Everything we’ve found that actually helped
Nobody pays to be included, and nothing needs a login. Some links may earn us a small commission. It never changes what we pick. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Start with the topic, or go straight to the format you've got patience for today.
Filter the library
All resources
How to Fail with Elizabeth Day
Guests talk through three failures each. Somehow the most reassuring hour of the week.
Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite, Paul Arden
A tiny, cheeky book from a former ad man on breaking rules, taking risks and getting unstuck. Read it in an hour.
Hope and Help for Your Nerves, Claire Weekes
Written by an Australian doctor in 1962 and still the clearest thing ever published on panic.
All in the Mind, ABC RN
The ABC’s long-running show on the mind, brain and behaviour. Free, no ads, properly researched.
Medicare Mental Health
The government front door: what support exists near you and how to get a Mental Health Treatment Plan.
Smiling Mind
Free mindfulness from an Australian not-for-profit. Adults, kids and workplaces, no paywall halfway through.
The power of vulnerability, Brené Brown
The talk that started all of it. Still the best twenty minutes on shame and connection.
Suicide Call Back Service
Free counselling for anyone thinking about suicide, worried about someone, or bereaved by suicide.
Therapy in a Nutshell
A licensed therapist explaining anxiety skills on YouTube, free, in ten-minute pieces.
It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Devine
Grief as something to carry, not fix. The book to hand someone instead of saying the wrong thing.
Griefcast
Cariad Lloyd talks to comedians about the people they have lost. Sad and very funny, often in the same minute.
This Way Up
Free and low-cost online CBT courses out of St Vincent’s and UNSW. Six lessons, at your own pace, no waiting list.
Balance
Free symptom tracker that produces a health report you can hand over at your appointment.
Inside the mind of a master procrastinator, Tim Urban
Very funny, and quietly the best explanation of anxiety-driven avoidance.
ARCVic
The Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria runs a national helpline and support groups for anxiety, panic and OCD.
What is grief if not love persevering
The Marvel scene people send each other. Ninety seconds, oddly effective.
The Menopause Manifesto, Dr Jen Gunter
A gynaecologist dismantling the myths, with the evidence attached.
The Dr Louise Newson Podcast
Long-form episodes on symptoms, HRT and the questions to bring to a GP.
Red Nose, formerly Sands
Miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support, including for partners and grandparents. Sands merged into Red Nose, so this is the current service.
Forest
Plant a tree, leave your phone alone. The least preachy focus timer.
The 3 secrets of resilient people, Lucy Hone
A resilience researcher who lost her daughter. Practical, not inspirational.
Griefline
Free grief counselling by phone and moderated online forums for people who would rather type than talk.
Yoga Nidra with Ally Boothroyd
Long guided non-sleep deep rest. Good for the nights you have given up on sleeping.
Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts, Karen Kleiman
Intrusive thoughts, drawn as cartoons. Relief in about ten minutes of reading.
WorkLife, Adam Grant
An organisational psychologist on making work less awful, in half-hour episodes.
Jean Hailes
Plain, evidence-based information on menopause and perimenopause from an Australian women’s health not-for-profit.
Sleep Cycle
Tracks what is actually happening at night, which helps if you suspect you sleep worse than you do.
How menopause affects the brain, Lisa Mosconi
The neuroscience behind brain fog, from someone who studies it.
PANDA
Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia: a free national helpline for new and expecting parents, and their partners.
How to ADHD
Jessica McCabe on YouTube, explaining ADHD brains with actual strategies. Start here.
Burnout, Emily and Amelia Nagoski
On completing the stress cycle rather than removing the stressor. Explains why a finished to-do list is not relief.
Squiggly Careers
Weekly episodes on non-linear careers, with free worksheets. Good for the Sunday-night dread.
Gidget Foundation
Free perinatal telehealth counselling with a psychologist, Australia-wide, with a GP referral.
Tiimo
A visual planner built for neurodivergent brains rather than retrofitted for them.
Parenting through postpartum depression, Camille Mehta
Honest, surprising, and specific about what helped.
Family Relationship Advice Line
Free advice on separation, parenting arrangements and family conflict.
Dr Julie Smith
Short, practical videos on panic, rumination and boundaries from a clinical psychologist.
Designing Your Life, Burnett and Evans
Stanford’s design-thinking course as a book. Prototype a career instead of agonising over it.
Australian Birth Stories
Weekly first-hand accounts of birth in Australia. Enormously useful before and after.
Your Career
The government careers service: free skills assessment, real course and pay data, and an adviser on the phone.
Daybreak
An Australian program and community for changing your relationship with alcohol, without labels.
How to stop languishing and start finding flow, Adam Grant
The name for not failing but not thriving, and what to do about it.
National Debt Helpline
Free, independent financial counsellors. They negotiate with creditors for you, and it costs nothing.
Yoga With Adriene
The anxiety and bedtime sequences in particular. Free, unpretentious, twenty years of goodwill.
How to Fail, Elizabeth Day
Everything she learned from things going wrong. The book to read before you decide your setback is fatal.
Get Sleepy
Bedtime stories read slowly enough that you rarely hear the end.
Sleep Health Foundation
Free, plainly written fact sheets on insomnia, shift work and sleeping pills, from Australian sleep researchers.
MoodMission
Australian-made. Tell it how you feel, get five short evidence-based things to try right now.
Why you will fail to have a great career, Larry Smith
Bracing rather than comforting. Best watched when you are stuck.
Eating Disorders Victoria
Free hub, support groups and a helpline for people and families, wherever you are in Australia.
The School of Life
Short essays on why you feel like this. Best watched one at a time.
The Sleep Book, Dr Guy Meadows
Acceptance rather than sleep hygiene checklists. For people who now have anxiety about sleep itself.
Where Should We Begin, Esther Perel
Real, anonymised couples sessions. The closest thing to sitting in on therapy.
Find a Psychologist, APS
The Australian Psychological Society directory: search by issue, location and telehealth.
