What brings you comfort when you’re experiencing emotional pain? Kind words, a hug. Small gestures of closeness and understanding can make us feel seen in our time of need. It helps us feel that we’re not as alone in our suffering as we might feel. But there aren’t always people or beloved pets by our side to offer comfort in times of crisis or to support those struggling with depression. When we open ourselves to sensory experiences, new sources of strength become available: the whispering, gentle breeze as it caresses our skin; familiar music that calms us. Some draw strength from their faith; many find it in reading.
That is exactly what this column is about. Here, I’ll provide some background on the impact of personal stories on mental health and introduce the upcoming book *Seven Faces of Depression* by Nicolas Doster (Impian Verlag, release date: September 1, 2026), which I helped write.
Content
- How Reading Improves Health and Mental Well-Being
- Experiences as Inspiring Reading
- Testimonials and the Recovery Approach
- Study on the Empowering Effect of Recovery Stories
- Recovery Book: “The Seven Faces of Depression”
- Introduction to the Seven Experts by Experience
- Book Cover & Blurb
- Your Mental Health Update
How Reading Improves Health and Mental Well-Being
Researchers have repeatedly studied the effects of reading on the mind and body. Findings: A study by the University of Sussex shows that just six minutes of reading can reduce our stress levels by up to 68 percent. Even this short reading session promotes physical and mental relaxation, which also makes it easier to fall asleep.1 According to a study by the University of Liverpool, reading also stabilizes our mental state and can even help with depressive moods. Psychologist Rolf Schmiel comments: “That’s what good literature actually achieves. It leads us to this alpha state, this state of perfect relaxation.”2
Experiences as Inspiring Reading
Stories of people’s experiences overcoming crises are among my favorite reading material, because they deeply move and inspire me. Other people’s experiences don’t have to match my own. Often enough, I find inspiration and encouragement in the words or between the lines, and it sparks new ideas. I feel a connection between myself and the author. That’s why sharing stories becomes an existential necessity.
We tell stories to live. – Joan Didion, 1934–2021
It is precisely in radical honesty that we find comfort: We read not to find ready-made answers, but to see that others, too, are grappling with challenges and the fragility of their life plans, and to draw inspiration from them. We find new courage.
Testimonials and the Recovery Approach
That’s why, in my writing on mental health, I consistently share deep insights into my own emotional experiences and personal growth. Because it is precisely this—touching, comforting, and empowering others—that connects us as human beings. Imagine how thrilled I was when, a year ago, Nicolas Doster invited me to contribute to his book project featuring recovery stories! Nicolas is the host of the successful podcast “Let’s Talk About Depression.” That’s how we got to know each other. He’s also an author, coach, and psychological counselor. In his book, he compiles seven recovery stories from people who have been guests on his podcast and have experienced depression. But what exactly does the word “recovery” mean?
Recovery is the concept of healing: Even if symptoms of illness may persist, we can learn to treat ourselves with greater kindness and compassion and become mentally stronger. We don’t focus solely on illness; instead, we consciously shift our attention to the positive, empowering aspects of our lives—or dare to discover them for the first time. – Nora Hille
Study on the Empowering Effect of Recovery Stories
What particularly fascinates me is that, in addition to my own preference for this genre of writing, studies confirm the effectiveness of sharing recovery stories in promoting mental health: Personal accounts that follow the recovery approach enable others facing similar challenges to gain valuable insights for their own journey and strengthen their sense of self-empowerment: For example, the NEON (Narrative Experiences ONline) study conducted by the University of Nottingham in 2024 was the world’s first large-scale clinical investigation to examine how listening to or reading personal recovery stories (recovery narratives) via a web app affects people with mental health conditions. People who had been affected by depression and/or anxiety benefited particularly and found hope. The stories generated feelings of validation and belonging and reduced isolation. Study coordinator Dr. Stefan Rennick-Egglestone of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham commented:
“We found that […] recovery narratives effectively improved quality of life; they reinforced people’s sense that their lives have meaning […].”3
Recovery Book: “The Seven Faces of Depression”
The initial spark for the book idea came from Nicolas’s own reading preferences: “For me personally, during past crises, the personal accounts of others who’d been through similar experiences were the most helpful. Finally, I no longer felt isolated in my experience with depression; instead, I felt understood. That’s why I came up with the idea of compiling several personal accounts in a book.”
It was particularly important to Nicolas—who, as a psychological counselor and coach, regularly works with people suffering from depression and burnout—to ensure the book offered significant value while remaining “easy to digest,” since it’s often difficult to concentrate during the acute phase of an illness: “Since my focus is specifically on encouragement and knowledge transfer, I asked all the contributing authors to fill out a standardized questionnaire in addition to writing an individual guest contribution. This makes it easy for readers to understand what mental health challenges each person is facing, what resources were utilized within the healthcare system—and, above all, what actually helped.”
