Books like I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't)

01

Daring Greatly

Brené Brown · Health

Daring Greatly is Brené Brown's argument, drawn from twelve years of qualitative research on shame and vulnerability, that the willingness to show up without guarantees — to be seen, to risk failure, to remain open in the presence of uncertainty — is not weakness but the foundation of courage, connection, and meaningful achievement.

Shares shame and vulnerability with I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't).

02

Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

Kristin Neff · Psychology

Kristin Neff makes a claim that many readers initially resist: treating yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a good friend in distress is not self-indulgence, weakness, or an obstacle to high performance.

A kindred psychology read.

03

The Courage to Be Disliked

Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga · Philosophy

The Courage to Be Disliked presents Alfred Adler's philosophy of individual psychology through a Socratic dialogue between a young man and a philosopher.

A kindred psychology read.

04

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman · Psychology

Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995, made a widely influential argument: that the cluster of abilities involved in managing emotions — self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skill — predicts life outcomes at least as well as IQ, and possibly better in many domains.

A kindred psychology read.

05

Atlas of the Heart

Brené Brown · Psychology

Atlas of the Heart is Brené Brown's attempt to map eighty-seven distinct human emotions and experiences — not as a clinical taxonomy but as a practical vocabulary for people who want to communicate more precisely about what they feel.

Shares vulnerability and connection with I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't).

06

Rising Strong

Brené Brown · Self-help

Rising Strong is the third book in Brené Brown's vulnerability-and-courage sequence, following The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly.

Shares vulnerability and resilience with I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't).

07

The Gifts of Imperfection

Brené Brown · Self-help

The Gifts of Imperfection is Brené Brown's attempt to translate a decade of qualitative research on shame, vulnerability, and belonging into practical guidance for everyday life.

Shares shame and vulnerability with I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't).

08

Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be

Becky Kennedy · Psychology

Good Inside is clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy's guide to a parenting philosophy built around one central premise: children are fundamentally good inside, and difficult behaviors are not character flaws or manipulation but signals of unmet needs or underdeveloped skills.

Both dig into connection.

09

Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence

Rick Hanson · Psychology

Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and meditation teacher, and this book is his attempt to explain why wellbeing is so hard to sustain and what the brain science suggests you can do about it.

Both dig into resilience.

10

Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

Martin E. P. Seligman · Psychology

Martin Seligman's research career began with learned helplessness — the discovery that animals and humans who experience uncontrollable events generalize the uncontrollability to subsequent situations where control is actually possible, becoming passive even when action would help.

Both dig into resilience.

11

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology

Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.

Both dig into resilience.

12

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck · Psychology

Carol Dweck's central claim is simple but far-reaching: people hold one of two basic beliefs about their own abilities.

Both dig into resilience.