Goblin Tools
Free web tools that break a task into steps and translate blunt messages into polite ones.
Sleep is your superpower, Matt Walker
The alarming, motivating version of the sleep research, in nineteen minutes.
FriendLine
Free, anonymous chat for anyone who just wants a conversation. Not a crisis line, and that is the point.
Headspace on YouTube
Free guided sessions and breathing exercises outside the paid app.
The Gift of Therapy, Irvin Yalom
A therapist writing to other therapists. Oddly reassuring about what happens in the room.
Ctrl Alt Delete, Emma Gannon
Creative careers, comparison and impostor feelings, with guests who admit to all three.
Self-Compassion exercises, Kristin Neff
Free guided practices and a self-assessment from the researcher who defined the field.
Beyond Now
A safety plan you build when you are well, so it exists when you are not.
What makes a good life, Robert Waldinger
Eighty years of Harvard data landing on relationships. The case for doing the work.
National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline
Free, confidential advice for you or someone else, 24 hours, in every state.
Self-Compassion, Kristin Neff
The research on treating yourself as you would a friend. Less saccharine than it sounds.
Esther Perel on desire and betrayal
Her back catalogue on long-term relationships, affairs and repair.
Moneysmart
The government money site: budget planner, debt calculators, no products being sold to you.
Insight Timer
Tens of thousands of free meditations and sleep tracks. No trial that quietly turns into a subscription.
The power of believing you can improve, Carol Dweck
Growth mindset before it became a poster in a staffroom.
Kids Helpline
Free counselling for anyone aged 5 to 25, any time, about anything.
Attached, Levine and Heller
Attachment styles, explained well enough that you will recognise everyone you have dated.
She is on the Money, Victoria Devine
Australian money podcast that talks about the shame and the spreadsheet in the same episode.
ADHD Australia
Assessment pathways, cost expectations and what a diagnosis actually gets you here.
Clear Fear
Free CBT-based app for managing anxiety symptoms as they happen. Built for teens, useful at any age.
How to fix a broken heart, Guy Winch
Why we keep looking at their profile, and how to stop.
Grief Australia
Free counselling, fact sheets and a national bereavement line for any kind of loss.
The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape
The one your accountant and your neighbour both recommend. Simple, Australian, unglamorous.
Maintenance Phase
Debunking wellness and diet culture, one bad study at a time. Very funny.
InsideOut Institute
A free online screening tool and treatment directory from Australia’s national eating disorder research centre.
How We Feel
A mood tracker built by scientists and designers rather than marketers. Free, no ads.
Why thinking you are ugly is bad for you, Meaghan Ramsey
What appearance anxiety costs, and what to do about it.
Tresillian
Practical help with sleep, settling and feeding, from people who will not judge you.
Driven to Distraction, Hallowell and Ratey
The classic, still the clearest description of what it feels like from the inside.
No Feeling Is Final
An ABC memoir series on despair, connection and coming back. Made in Australia, beautifully.
Ending Loneliness Together
Australian research and practical guides on rebuilding connection after a hard stretch.
Daylio
A journal you fill in by tapping. Good if writing feelings down is the bit you never do.
The secret to living longer may be your social life, Susan Pinker
Face-to-face contact as the strongest predictor. Ten minutes, quietly persuasive.
MensLine Australia
Counselling for men, especially around relationships, separation and anger.
Intuitive Eating, Tribole and Resch
The anti-diet framework that dietitians actually use.
Sober Awkward
Two Australians on getting sober, being sober, and how awkward the party bit is.
Counselling Online
Free chat, email and phone counselling about alcohol and other drugs, any time.
Headspace
The gateway drug of meditation apps. Worth the free trial even if you stop there.
How childhood trauma shapes adult health, Nadine Burke Harris
The ACE study, told in sixteen minutes.
Red Nose Grief and Loss
Support after the death of a baby or child, 24 hours a day, for as long as you need it.
Together, Vivek Murthy
A surgeon general on loneliness as a health issue, with the evidence.
Unlocking Us: trauma episodes
Brené Brown with trauma researchers. Start with the van der Kolk conversation.
Phoenix Australia
The national centre for posttraumatic mental health: what treatments work and how to find them.
Calm
Sleep stories and breathing. The one people actually keep on their phone.
Why we all need to practise emotional first aid, Guy Winch
You would see a doctor for a broken ankle. Winch on why loneliness and rejection deserve the same.
Karitane
Parenting support for the first five years, including a careline and residential stays.
Quit Like a Woman, Holly Whitaker
On drinking, the industry that sells it, and recovery outside the traditional route.
The Rich Roll Podcast
Long conversations on recovery, resilience and reinvention, hosted by a former lawyer turned ultra-endurance athlete.
Black Dog Institute
Free self-care and workplace toolkits from an Australian research institute, including what to say to a manager.
Finch
A self-care pet that grows when you do small things. Sillier than it sounds, works better than it should.
The paradox of choice, Barry Schwartz
Why more options make you more anxious and less satisfied.
QLife
Peer support and referral for LGBTIQ+ people, 3pm to midnight every day.
What Happened to You?, Perry and Winfrey
Trauma explained through conversation. The gentlest entry point on this shelf.
The Imperfects
Hugh van Cuylenburg and guests on the parts nobody posts. Funny, Australian, kind.
MindSpot
Free online assessment and treatment courses for anxiety and low mood, funded by the government.
Beyond closure, Nancy Berns
A sociologist arguing that closure is invented, and that chasing it makes grief harder.
StandBy Support After Suicide
Free, ongoing support for anyone bereaved or affected by suicide.
The Happiness Trap, Russ Harris
The plain-English introduction to ACT. On dropping the struggle rather than winning it.
Terrible, Thanks for Asking
Nora McInerny lets people answer that question honestly. The antidote to being asked how you are.
The Dinner Party
Peer tables for people in their twenties and thirties who have lost someone. Online, worldwide.
