Notes on a Nervous Planet @matthaig1

About Notes on a Nervous Planet

The world is messing with our minds.
Rates of stress and anxiety are rising. A fast, nervous planet is creating fast and nervous lives. We are more connected, yet feel more alone. And we are encouraged to worry about everything from world politics to our body mass index.
- How can we stay sane on a planet that makes us mad?
- How do we stay human in a technological world?
- How do we feel happy when we are encouraged to be anxious?
After experiencing years of anxiety and panic attacks, these questions became urgent matters of life and death for Matt Haig. And he began to look for the link between what he felt and the world around him. Notes on a Nervous Planet is a personal and vital look at how to feel happy, human and whole in the twenty-first century.

My review of Notes on a Nervous Planet

Matt Haig's books always manage to soothe my soul. I feel instantly calmer once the book is in my hand. I feel ready for some much needed escapism and me time. This book is no exception. It's a remarkable book that is so incredibly raw and honest, and which talks about the absolute truth. It's a breath of fresh air.

This is Matt Haig at his absolute best. He writes about his past and present, his way of coping with life's stresses and his panic attacks. He writes from the heart and from reality. But most of all this book is real. It's almost a life's guide on how to be human, on how to reconnect with other humans, and that at times we simply need to switch off that phone for the benefit of our mental health.

For me, the reading of this book was very much about getting back to the basics, getting back to nature. Enjoying that walk with nowhere in particular to go. Just to sit and watch a sunset, or to read a good book. Today life is busy and we find ourselves ever more disconnected. This book is very much about connecting with others, and with our environment.

 It is full of wisdom and insight. One section in particular, The Beach, really resonated with me. It's about how the beach is timeless, that it existed before us and will be here long after we die. It's somewhere we can sit and just 'be' and that it doesn't care what we look like, or what we wear  it's about how we perceive ourselves to be.

This book is one of those books that you will go back to again and again. I've seen online that people have made notes in the margin of this book and have undermined their favourite parts. And I can completely understand why. It's a book that is good for our soul, for our mental health, as it reminds us that we are human. Stop stressing the big stuff, take time out to have fun with the kids and step away from your phone. This really is a must read.

I purchased my own hardback copy.

Notes on a Nervous Planet was published on 5th July by Canongate.