REVIEW: 'Notes on a Nervous Planet' by Matt Haig

Notes on a Nervous Planet bought an incredible relief to my person. In the few days that I indulged myself in the read, the thought of getting on the tube for my daily commute, lunching on my own and returning to an empty flat (the shifts of my flatmates and I did not often align) was not something that bothered me quite as much. This, I sort of expected. I had heard awesome reviews from people I respected the opinion of who held both this book, and previous that Matt Haig had written, in high esteem.

What I had not anticipated was the amount of calm simply carrying the book on my person would bring. In points of high stress in the workplace, I would often think back to the book hidden away in my rucksack as strongly as if it were slowly but surely burning a hole through it... and I wanted to get rid of the bag but stop it just before the whole building went up in flames. That comparison ran away with me slightly. You know how people often encourage - I believe this book does too, though I am unable to double check this fact since I've lent it out to a friend - an individual to find a calm place to think back to in moments of intense emotion as a method of leveling oneself? I have to admit, I have a couple of such moments that I use, and transporting myself into the world of the book I happen to be reading at the time is quite an infallible one, but this book does that with just thinking of it's presence on your person.

But back to the content of the book... Haig writes incredibly honestly, and with just the right amount of authority that gets you thinking about what he is presenting, without dictating the right and wrongs of what is ultimately such a subjective experience. Notes on a Nervous Planet has made its name aiding people with Anxiety and explaining it in laymen terms for those who do not suffer from it themselves but wish to understand it. I wish to recommend the book for those who, though not diagnosed with Anxiety with a capital 'A', do find the planet making them highly strung and stressed out. I acknowledge that this may be thought controversial by some, as the mistaken overlap of these to mental states are often miss-read and lead to miss diagnosis/ advice giving, but I counteract this by proceeding with the fact that this book - no matter who you are - is unlikely to be entirely for you.

Page from Notes on a Nervous Planet

As I said earlier, this is not a bad thing. It is actually preferable. With Notes on a Nervous Planet unlike with other 'self help' books, I did not get the feeling that Haig was trying to present you with a mirror of yourself, or explain you to yourself, but rather present you with himself. This gave me a much stronger sense of understanding my own place in relation to others around me, as well as my person may sit in the lives of other people. As Haig presents himself, it is only natural that as a reader you find ideas you both agree and disagree with, as well as those that you wish to unpack further. I deeply recommend this book as a read for those who have any interest in modern psychology, for better understanding themselves or others. It is also a greatly humorous read, and ideal for young readers.