Menopause is not just hot flashes, Maria Sophocles
A gynaecologist on the symptoms nobody lists, including the bedroom ones.
1800RESPECT
National sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.
Grief Works, Julia Samuel
A psychotherapist on what actually helps, told through her clients’ stories.
Postcards from Midlife
Two journalists on perimenopause, work, kids and everything else happening at once.
Australasian Menopause Society
Free patient fact sheets, plus a directory of doctors who know the current evidence on MHT.
More than just depression, Emily Phelps
On postpartum mood disorders beyond the one everyone has heard of.
Open Arms
Free counselling for veterans and their families, 24 hours.
What Fresh Hell Is This?, Heather Corinna
Perimenopause without the pastel branding. Funny, sweary, inclusive.
How’s Work?, Esther Perel
Esther Perel runs sessions with co-workers and business partners. Fascinating if work feels personal.
COPE
The Centre of Perinatal Excellence: what is normal, what is not, and what to ask for.
How to make work-life balance work, Nigel Marsh
Short, funny, and honest that nobody has solved this.
Blue Knot Foundation
Support for adults living with the effects of complex trauma.
What No One Tells You, Sacks and Birndorf
A psychiatrist and a reproductive psychiatrist on the emotional bit nobody prepares you for.
Mom and Mind
A perinatal psychologist on postpartum depression, anxiety and psychosis, episode by episode.
Workplace mental health, Beyond Blue
What your employer owes you, and how to ask for it without over-explaining.
How to find work you love, Scott Dinsmore
On the difference between a job you tolerate and one that fits.
Butterfly Foundation
The national helpline for eating disorders and body image concerns.
Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman
Time management for mortals. The cure for productivity guilt is in here.
Sleepy
Someone reads old public-domain books to you. Reliable, free, no ads at bedtime.
This Way Up: Insomnia course
A structured online CBT-for-insomnia program. The treatment that actually outperforms sleeping tablets.
The gift and power of emotional courage, Susan David
Emotions are data, not directives. The antidote to being told to stay positive.
SANE Australia
Counselling and peer support for people living with complex mental health issues.
The Squiggly Career, Tupper and Ellis
Strengths, values and networks, with exercises you will actually finish.
Modern Love
Essays from the New York Times column, read aloud. Love found, lost and complicated.
headspace centres
Free or low-cost mental health support for anyone aged 12 to 25, in person and online.
We do not move on from grief, we move forward with it, Nora McInerny
Fifteen minutes that give people permission to still be sad.
Carer Gateway
Practical help, counselling and respite for anyone caring for someone else.
Failosophy, Elizabeth Day
The seven principles of failure, short enough to finish on a train.
Hidden Brain
Shankar Vedantam on the unconscious patterns behind how we feel and choose. Calm, curious, never preachy.
Financial hardship, your bank
Every Australian bank has a hardship team. Asking for a pause is a normal, boring process.
How to build a menopause-friendly workplace, Andrea Berchowitz
What to actually ask an employer for, and why it is a retention issue.
Relationships Australia
Low-cost counselling, mediation and relationship courses nationwide.
Say Good Night to Insomnia, Gregg Jacobs
The six-week CBT-I program in book form, from the Harvard trial.
Ten Percent Happier
Dan Harris interviews people who are calmer than him. Good for meditation sceptics.
Amaze
Autism information and an advisor line for autistic people, families and workplaces.
Why we need to talk about postpartum depression, Auburn Harrison
A severe case of postpartum psychosis, told plainly.
The Gifts of Imperfection, Brené Brown
On letting go of who you think you should be. The one people re-read.
Grief Works, Julia Samuel
The psychotherapist talks with someone who is grieving, one person per episode. Unhurried and kind.
SMART Recovery Australia
Free peer meetings based on CBT rather than a higher power. Online groups daily.
Try something new for 30 days, Matt Cutts
Three minutes. The smallest possible first step.
Hold Me Tight, Sue Johnson
Seven conversations from emotionally focused therapy. Works even if only one of you reads it.
Dear Menopause, Sonya Lovell
Australian, expert-led, and specific about finding a doctor here rather than overseas.
ReachOut
Youth mental health information and a peer forum, written for people who hate being talked down to.
Grit, the power of passion and perseverance, Angela Duckworth
The research on sticking at things, before it became a slogan.
Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin
Money as life energy. Best if your dread is about work rather than budgeting.
HBR IdeaCast
Harvard Business Review interviews on leading, changing jobs and working better.
The Daisy Network
For early menopause and premature ovarian insufficiency, which almost nothing else covers properly.
Depression, the secret we share, Andrew Solomon
A writer on his own depression, without a redemption arc bolted on.
ADHD 2.0, Hallowell and Ratey
The update, with the current research and less pathologising language.
Faces of Postpartum
Real stories of postpartum mental illness from the people who lived them.
Bears of Hope
Support for families after pregnancy or newborn loss, including for partners.
Why can we not talk about periods, Jen Gunter
On the shame that keeps women misinformed about their own bodies.
More Than a Body, Lexie and Lindsay Kite
On being more than something to be looked at. Research-based, not slogans.
Dear Sugars
Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond answer letters about love, loss and everything between.
Mental Health Treatment Plan
What a GP plan covers, how many subsidised sessions you get, and what to say to ask for one.
Your elusive creative genius, Elizabeth Gilbert
On making things without the pressure of being a genius.
The Lonely City, Olivia Laing
Loneliness through art and biography. Company rather than advice.
On Being with Krista Tippett
Long, slow conversations about meaning, faith and being human. Good for a walk on a heavy day.
Find a Helpline
Type in your country, get a free, verified crisis line. The page to bookmark if you travel.
This could be why you are depressed or anxious, Johann Hari
The argument that some of it is circumstance, not chemistry.
This Naked Mind, Annie Grace
Reframing alcohol rather than white-knuckling. Popular for the sober-curious.
