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A review by nicohvi
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman
5.0
This might very well be one of the most important books I'll ever read, and I'm very glad that I stumbled upon it (via brainpickings.org). George Orwell once said that the best books are those that tell you what you know already, and in my case this book does exactly that - and more.
Oliver Burkeman tells interesting stories related to even more interesting concepts (spanning stoicism (the real kind), memoria morte, mindfulness (also the real kind), living with uncertainty, buddhism and so much more), and he provides personal accounts of his experiences with these concepts - which in my opinon helps solidify them and make them clearer to the reader. It did in my experience, at least.
I found the ideas behind negative thinking to be, rather unexpectedly, intuitive. They coincided with ideas and concepts from other experiences I've had like reading Stephen King's musings on writing, the exercise of imagening worst case scenarios to realise that they aren't 100% terrifying to cope with anxiety, disassociating with your thoughts and realising that just like your senses of smell and sight aren't you (but rather sensory experiences), this also applies to your thoughts, and the daoist concept of living in the now and not constantly make detailed plans for the future (and despair when they fail).
I think anyone who reads this book will take away something valuable from the experience, and who knows? It might very well be the most important book you'll ever read.
PS: Audible actually has Mr. Burkeman himself narrate the book, which he does extremely well, so if you're considering listening to this rather than reading it I strongly recommend the former.
Oliver Burkeman tells interesting stories related to even more interesting concepts (spanning stoicism (the real kind), memoria morte, mindfulness (also the real kind), living with uncertainty, buddhism and so much more), and he provides personal accounts of his experiences with these concepts - which in my opinon helps solidify them and make them clearer to the reader. It did in my experience, at least.
I found the ideas behind negative thinking to be, rather unexpectedly, intuitive. They coincided with ideas and concepts from other experiences I've had like reading Stephen King's musings on writing, the exercise of imagening worst case scenarios to realise that they aren't 100% terrifying to cope with anxiety, disassociating with your thoughts and realising that just like your senses of smell and sight aren't you (but rather sensory experiences), this also applies to your thoughts, and the daoist concept of living in the now and not constantly make detailed plans for the future (and despair when they fail).
I think anyone who reads this book will take away something valuable from the experience, and who knows? It might very well be the most important book you'll ever read.
PS: Audible actually has Mr. Burkeman himself narrate the book, which he does extremely well, so if you're considering listening to this rather than reading it I strongly recommend the former.