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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Witty and hopeful. This book felt like a hug. Haig reflects on the ever increasing demands of the modern world and the toll they take on our wellbeing. I found his own personal experiences with anxiety and depression valuable to read about.
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 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.
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.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I think I just don’t like Haig’s style of writing and that’s okay. It made me more anxious whenever he tried to calm me which is not ideal.
Matt Haig is very astute when it comes to describing his anxiety and depression and panic. And he makes a TON of valid observations about the modern world and the increase in mental health disorders. I think my biggest take away is that our awareness of what we're doing and how we need to slow down and do nothing is so important. It's really hard as a human being to do nothing.
First off, this was my first real go at audiobooks. I've been steering clear from this format because I have absolutely no trust in my ability to focus on listening. But I've got to say this has been one pleasant, productive, and eye-opening (well, more like ear) experience. Definitely will be getting into more audiobooks from now on!
Second(and finally getting into reviewing this book), this book is an experience I recommend anyone to try. No, I don't believe it's revolutionary or life-changing. But it'll make you think and pay attention to your own life. So much so that it might just be enough to push you to make a change.
“We often find ourselves wishing for more hours in the day, but that wouldn't help anything. The problem, clearly, isn't that we have a shortage of time. It's more that we have an overload of everything else.”
I'm an intensely anxious person. And unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately) I've been having one of the most anxious weeks in the past few months. Not that the book caused it, but it did add fuel to the fire. At first, instead of inspiring me to do better, to be better, and feel better, it made me see all the things I do wrong. How I'm setting up a trap for myself and therefore the bad week I'm having is in a way my own doing.
It is quite an uneasy experience to listen to someone talk about how anxious this world is while experiencing crippling anxiety yourself. But in the end, it was like a good talk to a friend—uncomfortable and confronting, but refreshing and inspiring nonetheless.
“Living with anxiety, turning up, and doing stuff with anxiety takes a strength most people will never know.”
I'm going to be realistic—I'm probably not going to drastically decrease my phone usage or make huge habitual changes. But I'll try to do better. Unplug a little longer, stay in the present more, and compare myself less to other people.
Second(and finally getting into reviewing this book), this book is an experience I recommend anyone to try. No, I don't believe it's revolutionary or life-changing. But it'll make you think and pay attention to your own life. So much so that it might just be enough to push you to make a change.
“We often find ourselves wishing for more hours in the day, but that wouldn't help anything. The problem, clearly, isn't that we have a shortage of time. It's more that we have an overload of everything else.”
I'm an intensely anxious person. And unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately) I've been having one of the most anxious weeks in the past few months. Not that the book caused it, but it did add fuel to the fire. At first, instead of inspiring me to do better, to be better, and feel better, it made me see all the things I do wrong. How I'm setting up a trap for myself and therefore the bad week I'm having is in a way my own doing.
It is quite an uneasy experience to listen to someone talk about how anxious this world is while experiencing crippling anxiety yourself. But in the end, it was like a good talk to a friend—uncomfortable and confronting, but refreshing and inspiring nonetheless.
“Living with anxiety, turning up, and doing stuff with anxiety takes a strength most people will never know.”
I'm going to be realistic—I'm probably not going to drastically decrease my phone usage or make huge habitual changes. But I'll try to do better. Unplug a little longer, stay in the present more, and compare myself less to other people.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Good discussion of how our modern society can create feelings of anxiety and depressive states. Many tips discussed in how to identify triggers and life adjustments one can make to lower the influence of external events that drive negative emotions. Some are very simple such as enjoy the outdoors without letting your tech gear intrude. Take a break from social media of the news. Don’t allow worries to be inflicted on you when you don’t have the power to do anything about them. My favorite- escape in a good read!
I do love Matt Hiag's writing and this book contains so many quotable bits in it. The book is really about how our current way of life in the western world - with all the technology we use - is damaging our mental and physical health. I definitely bought in to his arguments and would agree with him on how hard it is to give some of it up (my iPhone for one!). I also really liked that the chapters of the book are so varied. One might be an essay on a particular issue, an other might be a checklist or "10 things...". So why only three stars? Well I was torn between 3 and 4. It is very like his previous books - just with a different focus - I do feel it is getting a bit repetitive. But (if you're reading this Matt) I do love his style of writing.
Very short. More focus on anxiety and avoiding social media than I expected, which wasn't really relevant to me.