The Happiness Lab
Dr Laurie Santos on what the research actually says about feeling better.
Menopause Café
Anyone can start one. A cake, a room, and people talking about menopause without lowering their voices.
How to make stress your friend, Kelly McGonigal
What changes when you stop treating your stress response as the enemy.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker
Written for people whose trauma was ongoing rather than a single event.
Grief Out Loud, Dougy Center
Produced by a children and family grief centre. Promises to be platitude and cliché free, and is.
Action on Postpartum Psychosis
Peer support forum, one-to-one email support and recovery guides for postpartum psychosis.
How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime, Nadine Burke Harris
A paediatrician on the ACE study, and why early adversity shows up in adult bodies.
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful, Sarah Wilson
An Australian writer on living with anxiety rather than curing it. Fragmentary, honest, easy to dip into.
Thriving in Menopause, Prevention Australia
Australian health experts on sleep, mood, weight and relationships in midlife.
Psychology Today directory
Filter therapists by approach, price and whether they take your insurance. Works in most countries.
Why students should have mental health days, Hailey Hardcastle
A teenager who got a mental health day law passed. Good for anyone who feels silly asking for rest.
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
The first year after her husband died, written without a single comforting cliché.
Women at Work, HBR
Honest conversations about careers, money and confidence at work.
Mental Health Foundation
Free, evidence-based guides and publications on everything from sleep to loneliness.
Menopausing, Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter
The mainstream primer. Good to leave on the kitchen table for a partner to pick up.
Beyond Postpartum
On the part after the fourth trimester, when everyone assumes you are fine.
Postpartum Support International
Free weekly online support groups by topic, plus a directory of trained providers.
The Fourth Trimester, Kimberly Ann Johnson
Recovery for the mother, not just the baby.
Small Things Often, The Gottman Institute
Five-minute tips from the best-known relationship researchers. Tiny, practical, no fluff.
Therapy for Black Girls
A directory and a podcast, both aimed at making the first appointment less daunting.
Meditations for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman
Four weeks of short daily readings. Undemanding in the best way.
Happy Place, Fearne Cotton
Honest chats about the hard bits of life with people who have been through them.
Working Identity, Herminia Ibarra
The research on how people really change careers: by doing, not by thinking.
Feel Better, Live More
Dr Rangan Chatterjee on sleep, stress and habits, with long-form guests.
Phosphorescence, Julia Baird
An Australian writer on the inner light that gets you through illness and dark stretches. Beautiful, not saccharine.
Shapes of Grief
Grief therapist Liz Gleeson lets people tell it in their own words. Good for finding language for your own.
Playing Big, Tara Mohr
For women who keep waiting to feel ready. Practical about the inner critic.
We Have a Situation, Michelle Bridges
Honest conversations with Australian doctors and researchers about peri, meno and after.
How to Fix a Broken Heart, Guy Winch
Heartbreak treated as an injury with a recovery plan, not a mood to wait out.
Happen to Your Career
Scott Anthony Barlow interviews people who changed careers, and explains how they did it.
Unmasking Autism, Devon Price
On the cost of masking, for late-diagnosed adults especially.
Dear Therapists
Lori Gottlieb and Guy Winch give one listener a session, then real homework.
The F It Diet, Caroline Dooner
Funny, sweary, and the fastest route out of diet thinking for some people.
We Can Do Hard Things
Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle on the messy stuff, with no tidy bows.
It Did Not Start With You, Mark Wolynn
On inherited family patterns, and how to trace one.
Huberman Lab
Protocol-heavy neuroscience. Skip to the breathing and sleep episodes.
The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, Edmund Bourne
The standard workbook. Not a page-turner, but the exercises are the ones therapists hand out.
Grief Encounters
Two Irish hosts opening up the conversation about loss, without solemnity.
Notes on Grief, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Short, exact, and finishable in one sitting when concentration is gone.
The Fanny Mechanic, Dr Tash Prowse
An Australian gynaecologist on fertility, menopause and sexual health, briskly and without euphemism.
The New Menopause, Dr Mary Claire Haver
Symptom-by-symptom, with what to ask for and what the trials say.
The Diary of a CEO
Steven Bartlett’s long interviews on success, failure and mental health. Huge, and often moving.
And Now We Have Everything, Meaghan O’Connell
A memoir of new motherhood that refuses to be nice about it.
Shagged. Married. Annoyed.
Chris and Rosie Ramsey on the very unglamorous side of long-term love. Very funny.
Slow Productivity, Cal Newport
Fewer things, at a natural pace, done properly.
Speaking of Psychology
The American Psychological Association interviews researchers. Evidence first, jargon second.
Pivot, Jenny Blake
A method for the next step when you cannot see the whole staircase.
The Mental Illness Happy Hour
Long, unvarnished interviews about the things people do not say out loud.
Any Ordinary Day, Leigh Sales
Sales interviews people whose lives changed in a moment. Oddly calming for catastrophisers.
Grief and Light
A bereaved sister on sudden loss, secondary losses, and what to do with the pieces.
The Confidence Code, Kay and Shipman
The science of self-assurance, and why competence and confidence keep coming apart.
Hit Play Not Pause
Perimenopause and menopause for active women: training, fuelling and sleeping through it.
Set Boundaries, Find Peace, Nedra Glover Tawwab
Practical scripts for saying no to family, friends and work.
How I Built This
Founders tell the story of how their business started. Comforting proof that everyone wings it at first.
Divergent Mind, Jenara Nerenberg
Why so many women are diagnosed late, if at all.
Savage Lovecast
Dan Savage’s long-running, frank advice show on sex and relationships.
Dare, Barry McDonagh
One technique for panic attacks, repeated until it sticks. People swear by it.
The Hilarious World of Depression
Comedians on their depression. Funny and true, and gentler than it sounds.
The Grieving Brain, Mary-Frances O’Connor
What neuroscience knows about why loss feels the way it does.
