflection of your worth
-How to start by setting priorities
-How to stagger tasks so you won’t procrastinate
-How to clean in quick bursts within your existing daily routine
-How to use creative shortcuts to transform a room from messy to functional

With KC’s help, your home will feel like a sanctuary again. It will become a place to rest, even when things aren’t finished. You will move with ease, and peace and calm will edge out guilt, self-criticism, and endless checklists. They have no place here.

Sensory: Life on the Spectrum: An Autistic Comics Anthology (2022), ed. Bex Ollerton

A colorful and eclectic comics anthology exploring a wide range of autistic experiences—from diagnosis journeys to finding community—from autistic contributors.

From artist and curator Bex Ollerton comes an anthology featuring comics from thirty autistic creators about their experiences of living in a world that doesn’t always understand or accept them. Sensory: Life on the Spectrum contains illustrated explorations of everything from life pre-diagnosis to tips on how to explain autism to someone who isn't autistic, to suggestions for how to soothe yourself when you’re feeling overstimulated. With unique, vibrant comic-style illustrations and the emotional depth and vulnerability of memoir, this book depicts these varied experiences with the kind of insight that only those who have lived them can have.

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 978-1524874766

I Am Autistic: A Workbook: Sensory Tools, Practical Advice, and Interactive Journaling for Understanding Life with Autism (By Someone Diagnosed with It) (2022), Chanelle Moriah

Navigate the world of autism with this friendly, full-color guide for those interested in learning more about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), getting an early diagnosis, and recognizing how being autistic can impact a person’s life.

In this first-ever creative guide, author and illustrator Chanelle Moriah offers an interactive tool for both diagnosed and undiagnosed autistics to explain or make sense of their experiences. It also offers non-autistic people the chance to learn more about autism from someone who is autistic.

Packed with full-color illustrations, sensory elements, and spaces for reflection, this book is designed to be personalized to the individual’s experience. I Am Autistic helps people feel less alone in their autism and brings knowledge to an often-misunderstood condition.

Paperback: 144 pages
ISBN: 978-1646044184

Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask! by Dr. Megan Anna Neff (2024)

Ditch the stigma, celebrate your identity, and put yourself first with these 100+ exercises that reinforce the idea that neurodiversity is a strength and teaches you how to relax, destress, find your community, practice self-love, and more.

When you’re autistic, it can be tough to prioritize wellness.

Self-Care for Autistic People can help you engage in some neurodivergent self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 activities that help you accept yourself, destigmatize autism, find your community, and take care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the challenging aspects of autism, as well as ideas to bring out the many positive aspects. With expert advice from therapist Megan A. Neff, this book will help you make the most of your life and your diagnosis.

Hardcover: 192 pages
ISBN: 978-1507221938

F*ck Anxiety: 101 Ways to Soothe Anxiety, Stop the Panic + Get Back to Your Badass Self, by Lauren Douglas (2022)

A beautifully illustrated, irreverent guide to breaking out of the anxious thought patterns that hold us back.

This little self-help book contains 101 anxiety spiral-stopping exercises, inspiring pep talks, and calm-the-F-down activities. With a no f*cks given tone, research-backed therapeutic techniques, and fun, fresh illustration, F*ck Anxiety will help you take control over your anxious thought patterns and make you laugh at the same time.

Divided into six chapters—the first two will help kick that anxiety spiral in it's scrawny ass, and the next four help build and flex anti-anxiety powers on the daily—F*ck Anxiety covers the following:

• Get Out of Your Head in Ten Minutes or Less
• Get Stubborn Against a Longer Spiral
• Do These Eight Things Every Day—You Deserve It!
• A Grab Bag of Ways to Be Amazing to You
• Truths + Tending for Shitty Situations
• Hush Up, It's Time for Your Daily Moment of Zen

In addition, the book also includes an explanation of how anxiety works, as well as recommendations for additional tools and practices. 

Paperback: 208 pages
ISBN: 978-1524870584

The Autistic Burnout Workbook (2025), by Dr. Megan Anna Neff

Navigate the challenging terrain of autistic burnout with expert guidance, insightful visuals, and transformative exercises designed to help you pursue your own recovery from neurodivergent psychologist Dr. Megan Neff.

Feeling burnt out? You’re not alone. Autistic burnout is a challenge faced by many individuals on the autistic spectrum. And The Autistic Burnout Workbook is here to help.

