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A review by somecatcherintherye
I've never been (Un)happier by Shaheen Bhatt
5.0
"I’m silent but the screaming won’t stop, I’m calm but the restlessness goes on, I’m smiling but my frown won’t fade, I’m laughing but the tears don’t die away, I’m living but that won’t stop death from coming my way."
It's a very concise and yet the most authentic way I can say that describes a person's feelings of coping with depression, accepting it and then taking the steps to recovery. I enjoyed reading this book and it doesn't bore you. Sometimes the descriptions are almost poetic. Don't get me wrong I don't mean to say depression is romantic or it's meant to be embellished. As poetry is itself the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions here the writer has done only that. I don't think there is any other way that you can understand depression. The flow of the book is controlled. It doesn't let you get carried away but reminds you of the phase you have been through if you have.
I don't usually mark a book as a must read but this is genuinely the book every person especially of this generation should consider reading regardless of whether or not one has been in depression at any point in their lives. Read it to understand your loved ones. I am sure you will gain perspective and will try to change your ways of helping and loving people.
‘And why should you fit into the parameters of some made-up definition of normalcy?’ he continued, as my brow furrowed in thought. ‘You’re exhausted because you’re always pretending to be something you’re not. You’re constantly trying to reach this non-existent, ideal state of emotional well-being. It’s not real. You’re being set up to fail.’ ‘So then what do I do?’ I asked miserably. ‘Take off the mask. You aren’t happy? Fine, you aren’t happy. One day you will be. And then you’ll be sad again. Accept that and stop wasting your energy chasing something that doesn’t exist. You can’t spend your life feeling bad about feeling bad.’
It's a very concise and yet the most authentic way I can say that describes a person's feelings of coping with depression, accepting it and then taking the steps to recovery. I enjoyed reading this book and it doesn't bore you. Sometimes the descriptions are almost poetic. Don't get me wrong I don't mean to say depression is romantic or it's meant to be embellished. As poetry is itself the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions here the writer has done only that. I don't think there is any other way that you can understand depression. The flow of the book is controlled. It doesn't let you get carried away but reminds you of the phase you have been through if you have.
I don't usually mark a book as a must read but this is genuinely the book every person especially of this generation should consider reading regardless of whether or not one has been in depression at any point in their lives. Read it to understand your loved ones. I am sure you will gain perspective and will try to change your ways of helping and loving people.
‘And why should you fit into the parameters of some made-up definition of normalcy?’ he continued, as my brow furrowed in thought. ‘You’re exhausted because you’re always pretending to be something you’re not. You’re constantly trying to reach this non-existent, ideal state of emotional well-being. It’s not real. You’re being set up to fail.’ ‘So then what do I do?’ I asked miserably. ‘Take off the mask. You aren’t happy? Fine, you aren’t happy. One day you will be. And then you’ll be sad again. Accept that and stop wasting your energy chasing something that doesn’t exist. You can’t spend your life feeling bad about feeling bad.’