Nothing Much Happens
Bedtime stories where nothing happens on purpose. Reliable for the 3am spiral.
Hot and Bothered, Jancee Dunn
Reported, funny, and honest about the mood side rather than just the hot flushes.
Baby Loss, Grief and Love
Hosted by a counsellor specialising in pregnancy, birth trauma and baby loss at any stage.
The First Forty Days, Heng Ou
Rest, food and being looked after in the weeks after birth.
You Are Not Broken, Dr Kelly Casperson
A urologist debunking myths about hormones, libido and midlife bodies.
Deep Work, Cal Newport
Why fragmented attention feels so bad, and how to protect a few hours.
Second Life
Hillary Kerr interviews women who changed careers partway through life.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport
The argument against following your passion, and what to build instead.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Mostly about love, breakups and self-worth, with a mix of experts and well-known guests.
Wintering, Katherine May
On fallow periods, and treating them as seasons rather than failures.
Conversations, ABC
Hour-long life stories from ordinary and extraordinary Australians. Plenty of them have come through something.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman
The research-backed classic on what keeps couples together.
Sleep With Me
Deliberately boring bedtime rambling. Ridiculous, and it works.
Unwinding Anxiety, Judson Brewer
A psychiatrist on anxiety as a habit loop, and how to interrupt it.
Good Mourning
Two friends who lost parents young talk grief with warmth and very dark humour.
Bearing the Unbearable, Joanne Cacciatore
Short chapters for the worst nights. Written for the bereaved, not about them.
The Happy Menopause
A nutritionist on what actually helps with symptoms, evidence attached.
The XX Brain, Lisa Mosconi
On what oestrogen does for the brain, and why brain fog is not imagined.
How I Work, Amantha Imber
An Australian organisational psychologist asks high achievers how they actually get through the week.
Motherhood, Lisa Marchiano
A Jungian analyst on how becoming a parent rearranges you.
Divorce Survival Guide
Kate Anthony on leaving, staying and rebuilding. For anyone whose relationship is ending.
Atomic Habits, James Clear
Small changes, repeated. The mechanics, without the hustle.
Mamamia No Filter
Long interviews with well-known Australians, often about grief, burnout and starting over.
Range, David Epstein
Why generalists win in the long run. Comforting if your CV looks like a patchwork.
Unlocking Us, Brené Brown
Shame, vulnerability and the vocabulary for what you are feeling.
Enchantment, Katherine May
Finding wonder again after a flat stretch. Slow, quiet, restorative.
What’s Your Grief
Grief educators answer the questions people are too scared to ask out loud.
Mating in Captivity, Esther Perel
On keeping desire alive in long relationships.
Hello Menopause
Stacy London on the physical, emotional and mental changes, with candid guests.
Rewire Your Anxious Brain, Catherine Pittman
What is happening in your amygdala, in language that does not require a degree.
The Pathless Path Podcast
Paul Millerd on leaving the default career path and building a life that fits.
On Grief and Grieving, Kübler-Ross and Kessler
Where the five stages came from, and why they were never meant as a timetable.
Love Life with Matthew Hussey
Dating and heartbreak coaching that is more about self-respect than tricks.
Preparing for the Perimenopause and Menopause, Dr Louise Newson
Short, practical, and the one to read before a ten-minute appointment.
Not Another Anxiety Show
Kelli Walker, a nurse turned coach, on living with anxiety without trying to fight it.
Down Came the Rain, Brooke Shields
One of the first mainstream accounts of postnatal depression. Still steadying.
All There Is with Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper sorts through his mother’s belongings and talks loss with guests. Tender and raw.
Rest, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
The case that rest is part of the work, with the history to back it.
Coaching for Leaders
Dave Stachowiak on managing people and growing at work, without the hustle talk.
Quit, Annie Duke
How to know when leaving is the smart move rather than the failure.
Jillian on Love
Jillian Turecki on the patterns we repeat in love and how to break them.
Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson
Depression and anxiety, told as comedy without ever making light of it.
The Psychology Podcast
Scott Barry Kaufman talks creativity, wellbeing and self-actualisation with leading researchers.
The State of Affairs, Esther Perel
A clear-eyed look at infidelity, and what comes after.
The Grief Gang
Amber Jeffrey on losing her mum, and conversations that make grief feel less lonely.
Reasons to Stay Alive, Matt Haig
Short chapters from inside depression and anxiety. The book most often given as a present here.
Dear HBR:
Listeners send in workplace dilemmas. Useful scripts for awkward situations.
Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
On resilience after loss, with the research behind it.
We Met at Acme
Lindsey Metselaar on modern dating, breakups and figuring out what you actually want.
How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell
On attention as something to reclaim rather than optimise.
Feeling Good Podcast, David Burns
The author of Feeling Good walks through real CBT techniques, often with live examples.
The Pathless Path, Paul Millerd
Leaving the default track, from someone who did it and kept notes.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake
Kathy Burke asks guests how they would like their funeral. Funnier than it has any right to be.
Mad Girl, Bryony Gordon
A journalist on living with OCD and intrusive thoughts, very funny about it.
The Anxious Achiever
Morra Aarons-Mele on anxiety at work, and how to lead when your brain is loud.
Come As You Are, Emily Nagoski
The science of sex, written to make people feel normal.
Sex With Emily
Dr Emily Morse on desire, communication and the conversations couples avoid.
Notes on a Nervous Planet, Matt Haig
On why modern life makes anxious people more anxious, and what to switch off.
The Mel Robbins Podcast
Practical, punchy advice on motivation, confidence and getting unstuck. One of the most listened-to shows anywhere.
H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
Grief, a goshawk and the outdoors. Not a self-help book, and better for it.
Death, Sex & Money
The things we think about a lot and talk about too little. Big on loss and starting over.
Can’t Even, Anne Helen Petersen
Why a whole generation is exhausted, and why it is not a personal failing.
