Need an Inspirational/encouraging Book.

I really recomend, Being Ok Just Isn't Enough: The Power of Self-Discovery, its by Doris Wild Helmering, a great book.

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

I have suffered from depression in the past and can tell you that one of the best things you can do is get outside and walk! Walking is easy. The air is fresh. It will boost your endorphins.

These books don't necessarily talk about depression but they are very inspirational.

Good Luck.

It's called "Stop Whining, Start Living"...I can totally relate to your post...and the book (I am OVERDUE to read it again) isn't so much a sympathetic ear, but rather the kick in the rear I need to give thanks and change my outlook.
Also...some people tend to be more melancholy than others...and it's not a lot of fun! I'd recommend getting your Vitamin D 25-OH checked by your doc, and making sure you are taking a good daily vitamin, a B Complex vitamin and large amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids (A supplement is usually needed in addition to eating fish). If your Vitamin D level is below 40, start a Vit D supplement of 2000iu daily and if it's even lower...they might give you a prescription dose for a while. I am SO not a vitamin pusher...but after Rx's that seem to make me worse...this is what I find helps me.

It's not an unusual thing. I've never been on depression medication, but I've been depressed, and the only thing worse than going to bed sad is waking up in the morning sad.

Your first book of help needs to be your Bible, because that's God speaking. If you can find a copy of the New Living or The Message, and just read it like a novel, all the way through (we don't have to do Bible study every time - we can just READ!), you will learn things that will help your view of your reality be a better and more accurate one. You get the up side along with the down side, and you'll be glad to have both.

When I feel down just for general reasons and want a book remedy, one of the things I like to do is to grab Jan Karon's MITFORD books off my bookshelf. They are good for my mind and my heart. You should be able to find them at your library.

Here's another idea: EVERY time you look at your children, your husband, your home, what's outside, anything that makes you smile or laugh or think, stop and give thanks. Maybe that sounds silly, but it makes a difference to one's outlook.

For a different perspective on life, read the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

It is about seizing every moment and achieving your dreams told through a Professor diagnosed with terminal cancer that has to say goodbye to his 3 young children. VERY good :)

"A New Earth" is great to remind you to stop yourself and appreciate the present when you start to spiral downward among other things. I felt very good after reading it, and still employ it's message all the time.

Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Eat Pray Love is good too.

Do you do any volunteer work? That might be a great idea for getting outside yourself a little.

Good luck!

You can check out Joycemeyer.org

She has a lot of great books.

Best book I read to get out of my post-partum funk and changed my life was:

Learned optimism: how to change your mind and your life
By Martin E. P. Seligman

Basically what I learned is that you want to disrupt the chemical and neural processes that are causing the sad feelings. Your body has been accustomed to this state of being and keeps trying to have you create the same biochemicals over and over again so it can feel 'normal', which sends a message to your brain to start the process of sad "thinking" so that your brain sends out the biochemicals again.

The movie "What the Bleep Do We Know" did a great job of explaining how our brain works, specifically Dr. Joe Dispenza who wrote "Evolve Your Brain" that I also highly recommend reading.

Another great book that changed my life was "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle (Same guy who wrote a New Earth) but this book I think was first.

Best wishes!

The Happiness Project is a good read. It's written by a mother who has it all but wonders why she's not happier. So she embarks on a quest to figure out what will make her happy. She then set up a website to help people figure out their own Happiness Project. It's more analytical than inspirational but she ended up happier at the end.

I've heard "Eat, Pray,Love", by Elizabeth Gilbert and "The Secret", by Rhonda Byrne are helpful to us Moms.

Happy Thoughts! :)

Eat Pray Love and the followup to it, Committed

I am a Christian as well and I will say that the book has it's share of rants and curses and mixed sort of spiritual viewpoints. But I think there's a lot to be learned from it. I loved the book, couldn't put it down and I read it at a time when I was really struggling with feeling lost in the midst of my seemingly perfect life of wife, mother, etc. It was a catalyst for me to start taking better care of myself inside and out. Highly recommend it, you will get lost in it!

I am currently reading the followup to it, Committed, equally great!

Updated

Eat Pray Love and the followup to it, Committed

I am a Christian as well and I will say that the book has it's share of rants and curses and mixed sort of spiritual viewpoints. But I think there's a lot to be learned from it. I loved the book, couldn't put it down and I read it at a time when I was really struggling with feeling lost in the midst of my seemingly perfect life of wife, mother, etc. It was a catalyst for me to start taking better care of myself inside and out. Highly recommend it, you will get lost in it!

I am currently reading the followup to it, Committed, equally great!

I love Joyce Meyer too, but don't forget your Bible. As to other non- religious books, I would recommend Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell. It is uplifting and you can even check him at www.keithharrell.com

Mom, ck out Christian author, Max Lucado's books. One of his most recent "Fearless" has been on the NY Times bestseller list and is outstanding. He is a prolific writer and all of his books are inspirational books with a Christian theme, you can find them at the library or Borders, etc, or even on Amazon.com used books at great prices. Another good book I just finished and found to be quite inspirational is a biography, The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls. Her story is about her very odd childhood growing up on the run with weird and eccentric parents, but she made it to adult hood and oddly has very little resentment. I thought it was really good and an easy read too. Also, I would recommend at least 30 minutes of fast paced exercise each day, it will lift your spirits too.

Been there, done that and so much better now. Hope these suggestions help.