10 Christian Books to Help You Fight Anxiety and Depression

Are you looking for books to add to your Christian reading list? Today’s post will help you add books about Anxiety and Depression to the stack!

As women, we were made to give life, but it’s hard to give life with our words, actions, and attitudes when we’re battling anxiety and/or depression.

Therefore, today we’re sharing 10 books related to the topic of anxiety and depression that we mined out of the sea of Christian reading material to help guide you in your reading on this topic.

There is a wealth of books out there on anxiety and depression, but we thought it would be helpful to pull together a list of book suggestions for this category from a Christian perspective.

10 Books about Depression and Anxiety for Your Christian Reading List

For easy browsing of this collection, checkout the anxiety and depression category on our Amazon storefront here!

I Changed My Mind by Jimmy Evans

Becoming a Christian doesn’t fix all your problems.

You’re saved, but you aren’t free—yet. Your daily life is still plagued by the fear of failure and weighed down by worry. Bad attitudes keep you stuck. If you want to move forward, then you must be willing to change your mind.
God shows us in His Word a better way to think. Are you willing to trust Him with your thoughts?

Next to salvation, changing your thinking may have the single greatest impact on your life.
Change your mind.
Change your life.

The Book of Psalms Bible Reading Plan

How can we, as Christian women, keep our focus and sustain our passion when reading the Bible? Offering a clear and concise plan to help women go deeper in their study of Scripture, this book will equip you to engage God’s Word in a way that trains your mind and transforms your heart.

Click here to learn more about the FREE Bible Reading Plan for Psalms.

Spiritual Depression by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones

Spiritual Depression is one of the great classics of the modern Church and tackles the big question: If Christianity is such ‘good news’ why are its followers often unhappy? Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was possibly the greatest Christian preacher and teacher of the twentieth century. A medical doctor by training, Spiritual Depression draws together his professional understanding of the mind with a profound understanding of Christian teaching and the Bible. Spiritual Depression diagnoses the causes of the ill feeling that many Christians experience. It prescribes the practical care that is needed to lift people’s spirits and bring them freedom, power and joy. Spiritual health is possible and this book explains how everyone can grasp it for themselves.

When I Don’t Desire God: How to fight for Joy by John Piper

We all want to experience liberating, love-producing, risk-taking satisfaction in God. But the reality is that we often struggle to find, and hold onto, true and lasting joy―even when we have embraced the good news of God’s grace. So we face a crucial question: What should I do when I don’t desire God?

John Piper aims to help us find joy in Jesus that is so deep and so strong that it frees us from bondage to comfort and security, and impels us to live merciful and missional lives. Written with the radical hope that all Christians would experience the fullness of life in Christ, this book will help you fight for joy daily by leading you to rediscover the soul-satisfying glory of God.

Running Scared, by Edward Welch

In Running Scared, Edward T. Welch investigates the roots of fear in the human soul and the ramifications of living in the grips of anxiety, worry, and dread. Welch encourages readers to discover for themselves that the Bible is full of beautiful words of comfort for fearful people (and that every single person is afraid of something).

This comprehensive primer on the topic of fear, worry, and the rest of God will have readers retreating to scripture for invariable constancy, stalwart care, and robust comfort, instead of, as Welch terms it, hitting the default switch by responding with characteristic human independence, control, and self-protectiveness. Running Scared affirms that, through Scripture, God speaks directly to our fears.

The good news is that God provides both the remedy and the cure for this malady in the person of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and through powerful, life-altering promises in Scripture. Far more than merely another psychology self-help guide, Running Scared serves as a biblical roadmap to a life of serenity and security.

When People are Big and God is Small, by Edward Welch

Overly concerned about what people think of you? Welch uncovers the spiritual dimension of people-pleasing and points the way through a true knowledge of God, ourselves, and others.

You Are Free, by Rebekah Lyons

Christ doesn’t say you can be or may be or will be free. He says you are free.  Dare you believe it?