Dare to Lead, Brené Brown
Brené Brown on courage, vulnerability and leadership at work.
Bullshit Jobs, David Graeber
If your dread is about meaninglessness rather than workload, start here.
Being Well, Dr Rick Hanson
A psychologist and his son on building inner strength one small habit at a time.
Tiny Beautiful Things, Cheryl Strayed
Advice column letters that read like being sat down by someone who loves you.
Grief Is a Sneaky Bitch
Lisa Keefauver on the grief nobody warns you about, including the non-death kind.
All About Love, bell hooks
A short, powerful book on what love really asks of us.
Akimbo, Seth Godin
Short, thoughtful episodes about work, creativity and doing things that matter.
Mind Over Mood, Greenberger and Padesky
CBT you can do at home, with worksheets. Dry, effective.
Life Kit, NPR
Short, practical episodes on everything from sleep to saying no. Easy to fit into a commute.
When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi
A neurosurgeon writing while dying. For anyone sitting beside someone.
The Tim Ferriss Show
Long interviews with people at the top of their fields about routines, failure and reinvention.
Laziness Does Not Exist, Devon Price
A social psychologist on the lie that you are not doing enough.
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Tiny, doable ideas for feeling a little better. Light and kind.
What Color Is Your Parachute?, Richard Bolles
Updated every year since 1970. Unfashionable, still the most practical job-hunting book.
Everything I Know About Love, Dolly Alderton
Friendship, twenties, chaos. The comfort read of this whole shelf.
The Course of Love, Alain de Botton
A novel about what happens after the happy ending.
Feeling Good, David Burns
The original CBT self-help book. Still prescribed, still works.
Levels of Life, Julian Barnes
Thirty pages on the death of his wife that say more than most whole books.
Essentialism, Greg McKeown
The disciplined pursuit of less. Useful if you say yes reflexively.
Crucial Conversations, Patterson and Grenny
How to talk when stakes are high and emotions run strong.
Notes to Self, Emilie Pine
Six essays that say the unsayable about bodies, families and grief.
Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenberg
A method for saying hard things without starting a fight.
The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk
On trauma living in the body. Heavy going, worth it, maybe not in a bad week.
A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis
Written after his wife died. Short and unflinching.
Do Nothing, Celeste Headlee
A history of overwork and a practical way out of it.
The Defining Decade, Meg Jay
A psychologist on why your twenties matter, and what to do with them.
Untamed, Glennon Doyle
On stopping being who you were told to be. Divisive, and people underline half of it.
The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman
The book everyone has heard of. A useful shorthand for how people feel cared for.
When the Body Says No, Gabor Maté
The link between suppressed stress and physical illness.
The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander
A poet’s memoir of her husband’s sudden death, and the love that came before.
The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron
Morning pages. Twelve weeks. Improbably effective for creative paralysis.
Ikigai, García and Miralles
The Japanese idea of a reason for being, applied to work and life.
Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert
Creative living beyond fear. Good for the perfectionists among us.
Wired for Love, Stan Tatkin
How attachment and the nervous system shape couples, with practical exercises.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb
A therapist in therapy. The most enjoyable way to work out whether you want to try it.
Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner
Food, family and losing her mother. A memoir people press into friends’ hands.
Mindset, Carol Dweck
Fixed and growth mindsets. Useful when change feels like failure.
The Choice, Edith Eger
A psychologist and Holocaust survivor on the freedom left inside the worst circumstances.
Getting the Love You Want, Harville Hendrix
How childhood shapes who we choose, and how couples can heal together.
Breath, James Nestor
How you breathe, and why almost everyone does it badly. Practical in an unexpected way.
The Wild Edge of Sorrow, Francis Weller
On the many kinds of grief and why it needs company.
The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan Holiday
Stoic ideas for turning setbacks into something useful.
Wild, Cheryl Strayed
Grief, a very long walk, and appallingly wrong boots.
It’s Not You, Ramani Durvasula
On recognising narcissistic relationships and recovering from them.
Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker
Alarming in places, but the sleep chapter changes behaviour more than any app.
Finding Meaning, David Kessler
The sixth stage of grief, from the co-author of On Grief and Grieving.
Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson
A tiny parable about change at work. Read in twenty minutes.
Glorious Rock Bottom, Bryony Gordon
Addiction and recovery, unvarnished. Not gentle, very honest.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay Gibson
For anyone who grew up feeling unseen.
Lost & Found, Kathryn Schulz
Losing her father and finding her partner, in the same short stretch of life.
Transitions, William Bridges
The classic on endings, the in-between, and new beginnings. Perfect after redundancy.
Year of Yes, Shonda Rhimes
What happens when someone who says no to everything stops doing that for twelve months.
Codependent No More, Melody Beattie
The classic on caring for yourself while loving someone who struggles.
Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, Max Porter
A short, strange novel about a family after a death. Read it in one sitting.
Think Again, Adam Grant
On changing your mind, and why it is a strength.
Lost Connections, Johann Hari
On the social causes of depression and anxiety, and why reconnection helps.
Conscious Uncoupling, Katherine Woodward Thomas
A five-step approach to ending a relationship with less damage.
When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chödrön
Buddhist teachings for the times when everything comes apart.
Hidden Potential, Adam Grant
How people grow further than anyone expected, including themselves.
Stolen Focus, Johann Hari
Why it is so hard to concentrate, and what to change. Not just about phones.
The Breakup Bible, Rachel Sussman
A therapist’s plan for getting through a breakup, week by week.
Everything Happens for a Reason, Kate Bowler
And other lies she has loved. A historian on her cancer diagnosis. Funny and sharp.
The 100-Year Life, Gratton and Scott
Longer lives mean more careers. How to plan for several.
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
A psychiatrist on surviving the camps and finding meaning in suffering. Short and lasting.
Getting Past Your Breakup, Susan Elliott
Practical, kind and firm about no contact.
Grief Is Love, Marisa Renee Lee
On living with loss rather than getting over it.