This transformative guide is designed to empower individuals on the autism spectrum to manage and overcome burnout. Crafted with empathy and insight, this workbook provides practical strategies and exercises to help you navigate the unique challenges associated with burnout.

Through interactive prompts and activities, The Autistic Burnout Workbook teaches individuals how to identify triggers, manage sensory overload, and build resilience. It encourages self-reflection and cultivates a supportive environment for personal growth. This user-friendly workbook is a proactive approach to mental health, promoting self-care and fostering a sense of control that makes it a lifeline for those grappling with the realities of autistic burnout.

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Adams Media
ISBN: 978-1507223062

This Is ADHD: A Workbook: Practical Advice and Interactive Journaling for Understanding ADHD (2024), by Chanelle Moriah 

Discover the essential guide to understanding attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—commonly known as ADHD—for people with ADHD and their families, friends, colleagues, and more.

Chanelle Moriah was officially diagnosed with ADHD at 22 and soon discovered just how inaccessible a lot of information can be for ADHD adults and those who may not yet have been able to obtain an assessment or support.

So Chanelle created a simple resource that explains what ADHD is and how it can impact the different areas of someone's life. This is ADHD: A Workbook is a tool for both diagnosed and undiagnosed people with ADHD to explain or make sense of their experiences. It also offers non-ADHD people the chance to learn more about ADHD from someone who has it.

With clear sections explaining the many aspects of ADHD, accompanied by Chanelle's beautiful illustrations and with space for readers to write down their thoughts, this workbook is designed to be personalized to the individual's experience. This is ADHD: A Workbook helps people feel less alone in their ADHD and brings knowledge to an often-misunderstood condition.

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Ulysses Press
ISBN: 978-1646046126

Self-Care for Caregivers: A Practical Guide to Caring for You While You Care for Your Loved One (2022), by Susanne White

Take care of yourself as you care for others with this accessible, easy-to-follow self-care guide to relax and rejuvenate.

It’s been said that there are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will become caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. Chances are you or someone you know is taking care of a loved one at home. If you do, you also know that caregiving—however fulfilling—is also hard on the caregiver’s mental and physical health. Self-care is vital to caregivers maintaining stamina and a positive outlook for both themselves and the people they care for. But being so busy caring for others can make it hard to find time for yourself.

In Self-Care for Caregivers, you’ll find short, easy-to-read—and often easy-to-do—ways to replenish your mind, body, and spirit, including:
-Practicing mindfulness by focusing in on your five senses
-Remembering to HALT to check if you’re hungry, angry, lonely, or tired
-Making a gratitude list of at least three things you're grateful for
-And much more!

Full of practical advice and reminders to have a quick snack, call a friend, create a sanctuary, write in a journal, and more ways to take care yourself—plus resources for caregiving—this book will go a long way towards making your caregiving experience a happier and more healthful one for you and the people you care for.

Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Adams Media
ISBN:  978-1507218396

Laziness Does Not Exist, by Devon Price (2022)

Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles.

Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity.

Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough.

Filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to do more, and featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist “is the book we all need right now” (Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet).

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-1982140113

Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You! (2023), by Sasha Hamdani

Destress, find your community, and practice self-love with these 100+ exercises to reinforce ADHD as a strength.

When you have ADHD, it can be hard to stay on top of your wellness. Self-Care for People with ADHD is here to help!

This book can help you engage in some neurodiverse self-care—without pretending to be neurotypical. You’ll find more than 100 tips to accepting yourself, destigmatizing ADHD, finding your community, and taking care of your physical and mental health. You’ll find solutions for managing the negative aspects of ADHD, as well as ideas to bring out the positive aspects. With expert advice from psychiatrist and clinician Sasha Hamdani, MD, Self-Care for People with ADHD will help you live your life to the fullest!

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Abrams Media
ISBN: 9781507219430

Lavender Clouds: Comics About Neurodivergence and Mental Health (2024), by Bex Ollerton

A dazzling, humorous, and highly personal portrayal of neurodivergence from a leading voice in mental health comics.

Eisner Award nominated author Bex Ollerton—known as @Schnumn to her thousands of followers—is a talented comic artist who feels energized and courageous on some days and exhausted and emotionally depleted on others. In Lavender Clouds, she translates her experiences with Autism, ADHD, and mental health into a series of colorful, emotionally resonant comics that tell stories of neurodiversity and resilience.

