One of my Favourite Audiobooks this Year!

This was such a good book and so helpful, and so very personal. I'd been feeling sad for years and didn't really know why, until I was diagnosed with mild depression a few months before Covid happened.
This book is part memoir, part self-help and it worked so well for me, I love Helen Russell’s style of writing anyway and I loved her narration too, it made the book even better that she was reading it, as it made her life experiences all the more poignant.
I learnt so much about sadness and emotions from this book, particularly how society has suppressed emotions for a long time, particularly sadness and it’s not doing us any good. Along with the author’s personal story, there’s lots of very interesting and helpful facts and resources about sadness, depression, and mental health in general. It really is a cornucopia of a book and one I highly recommend and will be returning to regularly.

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2 people found this helpful

One of my favourite audiobooks!

I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this one was a joy despite the subject matter. It made me laugh too, a lot. The author herself, Helen Russel, narrates the book exceptionally well, and as it’s her book, she knows how to deliver the text (and some of it is comedy gold. I often laughed out loud).

One ungenerous reviewer of this book gave it 3 stars and said “there is nothing new” in it. This is not true. There is a lot of new research and ideas and interesting twists on some existing concepts.

I recommend this SO highly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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1 person found this helpful

A useful guide to navigating life's downs.

I've read Helen Russell's other books on happiness but this is the first one I've listened to. I was hooked from the start.
I really liked the autobiographical detail throughout, where without revealing personal information about others she talks through her story and maps this to the work of academics and others working in the field of mental health. The combination works really well and gave the content a lot more authenticity than other books on the subject of depression and mental health.
The narration is first-class- highly engaging, personable and moving.
A recommended listen for anyone who has suffered from loss or a sense of self-worth and needs help navigating back to a healthier state of mind.

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A pleasant read.

"How to be Sad" explores the importance of allowing ourselves to feel and process sad and difficult emotions. There is nothing new in the book but it's a pleasant read.

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This book is great

Another great listen from Helen Russell. Very interesting, genuine and well narrated. Looking forward to books on all the other emotions.

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Highly recommended

Honest, heartfelt, helpful and brilliantly witty. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to understand how to deal with life’s emotional challenges and stare sadness in the eye without fear.

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A stunning study on human emotions

This is a thoroughly fascinating, relatable and thought provoking study on human emotions which genuinely makes so much sense and encourages action. It lives up to its title by teaching you how to become happier by being sad better. Fantastic read, easy to listen to and fabulously narrated.

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Embracing sadness

A really uplifting book revealing that sadness is an integral and normal part of life. You will have both happiness and sadness in your life and it enables you to appreciate all.the good things in your life.

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Brilliantly written.

It is amusing, interesting, educational and with a great ending. It is really well worth reading.

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Not what you might expect -

Better by far than you could have imagined, I was really impressed with the writing style and content. Heartfelt in the best possible way.

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