Grit, Angela Duckworth
Passion plus persistence, and how to grow both.
The Courage to Be Disliked, Kishimi and Koga
A dialogue that introduces Adlerian psychology. People either love it or argue with it, which is the point.
Why Does He Do That?, Lundy Bancroft
On controlling and abusive men. Clear and widely recommended by support workers.
The Other Side of Sadness, George Bonanno
The research on resilience after loss. Reassuring for anyone worried they are grieving wrong.
The Second Mountain, David Brooks
On moving from a life of achievement to a life of meaning.
Emotional Agility, Susan David
How to stop getting hooked by difficult thoughts and feelings without pretending they are not there.
Fight Right, John and Julie Gottman
How couples can argue without wrecking each other.
The Invisible String, Patrice Karst
A picture book about being connected to people we miss. Much used with kids.
From Strength to Strength, Arthur C. Brooks
On finding purpose and happiness in the second half of a career.
The Comfort Book, Matt Haig
Small notes, lists and stories for bad days. Easy to read in pieces.
Platonic, Marisa G. Franco
How to make and keep friends as an adult. Attachment science for friendship.
Ask Me His Name, Elle Wright
On baby loss, and learning to live alongside it.
Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer
A short, gentle book on vocation and listening to yourself.
Permission to Feel, Marc Brackett
A Yale researcher on naming and handling emotions, for adults and kids.
Eight Dates, John and Julie Gottman
Eight guided conversations for couples. Bring snacks.
Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom
Weekly visits with a dying professor. The original bestselling book about what matters.
Tiny Experiments, Anne-Laure Le Cunff
Swap the five-year plan for small experiments. Ideal for career pivots.
Atlas of the Heart, Brené Brown
Eighty-seven emotions mapped out, so you can find words for what you are feeling.
Love Warrior, Glennon Doyle
A memoir of a marriage breaking and being rebuilt.
The Iceberg, Marion Coutts
An artist’s account of her husband’s illness and their last two years together.
Feel-Good Productivity, Ali Abdaal
Getting more done by enjoying it more. Friendly and practical.
Daring Greatly, Brené Brown
The book that made vulnerability sound like strength.
Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
A surgeon on ageing, dying and what we owe the people we love at the end.
The Start-Up of You, Reid Hoffman
Treat your career like a start-up: adapt, network and take smart risks.
The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer
On stepping back from your thoughts. Spiritual, simple and widely loved.
Originals, Adam Grant
How non-conformists move the world, and how to speak up at work.
The Mountain Is You, Brianna Wiest
On self-sabotage and how to get out of your own way.
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr Julie Smith
A clinical psychologist’s toolkit in bite-sized chapters. Born on TikTok, genuinely useful.
How to Do the Work, Dr Nicole LePera
On noticing old patterns and building new habits. Popular, practical, best read with a pinch of salt.
What My Bones Know, Stephanie Foo
A memoir of complex PTSD and the slow, real work of healing.
The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt
On smartphones, social media and the rise in anxiety among young people.
Quiet, Susan Cain
The power of introverts in a world that cannot stop talking.
Bittersweet, Susan Cain
On sorrow and longing, and why they can make life richer.
The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
The classic on staying present. Not for everyone, essential for some.
Radical Acceptance, Tara Brach
Buddhist ideas on self-compassion, from a psychologist and teacher.
Chatter, Ethan Kross
The voice in your head, and science-backed ways to turn it down.
An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison
A psychiatrist’s memoir of her own bipolar disorder.
The Noonday Demon, Andrew Solomon
A huge, humane book on depression. Dip in rather than read straight through.
The Resilience Project, Hugh van Cuylenburg
An Australian teacher on gratitude, empathy and mindfulness. A local bestseller for years.
Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn
The book behind mindfulness-based stress reduction.
The Nocturnal Brain, Guy Leschziner
A sleep neurologist on the strangest things brains get up to at night.
Sleepio
Digital CBT for insomnia, built by sleep scientists.
Why do we sleep?, Russell Foster
A circadian neuroscientist on what sleep is actually for.
MoodGYM
A free, self-paced online CBT programme from the ANU.
PACFA
Find a registered counsellor or psychotherapist near you.
How changing your story can change your life, Lori Gottlieb
What happens when we edit the stories we tell about ourselves.
The Confidence Gap, Russ Harris
Why confidence follows action, not the other way round.
The Imposter Cure, Jessamy Hibberd
A clinical psychologist on getting out of your own way.
Presence, Amy Cuddy
Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges.
How to stop screwing yourself over, Mel Robbins
The TEDx talk that started the five-second rule.
The skill of self confidence, Ivan Joseph
A sports coach on confidence as a skill you can practise.
Gambling Help Online
Free counselling and support for anyone affected by gambling, 24 hours.
Financial Counselling Australia
Find a free financial counsellor and plain-English guides to debt.
The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel
Short stories on why we behave so strangely with money.
Mind Over Money, Claudia Hammond
A psychologist on why money makes us feel the way it does.
Scattered Minds, Gabor Maté
A doctor with ADHD on where it comes from and how to heal.
NeuroTribes, Steve Silberman
The history of autism and the case for neurodiversity.
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD, Sari Solden and Michelle Frank
Embracing neurodiversity instead of fighting it.
Your Brain's Not Broken, Tamara Rosier
Strategies for ADHD that start with self-compassion.
ADHD reWired
A coach with ADHD talks to people living with it.
Hacking Your ADHD
Short, practical episodes on getting things done with ADHD.
Failing at normal, Jessica McCabe
A TEDx talk on growing up with ADHD and what finally helped.
Reframing Autism
An autistic-led charity with resources for autistic people and families.
Yellow Ladybugs
Community and resources for autistic girls, women and gender-diverse people.
The Body Is Not an Apology, Sonya Renee Taylor
Radical self-love, and why it is political too.
Just Eat It, Laura Thomas
A UK nutritionist on stopping the food guilt.
