Notes on a Nervous Planet: Matt Haig Hardcover – 5 July 2018

Thank you so much Matt. Not just for this book (which I shall go on to review further on), but thank you for writing down and printing out the thought processes that I have every single day. Whilst I am a 20-year-old working class female, and you're a fully grown adult man with an actual job and a family, we seem to have a lot in common when it comes to the mental processes; quite scarily a lot in common. Your way of constructing and presenting your perspectives on life and thoughts and all that confusing brain stuff has honestly been such a voice of hope for me over the past few months, what with this (wonderful) book, and also Reasons To Stay Alive.Notes On A Nervous Planet; whilst I am only 1/3rd of the way through, has stuck some unstricken nerves with me, and opened me up to a new perspective. So far, the take-home message that I am getting from this book is that everything is okay. Worrying is okay. Feeling a certain way is okay, reacting to situations in different and unique ways, is also... okay. It's absolutely fine for our brains to react to stimulus in ways which we don't understand, but instead of fighting it, we need to accept it and not even understand it, but just be okay with it.I want to write more, but I also want to finish the other 2/3rds of the book!I don't usually write Amazon reviews, I'm more of a shameless Instagram commenter, but this book is well deserving of 5 stars.

A scattered, but honest look at how the rapidly changing, modern world we live in plays a detrimental impact on mental and physical health. Whether you suffer with mental illness or not, it can be an overwhelming place to be. Notes On A Nervous Planet creates a relatable platform to feel heard, using a conversation and relaxed tone. If you're looking for a self help book, this isn't necessarily it, although it identifies the problem there's minimal guidance what to do to improve your mental health.TW: Suicide, alcohol abuse, panic disorder, mental illness"I sometimes feel like my head is a computer with too many windows open. Too much clutter on the desktop. And if only I could drag some of the clutter into the trash, then I would be fine. But which frame would I choose, when they all seem so essential?""Feeling you lack things doesn't make you less complete""When it comes to our minds, awareness is very often the solution itself. Only by accepting the situation can you change it""Never let other people make you feel it is a weakness or flaw inside you if you have a mental health problem""Reading is important because it gives you room to exist beyond the reality you're given""Everyone is misunderstood. Don't worry about other people understanding you. Aim to understand yourself".

I'd read 3 of this author's novels and, of course, Reasons to Stay Alive so was curious about this book. First look and it seems to be some sort of self help book with an encouragement towards calm which is always a positive.I read the paperback which is slightly smaller than a standard paperback (I always love something that stands out from the crowd).At 306 pages this book is split into 18 chapters that are then broken down into small sections that average at about 2 pages each. The book is printed in a large font. It was first published in 2018 - the planet has only got madder since then so I was curious to see if it still felt relevant.His first book about mental health was very personal and limited to his own experiences - the purpose of this book is to widen that remit and give readers more engagement, both of which he achieves.The book is still about Matt Haig's journey through the world but he is now is a better place mentally so is able to be mor aware and reflect on his wider environment.There is a lot to think about as you are reading. Anyone picking up the book is already curious about the often overwhelming society in which we live and its effects and there is an irony that the book would probably be more useful for many of the people who will never read it as they are potentially ignoring problems.In the 6 years since publication we have been through a pandemic with huge impacts on mental health although, after long reflection, I'm not sure that general social pressures have changed as much over this period as I had previously thought. This book is still very relevant.Matt Haig has a chaotic way of writing which prevents the book being a self help manual so it becomes a flow of his thoughts and ideas.It's give any reader a sense of what helps Matt Haig to get through each day and it will entertain you at the same time.

Nice product.

As someone with anxiety I found Reasons to Stay Alive so helpful and couldn’t wait to read this one too. Whereas Reasons to Stay Alive followed the author’s personal journey with depression and gave advice on how to manage depression and suicidal thoughts, this one looks more generally at modern Western society, technology in particular, and how it can contribute to making people more depressed and anxious. A lot of the conclusions – like taking time for self-care and spending less time on your phone – were already ones I’d come to for managing my own mental health, but still I think this book will be illuminating for a lot of people , especially young people who have grown up thinking smartphones are normal. The book still contains some personal anecdotes and I found the chapter on appearance and unattainable beauty standards (‘A Feeling is not Your Face’) especially helpful.On the whole I found Reasons to Stay Alive more ground breaking and helpful for my own mental health – I still carry it around like a bible sometimes – but Notes on a Nervous Planet is a fascinating account of modern culture and its effects on mental health. A must-read not just for those of us with anxiety disorders but for anyone living in the modern world. However, what it doesn't do is address the anxiety that results from specific trauma, rather than from general modern living - although some of the tips/mindsets may still help.

Disappointing

A book worth reading for all of us human beings in need of a reminder what it means to be one.

It’s a beautiful book! One of my favorites.

I have read more of matt his books, but they were all stories (which I also loved). And even though I always learned something from those books as well, this one really helped me. Definitely gonna recommend this book to a lot of people

What a book, what a book!! I had enjoyed another book by this author and had loved his narrative. This book was even more captivating as he speaks about his own experience. This book really helped me understand more about myself and also taught me that I'm not at fault for what I'm feeling, it's the world and his tidbits on how to deal with it are pretty practical and do-able. Must read for anybody through mental health issues or even just feeling a little low - if nothing it will show how u are not alone :)

I loved the book, I don’t know if everybody would. It was as though I was spending time in my head, nicely, relaxed. I would recommend it to anybody who just wants a chill reading on how to reorganise your head to let it be more like a soft cloud. All the answers you may need aren’t in the book but it’s definitely a good start, at least I think…