Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Canongate Books (2018), Edition: Main, 320 pages
Description
"A follow-up to Matt Haig's internationally bestselling memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, a broader look at how modern life feeds our anxiety, and how to live a better life. The societies we live in are increasingly making our minds ill, making it feel as though the way we live is engineered to make us unhappy. When Matt Haig developed panic disorder, anxiety, and depression as an adult, it took him a long time to work out the ways the external world could impact his mental health in both positive and negative ways. Notes on a Nervous Planet collects his observations, taking a look at how the various social, commercial and technological 'advancements' that have created the world we now live in can actually hinder our happiness. Haig examines everything from broader phenomena like inequality, social media, and the news; to things closer to our daily lives, like how we sleep, how we exercise, and even the distinction we draw between our minds and our bodies"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Arkrayder
Reading this book was like having a blanket wrapped around you and a big steaming mug of tea handed to you. This is a much needed book for anyone to read not just depression-anxiety sufferers. The book is broken up into segments with short passages, notes and Matt Haig’s experiences with sever
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panic attacks and depression, making it easy to pore over at your leisure. Totally worth reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member books_ofa_feather
Dear Reader,
Dear Heart in need of healing,
Dear Overtaxed mind,
Dear How to keep up when the world is so fast (p.s. you don't need to),
Dear Need some sighs of relief,
Here you go. Read this. Give yourself space and time for baby steps.
Something about Matt Haig's writing always feels like that one
Reasons to Stay Alive truly impacted my life last year and I was hesitant at first that this book wouldn't live up to that standard. It does not disappoint. There are so many pages I want to keep branded to my brain and taped to my walls. And as with 'Reasons', I want so many people in my life to read this and be encouraged. To take a step back from the "Nervous Planet" and understand it's okay to NOT keep up with it and to stress out while balancing you and the world.
I would love to do a book club read with a few a friends. A definite reread.
Dear Heart in need of healing,
Dear Overtaxed mind,
Dear How to keep up when the world is so fast (p.s. you don't need to),
Dear Need some sighs of relief,
Here you go. Read this. Give yourself space and time for baby steps.
Something about Matt Haig's writing always feels like that one
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genuine person in your life that smiles all the time and they are a calm, quiet presence in your life. But they aren't the type to make you feel self conscious about not being those things; you feel at ease to be and to glean what you can (and you hope it washes over you forever) from them. That is this book for me. I'm glad I picked this for my New Year Non-fiction read.Reasons to Stay Alive truly impacted my life last year and I was hesitant at first that this book wouldn't live up to that standard. It does not disappoint. There are so many pages I want to keep branded to my brain and taped to my walls. And as with 'Reasons', I want so many people in my life to read this and be encouraged. To take a step back from the "Nervous Planet" and understand it's okay to NOT keep up with it and to stress out while balancing you and the world.
I would love to do a book club read with a few a friends. A definite reread.
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LibraryThing member PDCRead
The modern world is fast and relentless, our connection to the internet that means we have a never-ending stream of notifications, jobs that come with a phone and almost permanent on call. Our nerves are jangled constantly. It feel like you are in a race that you can never win and standing still
In this modern world, can we stay sane?
This is the follow up to his successful and what I consider now an essential book, Reasons to Stay Alive. I that he told us of his journey back from staring into the abyss. In this, he lays out the problems of the modern world that have been caused by the internet as well as the positive benefits that it has brought. He makes it very personal, telling us of the issues that he has had with obsessions with Facebook, Twitter and the slightly unreal world of Instagram and how it has affected his mental health.
Reading isn’t important because it helps to get you a job. It’s important because it gives you room to exist beyond the reality you’re given. It is how humans merge. How minds connect. Dreams. Empathy. Understanding. Escape.
Like his previous book, there are anecdotes, his thoughts on the world we are living in. Woven into this is his own personal story about how his depression and anxiety has ebbed and flowed, often caused by spending way too long on the internet. Listening to the echo chamber is not good for your health, especially in this political climate, and this book is full of practical suggestions on how to cope with the relentlessness of it all, when and how to engage for an affirmative experience and when to turn the computer off, set the phone aside and go and do something else. Probably essential reading for teenagers.
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doesn't feel like an option. Yet in the world of 24 / 7 connections to family, friends and strangers around the world, people have never been more alone.In this modern world, can we stay sane?
This is the follow up to his successful and what I consider now an essential book, Reasons to Stay Alive. I that he told us of his journey back from staring into the abyss. In this, he lays out the problems of the modern world that have been caused by the internet as well as the positive benefits that it has brought. He makes it very personal, telling us of the issues that he has had with obsessions with Facebook, Twitter and the slightly unreal world of Instagram and how it has affected his mental health.
Reading isn’t important because it helps to get you a job. It’s important because it gives you room to exist beyond the reality you’re given. It is how humans merge. How minds connect. Dreams. Empathy. Understanding. Escape.
Like his previous book, there are anecdotes, his thoughts on the world we are living in. Woven into this is his own personal story about how his depression and anxiety has ebbed and flowed, often caused by spending way too long on the internet. Listening to the echo chamber is not good for your health, especially in this political climate, and this book is full of practical suggestions on how to cope with the relentlessness of it all, when and how to engage for an affirmative experience and when to turn the computer off, set the phone aside and go and do something else. Probably essential reading for teenagers.
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LibraryThing member TomMcGreevy
Matt Haig has helped me understand myself. I can think of no greater praise to offer. His books are insightful. They show a first-hand understanding of mental illness, and speak of approaches one can use to heal oneself. These aren't prescriptive in any way. It is acknowledged that everyone is
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different and unique and special. And equally that one can build within oneself a place of peace and health. We all deserve this. Show Less
LibraryThing member electrascaife
technological and fast-moving world.
Not really my cuppa, I think. His descriptions of what it’s like having anxiety were too on the nose for me and made me…anxious myself. And his thoughts on technology and what it’s doing to the world seemed like nothing that hasn’t been said before and
Not really my cuppa, I think. His descriptions of what it’s like having anxiety were too on the nose for me and made me…anxious myself. And his thoughts on technology and what it’s doing to the world seemed like nothing that hasn’t been said before and
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elsewhere? I dunno. Just…nothing earthshattering here for me, but it may be amusing and worthwhile for others. Show Less
Awards
Books Are My Bag Readers Award (Shortlist — Non-Fiction — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018
Physical description
5.43 inches
ISBN
9781786892676