Fat Talk, Virginia Sole-Smith
Raising kids without passing on diet culture.
Rethinking Wellness
Christy Harrison on diet culture and the wellness industry.
Embrace, Taryn Brumfitt
The Australian documentary on loving the body you have.
The Lonely Century, Noreena Hertz
Why so many of us feel alone, and what to do about it.
Loneliness, John Cacioppo and William Patrick
The research on why we need each other.
Australian Men's Shed Association
Find a local shed: practical projects, mates and a cuppa.
Meetup
Find local groups around something you already like.
Volunteering Australia
Find volunteering near you. Good for purpose and for people.
Alcoholics Anonymous Australia
Find a meeting near you or online.
Club Soda
A mindful drinking movement for cutting down, stopping or staying stopped.
I Am Sober
A simple sobriety tracker with a supportive community.
The Sober Diaries, Clare Pooley
A funny, honest year of quitting drinking.
Alcohol Explained, William Porter
How alcohol actually works on the brain and body.
Drink?, David Nutt
A former government drugs adviser on the facts about alcohol.
Recovery Elevator
Stories from people who have changed their relationship with alcohol.
Waking the Tiger, Peter Levine
The body-based approach to healing trauma.
Trauma and Recovery, Judith Herman
The foundational book on trauma and its stages of recovery.
The Myth of Normal, Gabor Maté
Trauma, illness and healing in a toxic culture.
Full Stop Australia
Specialist support for people affected by sexual, domestic or family violence.
MindShift CBT
A free app from Anxiety Canada with CBT tools for worry and panic.
All it takes is 10 mindful minutes, Andy Puddicombe
The Headspace co-founder on the case for doing nothing.
Workforce Australia
Government job search, training and career support.
BetterSleep
Sleep sounds, stories and a mix-your-own white noise machine.
Hello Sleep, Jade Wu
A behavioural sleep doctor on making peace with sleep.
Tired but Wired, Nerina Ramlakhan
A sleep therapist on why exhaustion and racing thoughts go together.
The Insomnia Workbook, Stephanie Silberman
Step-by-step CBT exercises for sleeping better.
Love's Executioner, Irvin Yalom
Ten true stories from a psychotherapist's practice.
The Examined Life, Stephen Grosz
Short, gripping stories from 25 years of psychoanalysis.
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life, Steven Hayes
The ACT workbook from the psychologist who founded the therapy.
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook, McKay, Wood and Brantley
DBT skills for big emotions, explained plainly.
Therapy Chat
Therapists talking about therapy, trauma and self-care.
ACT Mindfully
Russ Harris's site, with free ACT worksheets, audio and videos.
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Susan Jeffers
The classic on acting before you feel ready.
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, Nathaniel Branden
What self-esteem is made of, and how to build each part.
Fear Less, Pippa Grange
A sports psychologist on loosening fear's grip.
Your body language may shape who you are, Amy Cuddy
The famous talk on posture, presence and nerves.
The Confidence Podcast
Short episodes on self-doubt, mindset and showing up.
Mob Strong Debt Help
Free legal help with money matters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Financial Information Service
Free, independent financial information from Services Australia.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Ramit Sethi
A six-week programme for automating money and spending without guilt.
Die with Zero, Bill Perkins
Spending on experiences while you can still enjoy them.
The Australian Finance Podcast
Australian money and investing explained for beginners.
Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, Russell Barkley
A leading researcher's practical guide for adults.
The Adult ADHD Tool Kit, Ramsay and Rostain
Bite-size strategies for the everyday stuff.
Look Me in the Eye, John Elder Robison
A memoir of growing up autistic before anyone had the word.
I Have ADHD
A coach with ADHD on habits, shame and getting unstuck.
Inflow
A CBT-based programme built for adults with ADHD.
Body Positive Power, Megan Jayne Crabbe
A recovered dieter on making peace with your body.
Beyond Beautiful, Anuschka Rees
A practical, research-based guide to body image.
Body Kindness
A dietitian on health without the body shame.
Looks aren't everything, Cameron Russell
A model on the lottery of looks.
The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker
How to bring people together in ways that matter.
Friendaholic, Elizabeth Day
An honest look at friendship, and why it can be so hard.
Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam
The classic study of how community fell apart, and why it matters.
Connected, but alone?, Sherry Turkle
On phones, connection and the cost of never being alone.
Why you should talk to strangers, Kio Stark
Small encounters, big difference.
Be Connected
Free help for older Australians getting confident online.
The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, Catherine Gray
Funny and honest on life after drinking.
Blackout, Sarah Hepola
A memoir of remembering the drinking she forgot.
We Are the Luckiest, Laura McKowen
A frank, hopeful memoir about sobriety.
The Bubble Hour
Real stories of recovery from alcohol.
DrinkWise
Plain facts about alcohol, and tools for cutting back.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation
Evidence-based information on alcohol and other drugs.
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, Bruce Perry
A child psychiatrist on what trauma does, and what helps.
The Deepest Well, Nadine Burke Harris
How childhood adversity affects health, and how to heal.
Know My Name, Chanel Miller
A powerful memoir of surviving sexual assault.
Bravehearts
Support and counselling for people affected by child sexual abuse.
The Trauma Therapist
A therapist interviews trauma specialists.
My Age of Anxiety, Scott Stossel
A memoir and history of anxiety in one.
The Worry Trick, David Carbonell
How your brain tricks you into worry, and how to call its bluff.
Bearable
Track mood, symptoms and what affects them.
Fair Work Ombudsman
Your rights on redundancy, notice and final pay.
Matrescence, Lucy Jones
The science of becoming a mother.
Raising Children Network
Free, research-backed parenting information.
Send it in
A podcast, book, app or service that helped you on a hard day? Tell us. Every suggestion gets read, and the good ones go in the library.
New things land every week
Get the good ones in an occasional email instead of checking back like a worrier would.