Better Mental Health

There is good news and bads news about the way many people are feeling today. The bad news is that Americans are feeling high levels of anxiety. The good news is that there are free resources at your Knox County Public Library that can help you find effective ways to reduce your anxiety and restore more balance and happiness in your life.

Stress (48%) and sleep (38%) continue to be the top two factors impacting Americans’ mental health. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) this summer released new national poll data showing that Americans continue to report high levels of anxiety. Current events and paying bills are tied as the leading sources of anxiety at 62% each. Concern about emerging technology also rose in the past year.

When asked about specific current events causing concern, the economy was the top concern, with 71% of adults saying they were very or somewhat anxious about it. Other top concerns included the Iran war, healthcare, gun violence, international conflict, and hate speech and hate crimes.

Contributing to anxiety, four in 10 adults (42%) say they experience loneliness at least once a week, including 16% that experience loneliness every day. That is an increase from 2025, when 33% of adults reported experiencing loneliness at least once a week.

How can the Knox County Public Library help people cope with their increased levels of stress? The Library has many resources, from books, audiobooks, videos, magazines, classes, and on-line resources, which each provide a variety of ways to deal with stress.

Just a few examples include Arthur Brooks’ book, The Meaning of Life; Julia Hotz’s book, The Connection Cure, and Daisy Fancourt’s book, Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Save Lives.

Brooks and Hotz both recognize that loneliness and a lack of deep purpose are defining crises of the modern age. Backed by research from psychology, sociology, and neuroscience, both authors offer action-oriented solutions, leading to active engagement.

Brooks’ framework emphasizes cultivating emotional and spiritual well-being through intentional habits—managing emotions, clarifying values, serving others, and building deep personal faith or philosophical grounding.

Hotz argues that many modern ailments—anxiety, depression, and loneliness—are fundamentally rooted in social disconnection. Instead of treating symptoms solely with medication or isolated therapy, Hotz highlights real-world examples of doctors prescribing community-based activities, such as joining art clubs, gardening groups, walking squads, or volunteering.

Fancourt’s book, Art Cure, identifies art as the fifth pillar of health, alongside diet, sleep, exercise and nature. Citing decades of research, she demonstrates that activities like painting, singing, reading, dancing, and attending theater and concerts affect physiological systems, which reduce anxiety and depression. Fancourt shows that as little as 30 to 60 minutes per week of arts engagement can yield measurable improvements in mental and physical wellbeing and stress mitigation. In each chapter, she suggests ways to create a “personalized arts prescription” to fit one’s psychological and physiological needs, ending with a list of 10 practical tips for integrating art into one’s daily life and community.

These books are just a few examples of the multiple approaches available to improve lives at the Knox County Public Library. Everyone is invited to stop by and ask any staff member to help you locate these books, or thousands of other resources, all available to you with a library card.

We have one life to live, so seek ways now to make it a happy and productive one, starting with reducing the anxiety and isolation that hold too many people back.