I really enjoyed this book. It’s so easy to read that I finished it on my train journey from Bath to Manchester and back (about six hours). It has rave reviews from a number of well known people and has been on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a few months. Actress Joanna Lumley calls it ‘A masterpiece that might even save lives’ and I would agree.
It tells the true story of how author Matt Haig not only survived a crisis of mental health that came very close to ending his life but has gone on to triumph over depression. He writes in a very easy-to-read, humorous way that has you wanting to turn the pages to find out what happens next.
A combination of depression and anxiety hit Matt at the age of 24. He was in a loving relationship, living in a beautiful part of the world yet he was paralysed by his thoughts. He talks about not wanting to communicate with anyone. He describes a wide range of symptoms ranging from aching limbs and physical exhaustion to feeling lost and disconnected from the world and the people around him.
For me, the genius of this book is in his talent to tell what could be a grim story in a way which shouts ‘There is hope’ to anyone who suffers or knows someone suffering from mental health problems. Most importantly, as a reader you know this is a true story and not someone who has never experienced mental health problems trying to offer advice and put a gloss on it. This is the real deal and he not only survived but came out the other side stronger.
The first page contains the lines, ‘One of the key symptoms of depression is to see no hope. No future. So the fact that this book exists is proof that depression lies. Depression makes you think things that are wrong.’ I think this is so true. Recently I’ve been looking at how the way we think changes our viewpoint on the world…changes our personal reality. Think of it like changing the filter on a camera lens – the world doesn’t actually change, it’s just your individual filter on it that changes. Depression puts a hopeless, negative filter on everything you encounter and see and these filters distort the information you get from the outside world. Matt talks about feeling a need to continuously scan for warning signs that he was going to die or go mad. And because he was viewing the world through the filter of depressive, anxious thoughts he would find those warning signs and believe them.
This book will give hope to many. Hope that it really is possible to come out the other side and live a fulfilled life. It may also help us all to contemplate how we view life and how our personal filters affect how we perceive everyday events.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
ISBN 978 1 78211 6820
Price £7.99
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