Notes on a Nervous Planet
Ratings53
Average rating3.9
Après [b:Reasons to Stay Alive 25733573 Reasons to Stay Alive Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453057036l/25733573.SX50.jpg 42923140] de Matt Haig, j'ai enchainé avec un autre livre du même auteur : Notes on a Nervous Planet, qui reprend la même thématique avec une perspective différente.Dans [b:Reasons to Stay Alive 25733573 Reasons to Stay Alive Matt Haig https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453057036l/25733573.SX50.jpg 42923140], Matt Haig racontait les troubles mentaux dont il a souffert et souffre toujours dans une moindre mesure : dépression, anxiété, addiction, et trouble obsessionnel compulsif (OCD dans la langue de Shakespeare).Cette fois, dans Notes on a Nervous Planet, j'aurais tendance à dire qu'il propose un autre point de vue, une autre perspective sur le sujet. Dans ce livre un peu moins personnel, il s'intéresse aux causes qui entrainent tant et tant d'individus dans le monde à souffrir de plus en plus de troubles psychiques. Matt Haig aborde ainsi plusieurs aspects du monde moderne qui pourraient expliquer pourquoi l'humain n'y sent de moins en moins à l'aise.On presque caricaturer la problématique ainsi : si nous sommes de plus en plus fous, n'est-ce pas parce que le monde lui-même est devenu fou ? pourquoi et comment ?Dans une douzaine de chapitres d'une vingtaine ou trentaine de pages chacun, l'auteur dresse le portrait d'un monde où tout s'accélère et où l'humain n'occupe plus une place centrale. Accélération technologique, consumérisme, effets de la publicité et du marketing, manipulations psychologiques, poids de l'information en continu, autant d'aspects que Matt Haig aborde frontalement.Le livre est plutôt bien construit, même s'il peut parfois sembler confus dans certains chapitres. L'auteur n'échappe pas à quelques clichés et à des idées reçues, mais il a souvent le souci d'étayer son propos avec des études scientifiques pour ne pas se limiter à son expérience personnelle et à celle de ses proches.Ce n'est peut-être pas le livre du siècle sur le sujet, ce n'est pas l'oeuvre d'un scientifique proposant une synthèse d'une étude à la métodologie irréprobable, mais c'est un essai éclairant et plaisant à lire, entre témoignage personnel et réflexion plus poussée sur la société contemporaine.
I found this book to be a bit fragmented and hard to follow. But it contains also some very rich advices on how to live and cope with modern life and our anxieties. And some beautiful phrases.
Started reading this during a time where my anxiety was more prominent, and as a warning to some there are some parts of the book, especially at the start, that can trigger anxiety. It's probably best to read this when you're in a good place mentally, but there's lots of interesting points in here and food for thought. Would definitely recommend reading it, but take your time - it's not a book for reading in one sitting.
Haig himself admits it's a mess of a book. Short page or two chapters musing on places he's had panic attacks, what people on social media think about social media, how to stop worrying about aging, the stigmas around mental health, how algorithms eat empathy, and how we all need to take a break from our phones.
If I'm being snarky, it's nothing more than Rupi Kaur's brand of earnest Instagram poetry fleshed out to blog length. And yet it's strangely soothing. We know that social media is a dumpster fire, that everyone is faking it, that the world can be a toxic, anxious place filled with smooth-brained and superstitious monkeys but it doesn't hurt to be reminded to get outside, leave our phones behind, and be kind to one other. It's the Simple Abundance Daybook for the new Millennium. A simple book of reminders to keep moving forward.
Matt Haig's follow up to Reasons to Stay Alive takes a look at how our modern society contributes to mental health issues. We live in one of the best times to be alive and yet so many people find themselves struggling - why is that? Taking from his own personal experience, Matt confronts issues stemming from social media to consumerism driven economy to a society obsessed with the ‘next best thing' and the countless other expectations and things that bombard us on a daily basis. This isn't a self help book, but rather observations on why our modern life my not be the best for our health, mental or physical, and ideas on ways we might be able to combat it - without reverting to being cavemen! We can't go back in time, but there are ways we can find to buck the system, even when it's hard to do and we sometimes fail along the way. Some are common sense and even starting to be backed by scientists, but it helps to have someone like Matt spell it out in a warm and thought-provoking way. It would be hard to walk away from reading this book and not taking in some of the advice. It's not a miracle cure all or map to eternal happiness, but it might get the wheels turning on how you can manage your mental health in a healthier way despite living on this mad, nervous planet.
This took me forever to read because I read it in small chunks- a little each day and it was a good read. I think I wanted more of a “this is how to combat this” book, but I read along and there is some tools for how to fight against it toward the end.