In You Are Free, Rebekah invites you to:

• Overcome the exhaustion of trying to meet the expectations of others and rest in the joy God’s freedom brings.
• Release stress, anxiety and worry, to uncover the peace that comes from abiding in His presence.
• Find permission to grieve past experiences, confess areas of brokenness, and receive strength in your journey towards healing.
• Throw off self-condemnation, burn superficial masks and step boldly into what our good God has for you.
• Discover the courage to begin again and use your newfound freedom to set others free.

Depression, by Edward Welch

Where Is God in the Struggle? Looking away from despair towards hope can feel risky. What if God doesn’t come through for you? What if you don’t feel instantly better?

Instead of offering simple platitudes or unrealistic “cure-all” formulas, Edward T. Welch addresses the complex nature of depression with compassion and insight, applying the rich treasures of the gospel, and giving fresh hope to those who struggle. Originally published as Depression: A Stubborn Darkness Light for the Path, this new edition is updated with added content.

When Life Hurts, by Jimmy Evans

We all experience emotional pain–and even devastation–in our lives, but few of us know how to deal with it properly. Our unresolved pain accumulates deep within the recesses of our hearts, in a place Jimmy Evans calls the “hurt pocket.” The more pain we accumulate, the more we are mentally, emotionally, and relationally crippled. But what if we could reach into that hurt pocket, confront our pain, and experience release and freedom?

Jimmy Evans shows readers how to completely remove and resolve every negative event from their past that is compromising their present and keeping them from their God-given destiny. He helps readers forgive others and themselves and discover true inner peace.

Defiant Joy, by Stasi Eldridge

We are called to live. And, miraculously, to live with joy.

 We all spend a lot of energy reaching for happiness, but we are never quite able to hang on to it. Real life happens, and our circumstances take us on an emotional rollercoaster ride. So the Bible’s call to “be joyful always” sounds almost crazy—and out of reach. But it doesn’t have to be.

Joy is meant to be ours, a joy that is defiant in the face of this broken world. This joy is not simply happiness on steroids; it’s the unyielding belief that sorrow and loss do not have the final say. It’s the stubborn determination to be present to whatever may come and to interpret both goodness and grief by the light of heaven.

In Defiant Joy, Stasi Eldredge invites us with courage, candor, and tender vulnerability to a place beyond sadness or happiness. She shows us how to maintain a posture of holy defiance that neither denies nor diminishes our pain but dares to live with expectant, unwavering hope.

Bonus Podcast

One Woman’s Battle with Depression- An Interview with Sarah Head

We just released an episode of the podcast with an interview with my friend, Sarah Head. She has battled depression since she was a young girl, and in this episode she shares her story.

Bonus Books to help you Fight Anxiety and Depression

ReFresh, by Shona and David Murray

Do you race from one thing to the next, unable to keep up with all the demands of your ever-growing to-do list? Are you overcommitted and overstretched, but don’t know how to slow down when the world just says to speed up? Is there any hope for rest in a world of never-ending demands?

Many women don’t realize they’re running at an unsustainable pace until it hurts them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Drawing on many years of counseling and their own experiences of burnout, wife and husband team Shona and David Murray want to help you slow down to a more grace-paced life―enabling you to avoid the pitfall of burnout, cultivate sustainable habits for the future, and experience the rest of body and soul that God intends for you.

Boundaries, by Cloud and Townsend

Does your life feel like it’s out of control? Perhaps you feel like you have to say yes to everyone’s requests. Maybe you find yourself readily taking responsibility for others’ feelings and problems. Or perhaps you focus so much on being loving and unselfish that you’ve forgotten your own limits and limitations. Or maybe it’s all of the above.

In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of your life and set healthy, biblical boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even yourself.

Don’t forget to checkout this collection on our Amazon storefront here!

Other posts you might be interested in:

• A Collection of Books to Help You Grow in Gratitude
• A Collection of Books on Getting Started in the Christian Faith
• A Collection of Books to Grow Your Spiritual Life