“I am trying to write about the messiness of the world and the messiness of minds by writing a deliberately messy book,” British author Matt Haig asserts in Notes on a Nervous Planet. The follow-up to Haig’s memoir, Reasons to Stay Alive, can be read as a diatribe against social media, consumerism and technology in as much as it is a monograph on mindfulness. (Minus the schmaltz and alternative method quests to remain compos mentis in the 21st century.)
Haig’s initially frantic – and yes, messy – prose genuinely captures the Sturm und Drang which has become synonymous with a frantic, messy world:
- A full inbox of unanswered e-mails
- Your tweet that no-one likes
- Guilt from not going to the gym
- Looking at images of perfect bodies you’ll never have
- Having your job replaced by a robot
- The things you haven’t done but you wish you had
Do you sense an impending panic attack?
Do you feel insignificant?
Do you feel like you’re not getting enough out of your life?
So does Haig.
In poignantly writing about his own anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, he has created a reassuring read affirming that modern-day anxieties are universal.
If you’re expecting a Steven Pinker-esque approach to cognitive psychology, Notes on a Nervous Planet isn’t the book for you.
But worthwhile, perceptive and authentic it certainly is, while serving as a solid reminder that one can stay sane inside insanity.
Just remember that it isn’t easy.
