Reasons to Stay Alive

by Matt Haig

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

"Destined to become a modern classic." —Entertainment Weekly

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL TRULY ALIVE?

At the age of 24, Matt Haig's world caved in. He could see no way to go on living. This is the true story of how he came through crisis, triumphed over an illness that almost destroyed him and learned to live again.

A moving, funny and joyous exploration of how to live better, love better and feel more alive, Reasons to Stay Alive is more than a memoir. It is a book about making the most of your time on earth.

"I wrote this book because the oldest clichés remain the truest. Time heals. The bottom of the valley never provides the clearest view. The tunnel does have light at the end of it, even if we haven't been able to see it . . . Words, just sometimes, really can set you free."

• ISBN10: 0143128728
• ISBN13: 9780143128724
• Publish Date: 23 February 2016 (first published 5 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Penguin Life
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780143128724

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: Everyone with depression and anxiety, or any other mental illnesses, experiences them differently. At the same time, there are overlaps familiar to anyone on that continuum. Matt Haig mapped out what depression and anxiety were like for him at the worst of times and what gave him hope to press on and not succumb to suicide. I appreciated that even though he was quite matter-of-fact about things, he kept things also quite personal to him. He outlined how he faced his fears and reasons (as the title promises) that help him face each day with the determination to keep on living. Another point that gave me pause (in a good way) was that he mentioned depression became a part of who he is — for example, he’s a writer because of depression — but it isn’t everything about who he is. I liked his simile that the sky came first and the sky is, even if there is a cloud, as the sky can exist without the cloud but the cloud cannot exist without the sky.

[Leah]

I cannot put into words how utterly, fantastically needed this book is. This book should be in every school, every library, every prison, everywhere. Everyone should have a copy of this book on their bookshelves, because it is an actual, literal life-saver.

I suffer with depression and anxiety, I am on medication for it and a break-up I suffered in December kind of left me incredibly low. I have a bad self-worth anyway, but that just kind of made me even worse. I could get into it, but honestly, it was the worst time of my life. But it wasn't just the worst time of my life in December. It was in January. In February. March was better, a bit brighter. But the two days we've had of April so far? The absolute pits. I've been worse than ever for some reason, and I've cried both days. Today was a hybrid sob-fest/panic attack, that was over as quickly as it consumed me, and the calm that came over me was quite surreal, I'd never felt like that before.

Then I remembered I had this book on my shelf. I bought it back when it was released, as everyone was raving about it, but I'd never read it because back in those halcyon days of 2015, I didn't know I was depressed/anxious. But today I needed Reasons To Stay Alive and it kept me absorbed from start to finish. It's so refreshing to read about depression and anxiety and not feel like you're being judged, like the obvious answer isn't to just "be better" or "man up" or for people to ask what exactly you have to be depressed about.

Like Matt Haig, I have a thin skin. I care too much, a lot of the time; I'm easily hurt, it's just something I accept about myself now. And I felt so validated hearing Matt say he has a thin skin, too. That he felt like there were no lights at the end of the tunnel, but he pulled through, day by day by day, until he had reasons to stay alive, like reading or his kids, or his wife, Alice, who is an amazing, incredible saviour - a lot of credit goes to Matt himself, but Alice really seems to be the guiding light in Matt's life and it makes my little heart happy that they made it through what could easily be classed as the worst of times.

I cannot rave about this book enough. I want to give everyone I know - and everyone I don't know - a copy. I want to shove it in their hands and tell them to thank me later. I am now going to go and buy Matt Haig's entire back catalogue, because then the next time I feel down, I'm going to read one of his wonderful fiction novels, and remember that words can heal you, too.

[lovelybookshelf]

What an insightful, hopeful, loving book. This is a must-read for anyone with depression and/or anxiety. Highly recommend the audiobook.

[Kait ✨]

this is a powerful and moving book about depression and anxiety and what it’s like to try living a fulfilling life with these mental illnesses. the book is entirely about haig’s own experiences, which is what makes it so good. haig has a brilliant way of making all the most ordinary experiences of everyday life seem amazing and worth living for:

You will one day experience joy that matches this pain. You will cry euphoric tears at the Beach Boys, you will stare down at a baby’s face as she lies asleep in your lap, you will make great friends, you will eat delicious foods you haven’t tried yet, you will be able to look at a view from a high place and not assess the likelihood of dying from falling. There are books you haven’t read yet that will enrich you, films you will watch while eating extra-large buckets of popcorn, and you will dance and laugh and have sex and go for runs by the river and have late-night conversations and laugh until it hurts. Life is waiting for you. You might be stuck here for a while, but the world isn’t going anywhere. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.

if you have depression or anxiety, this book may help you feel less alone and give you a thought as to how to move forward. if you love someone with depression or anxiety, this will help you empathize with them and understand how you might be able to help. i think everyone should read this book.