Below are seven books that emphasize dealing with feeling, i.e., with emotions of all kinds.
I. Dealing with Feeling: Marc Brackett, PhD (2025)
Brackett, an expert on emotional intelligence, says “there are no bad emotions—only emotions we don’t understand or know how to direct in positive, intentional ways” (per his publisher).
II. by Karla McLaren, M.Ed. (2023)
Researcher/educator McLaren states, “Too often, we either repress our feelings or let them run wild. What many of us were never taught are the fundamental skills for honoring and understanding our profound, powerful emotions.”
III. Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy (2022)
The authors want us to be more aware of seven of our adult emotions: uncertainty, comparison, anger, burnout, perfectionism, despair, and regret.
“While big feelings are uncomfortable—at times they can even feel unbearable—they aren’t inherently positive or negative.”
IV. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brené Brown (2021)
Why do we need this book from the woman Belinda Luscombe, Time, calls “the Dr. Fauci of feelings”? Luscombe states, “In surveys taken by 7,000 people over five years, Brown and her team found that on average people can identify only three emotions as they are actually feeling them: happiness, sadness and anger. For Brown, who made her name by illuminating the finer contours of humans’ emotional landscape, this is not nearly enough.”
More info, including Brené Brown quotes, can be found at this post.
V. Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive by Marc Brackett, PhD (2019)
A bestseller from the author of Dealing with Feeling, the book listed first above. (See my previous post.)
VI. Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David, PhD (2016)
Emotional agility as defined by the author: “…the ability to come to your inner world — your thoughts, emotions, experiences and self-stories — with courage, compassion and curiosity. Instead of these inner experiences holding you hostage, shrinking your life, or clouding your interactions, you’re able to learn from them; evaluate the situations you face; be clear-sighted about your options; and move forward with values and purpose. Emotional Agility is a critical skillset that helps you make real changes in your life, both at work and at home. It is key to thriving.”
For more info, see this previous post.
VII. The Upside of Your Dark Side:Why Being Your Whole Self–Not Just Your “Good” Self–Drives Success and Fulfillment by Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener (2014)
What these two researchers find key: “…’emotional, social, and mental agility,’ the ability to access our full range of emotions and behavior—not just the ‘good’ ones—in order to respond most effectively to whatever situation we might encounter.” Accepting the so-called “negative emotions” is essential.