With a tone that is sharp but always sensitive, this debut book collection describes the many insights and strategies the author has learned on her journey to self-acceptance. Among the many topics addressed in the book are the folly of “foolproof” organization strategies, the perils of burnout, the joy of small hopes, and the importance of growing at your own pace and on your own path
 
Breathtaking in its artistic range and emotional truth, Lavender Clouds offers an enlightening and uplifting read for anyone struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, or other issues related to mental health. 

Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 978-1524890278

What to Say Next: Successful Communication in Work, Life, and Love―with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2021), by Sarah Nannery

Using her personal experience living as a professional woman with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah Nannery, together with her husband, Larry, offers this timely communication guide for anyone on the Autism spectrum looking to successfully navigate work, life, and love.

When Sarah Nannery got her first job at a small nonprofit, she thought she knew exactly what it would take to advance. But soon she realized that even with hard work and conscientiousness, she was missing key meanings and messages embedded in her colleagues’ everyday requests, feedback, and praise. She had long realized her brain operated differently than others, but now she knew for sure: she had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

With help from her neurotypical partner—now husband—Larry, mostly in frantic IM chats, Sarah rose to Director of Development at one of the world’s largest nonprofits. Together they have tackled challenges in how Sarah navigates personal and professional relationships, how they navigate marriage and parenthood, all of which are differently challenging for someone with ASD. But she wonders, at times, how life would be different if she’d had to figure it all out herself. So, in What to Say Next, she offers advice, empathy, and straightforward strategies from her own tool-kit—not only for others who see the world differently, but for their families, partners and colleagues.

In What to Say Next, Sarah breaks down everyday situations—the chat in the break room, the last-minute meeting, the unexpected run-in—in granular detail, explaining not only how to understand the goals of others, but also how to frame your own. Larry adds his thoughts from a neurotypical perspective, sharing what was going on in his brain and how he learned to listen and enlighten, while supporting and maintaining Sarah’s voice. At a time when more and more people are being diagnosed with ASD—especially women and girls—this book tells important truths about what it takes to make it in a neurotypical world, and still be true to yourself.

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Simon Element
ISBN: 978-1982138202

My Therapist Told Me to Journal: A Creative Mental Health Workbook (2020), by Holly Chisholm

Write that sh*t down!

Keep anxiety and depression in check with tons of totally doable mental health tips and techniques included here. You'll find some silly things, some serious things, some resources and exercises—oh, and a whole page of STICKERS to use throughout your journal. 

The author HATES journaling. This is the journal she wishes she had had when first starting out in therapy.

From the creator of Just Peachy Comics, this interactive self-care book uses journaling, drawing, and goal-tracking to help improve the user's overall mental health and well-being. The journal will introduce you to a variety of therapy practices such as CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy) and EMDR. It will also illustrate the author's “dot method” of goal tracking to help reduce anxiety.

These inviting pages include checklists, doodle boxes, gratitude prompts, goal pages, supportive characters, encouragement, resources on how to get through anxiety attacks, and more. This is a journal for anyone feeling down, looking for some extra support, or just trying to stay positive and practice daily self-care. 

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse
ISBN: 978-1510761124

Everything is Ok (2022), by Debbie Tung

From the bestselling author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World comes a gently humorous and poignant collection of comics about anxiety and depression—because sometimes even the simple things like getting out of bed every day feel like an uphill battle.

Everything Is OK is the story of Debbie Tung’s struggle with anxiety and her experience with depression. She shares what it’s like navigating life, overthinking every possible worst-case scenario, and constantly feeling like all hope is lost.

The book explores her journey to understanding the importance of mental health in her day-to-day life and how she learns to embrace the highs and lows when things feel out of control. Debbie opens up about deeply personal issues and the winding road to recovery, discovers the value of self-love, and rebuilds a more mindful relationship with her mental health.

In this graphic memoir, Debbie aims to provide positive and comforting messages to anyone who is facing similar difficulties or is just trying to get through a tough time in life. She hopes to encourage readers to be kinder to themselves, to know that they are not alone, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable because they are not defined by their mental health struggles. The dark clouds won’t be there forever. Everything will turn out all right.

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN: 978-1524863272

Disability Visibility (Adapted for Young Adults): 17 First-Person Stories for Today (2021), ed. Alice Wong

Disabled young people will be proud to see themselves reflected in this hopeful, compelling, and insightful essay collection, adapted for young adults from the critically acclaimed adult book, Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century that "sheds light on the experience of life as an individual with disabilities, as told by none other than authors with these life experiences." --Chicago Tribune, "Best books published in summer 2020" (Vintage/Knopf Doubleday edition).

