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Notes on a Nervous Planet

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Notes on a Nervous Planet

By: Matt Haig
Narrated by: Matt Haig
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About this listen

The world is messing with our minds. Rates of stress and anxiety are rising. A fast, nervous planet is creating fast and nervous lives. We are more connected yet feel more alone. And we are encouraged to worry about everything from world politics to our body mass index.

  • How can we stay sane on a planet that makes us mad?
  • How do we stay human in a technological world?
  • How do we feel happy when we are encouraged to be anxious?

After experiencing years of anxiety and panic attacks, these questions became urgent matters of life and death for Matt Haig. And he began to look for the link between what he felt and the world around him.

Notes on a Nervous Planet is a personal and vital look at how to feel happy, human and whole in the 21st century.

©2018 Matt Haig (P)2018 Canongate Books Ltd Mental Health Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Inspiring Thought-Provoking Funny Health

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Critic reviews

"Warm and wise. If the modern world is making you anxious, this is the perfect book for you." (Claudia Hammond, BBC Radio 4)

"Examines how the world infiltrates our minds, and how to cope with its manifold distractions." (Anita Sethi)

"Is the modern world doing our heads in? Matt Haig shares our fears and gives answers to the question from many different angles. An enthralling book." (Jo Brand)
All stars
Most relevant
This is a stand alone book to read, but even better if read after reading Reasons to Stay Alive! I really enjoy books that are read by the authors, it somehow gives the book more credence, I would recommend both of these books, especially if you have suffered depression yourself or someone close to you has or has episodes of depression!

Great Read

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Reasonable food for thought, but only because collecting these ideas is always worthwhile. However, there was scarcely one idea in the book that I have not independently concluded in my own time, and I'm no expert. It is full of baseless armchair psychology. The focus on social media is tiresome. The quotes are meh. The sources seem to be just things the author googled, plus Sapiens and Why We Sleep. The concepts are structured in a chaotic fashion (not improved by the author saying this was deliberate in order to mirror chaos in the world...). It felt like eavesdropping on the author's therapeutic thought journal, and no doubt it was therapeutic to write. It just wasn't especially enjoyable to listen to. Performance was fine

not novel, not well structured

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Helpful,moving and on point! As a parent who is living with a young adult going through a mental health crisis, Matt’s insights and practical approaches give hope and direction to people who may be witnessing this illness. The distressing experience of apparent ‘windows’ opening and closing, from hour to hour, as your child rises and sinks through a fear and despair cycles, rips through the heart. Thank you Matt for putting words to the unfathomable darkness of these experiences. I’m forever indebted.

Brilliantly insightful

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Beautifully and eloquently narrated by the author himself - this book demystifies some of the issues troubling us a in the 21st century in a reader friendly and engaging way, while referencing other topical reads such as 'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker.

Highly Relevant & Informed

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Very insightful advice from an author who has a talent for conveying his liver experience vividly.

Much needed advice

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