For as long as I can remember, I’ve always connected with literature. Growing up in an environment where I had trouble expressing myself and coming up with my own identity, it was comforting to gain a love for something that helped me get out of my shell. Over the years I’ve adapted into different surroundings, my interests have changed with every new stage of my life, I’ve gone through events my younger self wouldn’t have even be able to begin to understand.
With still such a strong stigma surrounding mental health, I was overjoyed to see it becoming a prominent subject but for once, it was being tackled in a whole new way. ‘Reasons To Stay Alive’ is a 250 page memoir by Matt Haig, giving readers the insight into his ongoing battle with his own mental illnesses. Now I’ve connected with books before but with the place I was in the first moment I laid eyes on RTSA, I knew this was completely different to any other connection I’d felt in the past. Instead of trying to push down how I was feeling, I felt a sense of relief knowing I wasn’t alone and that I should be open about it.
Calling it a self help book seems cliché but it really has helped me come to terms with what I have, a piece of me whether I like it or not.
You are on another planet. No-one understands what you are going through. But actually, they do. You don’t think they do because the only reference point is yourself. You have never felt this way before, and the shock of the descent is traumatising you, but others have been here. You are in a dark, dark land with a population of millions.
Source: REASONS TO STAY ALIVE
Haig had me crying, laughing and smiling about depression. It may seem morbid to those who haven’t quite gotten a firm grasp on the variety of coping mechanisms, but for some, it makes the ordeal easier. Going through a breakup, the stress of education and being a young adult in the modern world has and still does take it’s toll on me. However, my outlook has changed. I am not afraid to discuss because I now know I’m not alone and I owe a lot of that to Matt Haig.
For those who wonder if this book is for them, I’d recommend it no matter your situation. Whether you’re the one suffering or you just know somebody who is, we all deserve to know there’s a whole world out there, and we all deserve to experience it.