The seventeen eye-opening essays in Disability Visibility, all written by disabled people, offer keen insight into the complex and rich disability experience, examining life's ableism and inequality, its challenges and losses, and celebrating its wisdom, passion, and joy.
 
The accounts in this collection ask readers to think about disabled people not as individuals who need to be “fixed,” but as members of a community with its own history, culture, and movements. They offer diverse perspectives that speak to past, present, and future generations. It is essential reading for all.

Age Range: 12-17 years
Hardcover: 160 pages
ISBN: 978-0593381670

The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself (2017), by Linda Abbit

Linda Abbit, founder of Tender Loving Eldercare and a veteran of the caregiving industry, shares her advice on taking care of an older parent or loved one and how to handle everything that goes along with this dramatic life change.

Being a caregiver can be a difficult role. It requires patience, tenderness, selflessness, and hard work. Providing care for someone, whether it’s a parent, a loved one, or as a professional requires a high level of self-love and self-care. But while it may be a rewarding experience to care for a loved one, the emotional and physical stress of caregiving can lead to burnout and exhaustion—causing caregivers to put themselves and their own well-being in the background.

How can you fulfill your role as a caregiver without losing yourself? Conscious Caregiver teaches you how to navigate caring for your loved one, whether it’s full-time in-house caregiving or hiring support from outside services. With information on how to talk to your loved ones about the situation, handle the emotional stress, stay financially secure, and take the time to care for yourself, this guide can help you care for your loved one and yourself at the same time.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Adams Media
ISBN: 978-1440597732

Advanced Parenting: Advice for Helping Kids Through Diagnoses, Differences, and Mental Health Challenges (2023), by Kelly Fradin

“An invaluable resource for parents and caregivers,” this important, empathetic guidebook offers practical steps for managing children's health (Emily Oster, PhD,  New York Times bestselling author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better).

Any parent who has ever walked out of a concerning appointment with their child's doctor or teacher has experienced a heady mix of emotions--fear, love, confusion, concern, sadness, and perhaps even anger. While every parent hopes for a healthy child, the reality is that children face many common challenges, including medical issues like ADHD, asthma, food allergies, feeding issues, learning disabilities, anxiety and depression, and developmental delays, throughout their formative years. As the role of a parent becomes one of a caregiver, it can be overwhelming for parents and children alike, particularly if money, time, access, or any combination of those are in short supply. 

As a balm, Dr. Kelly Fradin offers Advanced Parenting, based on her experience as a complex-care pediatrician. In this crucial guide, parents will find empathy and support as well as evidence-based practical guidance. Of greatest import is the need for tools with which to manage the emotional stress that comes from having a child who deviates from the norm, as well as coping with uncertainty and navigating the business of care. Readers will discover ways to optimize the outcomes for their family and make their day-to-day life easier.

Advanced Parenting will help families from the beginning of their journey, helping parents to decide when a child needs help, accepting the implications of a challenge, obtaining a correct diagnosis, learning about the issue, building a treatment team and coming up with a comprehensive plan. Dr. Fradin explores how a child struggling can affect the entire family dynamic including the parent’s relationships and the siblings overall well-being, and with her experience as a complex care pediatrician, she will help parents avoid common mistakes. Parents will feel seen, supported, and better prepared to be both a parent and a caregiver.

Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Balance
ISBN: 978-1538722466

Tune it Out (2021), by Jamie Sumner

From the author of the acclaimed Roll with It comes a moving novel about a girl with a sensory processing disorder who has to find her own voice after her whole world turns upside down.

Lou Montgomery has the voice of an angel, or so her mother tells her and anyone else who will listen. But Lou can only hear the fear in her own voice. She’s never liked crowds or loud noises or even high fives; in fact, she’s terrified of them, which makes her pretty sure there’s something wrong with her.

When Lou crashes their pickup on a dark and snowy road, child services separate the mother-daughter duo. Now she has to start all over again at a fancy private school far away from anything she’s ever known. With help from an outgoing new friend, her aunt and uncle, and the school counselor, she begins to see things differently. A sensory processing disorder isn’t something to be ashamed of, and music might just be the thing that saves Lou—and maybe her mom, too.

Paperback: 304 pages
Reading Age: 10+
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1534457010