Introduction to the Seven Experts with Practical Experience
As the title suggests, Nicolas Doster’s book *Seven Faces of Depression* brings together contributions from six other experts by experience in addition to his own:
Author Elli Kolb has published two novels with Bastei Lübbe that explore the topic of mental health: *9 Grad* (2024) and *Das Leuchten des Himmels an dunklen Tagen* (2025). On her blog, understandingly, she writes about the mind-body connection, mental health, and specific topics such as ice bathing. Instagram: @understandingly.de
Anti-stigma activist Andy Feind works as a certified recovery coach and professional speaker. He published his biography back in 2018 A Storm of Thoughts. In the Eye of My Depression Tornado . Instagram: @seelenkontrast
Eva Jahnen is a communication designer, illustrator, and author of*Die Gedanken sind Blei* (2021). Instagram: @depridisco
Luca Bischoni, who holds a B.Sc. in psychology, published his book in 2022 When My Life Came to a Halt—School. College. A Breakdown. My Journey Out of Depression . Instagram: @luca_bischoni.
Mental health activist Sven Kravitz is the founder of the SemiCoolon Project, which includes a podcast of the same name and self-help groups, and is also the organizer of the Mental Health Festival Walsrode. Instagram: @semicoolonproject
Nora Hille is an author specializing in mental health and a columnist for FemalExperts. Books: *When Light Conquers Darkness *, about coping with bipolar disorder and PTSD, and the children’s book *When Our Soul Needs Help *. *Finally, a Restful Night’s Sleep* will be published on October 1, 2026.
Learn more about publisher Nicolas Doster on his website, where you’ll also find an overview of all his books, the most recent of which, *Your Path Out of Depression*, was published in January 2026. Instagram: @nicolasdoster
Book Cover & Blurb
Here’s what the blurb reveals: Depression has many faces. It can be loud and overwhelming, or quiet, paralyzing, and barely visible to others. Sometimes it means shuttling back and forth between the bed and the couch and needing an endless amount of energy even for the smallest tasks. Sharing such experiences, in particular, can offer encouragement and open up new perspectives.
In *Seven Faces of Depression*, Nicolas Doster brings together moving personal accounts from people who speak openly about hopelessness and setbacks, but also about turning points and helpful strategies. Their stories show that just as depression is unique to each individual, so too can the ways of coping be unique. And yet there are common threads—principles that provide support when everything starts to fall apart. This book is not a substitute for therapy. But it offers something important: the feeling that you are not alone.
“Seven Faces of Depression” will be published by Impian on September 1 and is now available for pre-order everywhere:
Nicolas Doster (Editor)
Hardcover, 192 pages
Impian, 2026
978-3-96269-215-5 (ISBN)
€14.95
- Trautwein, Sven: Books Promote Healthy Sleep: The Impact of Reading on Falling Asleep. Published on January 2, 2025. Available online at: https://www.24books.de/aktuelles/buecher-foerdern-gesunden-schlaf-der-einfluss-des-lesens-auf-das-einschlafen-93464479.html ↩︎
- See the online article, author unknown: “Reading Makes You Happy,” published on Bayern 1 on May 20, 2025, available online at: https://www.br.de/radio/bayern1/lesen102.html ↩︎
- Full original quote: “We found that a recovery narratives intervention was effective at improving quality of life, increased people’s perception that their life had meaning, and was a cost-effective use of NHS resources, so this was a trial with a very positive set of findings,” said Dr. Stefan Rennick-Egglestone from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, who coordinated the study.”
Available online at: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/mental-health-recovery-narratives-improve-quality-life-others-similar-experiences. Publication of the study: Rennick-Egglestone, S., et al. (2019): Impact of receiving recorded mental health recovery narratives on quality of life in people with psychosis: the NEON randomized controlled trial protocol. In: Trials, 20(1), 724. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3828-z. ↩︎
About the author
Nora Hille was born in 1975, is happily married and has two children. She studied history, literature and media studies, worked in communications/public relations for 12 years and has now retired for health reasons. Today she writes articles on the topics of mental health and mental illness as a sufferer and experience expert. She also writes literary essays, poems (preferably haikus) and short prose. She regularly publishes her mental health column here at FemalExperts Magazine and is Editor of eXperimenta - the magazine for literature, art and society. Anti-stigma work is close to her heart: she is an encourager at Mutmachleute e.V. and is committed to Anti-Stigma-Texts against the stigmatization (exclusion) of the mentally ill in our society for more togetherness, tolerance and equality. In autumn 2023 her book "When Light Defeats Darkness" will be published by Palomaa Publishing. A book of encouragement about how to live a good and rich life despite bipolar illness - and the enormous challenge that this means every day for the inner balance of those affected.
