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didactylos's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I found this the most profound of his books, encyclopaedic and honest. I suspect having listened to it I may well end up buying a copy so I can return to it and refresh aspects of my enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
lottie1803's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
lvrlvr's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
findingthefantasticstory's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I just love Matt Haig so much. Reasons to Stay Alive basically saved me when my depression plummeted a few years ago. I've wanted to read Notes on a Nervous Planet for years but never got round to it until now.
Notes on a Nervous Planet deals with mental health in the modern age. He looks at how social media, the news, brands all use anxiety to get us to do what they want.
I love how Haig splits this up into very small chunks so it doesn't feel like the Gornal self help book. He also adds in a lot of personal stories about how he has dealt with his anxiety and depression in the modern world.
I just find him so relatable. I read his work and I'm like 'that's me'!
I would seriously recommend Notes on a Nervous Planet and Reasons to Stay Alive to anyone who struggles with their mental help. He has helped me a lot and he talks so much sense!
Notes on a Nervous Planet deals with mental health in the modern age. He looks at how social media, the news, brands all use anxiety to get us to do what they want.
I love how Haig splits this up into very small chunks so it doesn't feel like the Gornal self help book. He also adds in a lot of personal stories about how he has dealt with his anxiety and depression in the modern world.
I just find him so relatable. I read his work and I'm like 'that's me'!
I would seriously recommend Notes on a Nervous Planet and Reasons to Stay Alive to anyone who struggles with their mental help. He has helped me a lot and he talks so much sense!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
satsukiq's review against another edition
3.0
“And from that awareness we can find a way to keep hold of ourselves and still stay in love with this world. That’s the idea. It’s hard. But also, it is better than despair”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
mellowbread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I devoured this while standing up in the local Waterstones. I’m pretty sure everyone who passed by me was mildly irritated by how I was blocking the personal development section since I was leaning against the shelf. I’ve been feeling a mix of negative feelings, one of them anxiety, and this really confirmed and validated my habits of practicing digital and physical minimalism. I think there is a lot of humour interspersed throughout the mess of chapters that somehow have an easily understandable order. I think it encourages the reader to reflect on what content they are consuming, and how our mental health is affected by how messaging screams at us, telling us we’re not enough if we don’t have X. It felt really comforting knowing that I’m not the only one who struggles with this from time to time, and I will definitely re-read this when I need a slow-down life reminder.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
lhodgson26's review
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This it the first non fiction book of Matts I have read and I will certainly adding reasons to stay alive to my TBR. This was a world wind book and my criticism is that I wish it was longer as it seemed to be over so quickly. I really like Matts writing style as it is so fast paced and he breaks the fourth wall by speaking directly to the reader and mentioning the writing process for the book. I think this is a must read for everyone especially in Schools as it really shows the importance of being able to disconnect virtually and focus on reconnecting with your inner self and making time for yourself. It contains deeply personal stories as well as snippets from other articles and books. I liked the lists of things which would be useful to go back too when everything seems a bit too much and loud whether that be the news, work or instragram. I liked how it emphasised that we are all unique and we all really are so special and rather then worry over our differences we must embrace them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
helhas3letters's review
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.5
In this book, Haig outlines why he thinks humans have become stressed out and anxious by default. He largely puts it down to overwhelm and overstimulation in the age of information, and a neglect for taking good care of ourselves. Throughout the book, he reflects on different aspects of modern life, using statistics and studies, personal anecdotes, and more poetic creative writing.
Haig is a really accessible writer and easy to read. My main gripe with Notes on a Nervous Planet is that although it points out some important issues and backs them up with evidence, it doesn't provide many solutions for them. I enjoyed the chapters that came after the outlining of certain problems, which provided a numbered list of 'things you can do to X'/'changes you can make to stop Y', but I would have liked those solutions to be explored a bit more.
I also think that although Haig overall made some really good points in this book, it was very broad and I wish it was more focused. He took on a massive topic and, although he did split it into sections, each of these sections could easily be a book in and of themselves.
I recommend this as a good overview or introduction to the topic. However, if you want more in-depth discussion on, for example, the effects that social media has on our brains, or what lack of sleep does to us and why it's so important, or why the news has us in a state of panic all the time, then I'd recommend picking up a more specific book. (E.g. Outraged by Ashley 'Dotty' Charles, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Factfulness by Hans Rosling.)
Haig is a really accessible writer and easy to read. My main gripe with Notes on a Nervous Planet is that although it points out some important issues and backs them up with evidence, it doesn't provide many solutions for them. I enjoyed the chapters that came after the outlining of certain problems, which provided a numbered list of 'things you can do to X'/'changes you can make to stop Y', but I would have liked those solutions to be explored a bit more.
I also think that although Haig overall made some really good points in this book, it was very broad and I wish it was more focused. He took on a massive topic and, although he did split it into sections, each of these sections could easily be a book in and of themselves.
I recommend this as a good overview or introduction to the topic. However, if you want more in-depth discussion on, for example, the effects that social media has on our brains, or what lack of sleep does to us and why it's so important, or why the news has us in a state of panic all the time, then I'd recommend picking up a more specific book. (E.g. Outraged by Ashley 'Dotty' Charles, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, Factfulness by Hans Rosling.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Body shaming
pinkdino88's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is my second time reading this book and it was as comforting to me this time around as the first time. Matt Heig reflects on mental health and its connection to how busy the world we live in is. Like his other books where he discusses his own mental health it, it felt so validating. For example his explanation of why super markets are a place a lot of people get panick attacks. I also appreciated that for a book discussing the problems with the Internet, social media and technology he also mentioned the good of the Internet. I think this is a book I will return to at many points in my life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Mental illness
katstopreading's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Even though this made me anxious at first, it did have nice notes on how to stay calm and not worry as much in this anxious planet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt