Thich Nhat Hanh For Bad Times

https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh/key-books/

I was recently reminded of the impact that Thich Nhat Hanh’s writing had on me at my lowest point – negative money, logistically stuck, drowning in a markedly and increasingly unhealthy 10-year romantic relationship, bad familial relations, and generally isolated from anyone that might help (or even just make me feel grounded for a couple of minutes). Figured there were worse things to do than pass it on. Your mileage may vary (and you decide your own level of involvement), but if you ever find yourself at a loss, perhaps you can get something out of these:

Mindfulness Essentials - I started with How to Eat and How to Relax because those were what my library had. Recommended for that feel when focus on anything would be better than focus on x / anything is better than this.

Anger - resonated with me during the transition away from feeling helpless and guilty facing up to the idea that not everything is actually your fault alone, knowing that being angry all the time didn’t help but not knowing how to stop, and figuring out how to navigate familial relationships that’d been bad for a long time.

The rest of them. Hanh was a prolific author, and if you’re in a bad place or looking for a change in perspective that isn’t soul-crushing, I recommend pawing through. I’m currently reading No Mud, No Lotus.

Author context: Dude was a lifelong Buddhist monk, exiled from Vietnam during the war and recommended for a nobel peace prize by Martin Luther King. The Dalai Lama has good shit to say about him, too. Buy-in to Buddhism is not required, his writing is largely secular - although his introduction to Buddhism also came recommended by a Buddhist friend.