Reasons to Stay Alive

Not great

I bought the book as a gift but the book is not in good condition. terrible 🥲

I bought this book as a recommendation. i stopped reading 1/3 of the way. I just think it's poorly written. It fails to keep me engaged I read plenty of books, about 1 a week. But this is one of the extremely few times that I couldn't force myself to finish what i was reading

Ziemlich gute Gründe, am Leben zu bleiben war ein absolutes Wunschlisten Buch von mir. Ich wusste, dieses Buch muss ich unbedingt lesen. Als ich es dann in den Händen hielt und die ersten Seiten gelesen habe, hat es mich dann doch schnell bedrückt und ich habe es wieder zur Seite gelegt. Einerseits wollte ich mich mit dem Thema Depression auseinander setzen aber andererseits wollte ich auch, dass mir das Thema nicht zu nahe geht. Schlussendlich habe ich Matt Haigs Buch gelesen und kann es uneingeschränkt weiter empfehlen. Es ist so viel mehr als nur eine Geschichte. Matt Haig erkrankte mit 24 an Depressionen und in seiner Geschichte erzählt er, wie ihm das Leben immer mehr entglitt. Er zeigt dem Leser die Abgründe der Krankheit und nimmt ihn auf eine schonungslose Reise mit. Manchmal hatte ich sogar das Gefühl, dass der Autor seine phasenweisen Schübe zu authentisch beschrieb. Bei so viel emotionaler Ehrlichkeit hatte ich oft Gänsehaut, besonders wenn Matt Haig nur Suizid als einzigen Ausweg sah. Er betont auch immer wieder, dass Depressionen eine unsichtbare Krankheit ist. Und dennoch hat er es geschafft, der zerstörerischen Gedankenspirale zu entkommen. Er hat für sich selbst einen Weg gefunden mit der Depression umzugehen. Der Autor hat einen tollen Sinn für Humor, das hat er bereits bei Ich und die Menschen bewiesen. Auch in diesem Buch steckt ein gewisser Witz drin, zwischen all dem traurigen, bedrückenden aber auch lebensbejahenden und schlauen Worten. Die Mischung ist ihm perfekt gelungen und das Gesamtkonzept des Buches hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Es hat alles ein bisschen aufgelockert. Ich könnte mich gar nicht entscheiden, welches Zitat mir am besten gefallen hat. Würde ich alle schönen Sätze markieren, wäre das ganze Buch bunt. Ziemlich gute Gründe, am Leben zu bleiben ist ein kleines Buch mit großer Wirkung. Ein Buch, welches für immer in meinem Regal bleiben darf. Matt Haig hat seine Geschichte unverblümt ehrlich erzählt und bei mir damit voll ins Schwarze getroffen. Eine Mischung aus Sachbuch, Ratgeber und Biographie und noch viel mehr. 5/5 Rawr's

It's quite difficult to review this book in terms of doing justice to it's greatness and it's goodness. Before I attempt to put my thoughts into words (I am still contemplating this book long after having read it three times over), I will just say this: read this book now, whoever you are, just find a way to read it, you absolutely must. The thing about depression is that it's just so hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. Matt Haig manages to accurately describe depression and anxiety and how he personally manages these illnesses without ever sounding maudlin, trite or preachy. I now feel I can just press this book upon people and say 'here, read this, this is me, you will know me now'. Matt Haig's writing is frank and beautiful and he manages to put into words thoughts that have been following me around for years. "If you have depression on its own your mind sinks into a swamp and loses momentum, but with anxiety in the cocktail, the swamp is still a swamp but the swamp now has whirlpools in it." - Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive. I found myself constantly nodding along whilst reading, there were just so many truisms, so many little realities and descriptions of feelings that I recognise so well and that I would never have been able to put into words. It was just such a relief to read. The structure of Reasons to Stay Alive is very helpful both for those attempting to understand depression, and for those in the midst of it. The book is separated into short chapters which are honest, insightful and beautifully succinct. I personally have found that when I am low and unwell I find it difficult to concentrate for long periods, so the short sections are very helpful in this respect and the book is never too heavy or overly academic. Little notes of humour made Reasons to Stay Alive light and hopeful as well as intensely emotional. One of my favourite sections is: 'things people say to depressives that they don't say in other life-threatening situations' with an example being 'Ah Meningitis. Come on, mind over matter'. I would love to be able to hand this book to every single person who has told me to pull myself together or be grateful for everything I have. I would like them to understand that I can happy and grateful at the same time as being depressed just like, as Matt Haig says, a person can be a sober alcoholic. As I said earlier, it is difficult to review this book when all that really needs to be said is that this book is incredibly important and EVERYONE should read it.

Reading this book let me know that I'm a far better well adjusted, happy, grateful, privileged person than I thought. I feel like we as a society throw around the words "I'm depressed" when we feel sad, and "I have anxiety" when we're just worried about what our next step in life is. The dictionary term of these words are what we're really talking about, not the weighted, complex feelings and issues these words currently have in our society. This books is up-lifting. I recommend it. It reminds you there are many reasons to be grateful for every day.

I have read many of Matt Haig's works of fiction, which I adore and have subsequently gifted to all my friends. This account of his battle with anxiety is extremely vulnerable, heartbreaking, poignant, and also manages to be optimistic and inspiring. He is a gift.