Tag: mental health

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

The School of Life: On Mental Illness, The School of Life

The School of Life: On Mental Illness is a short but very well-rounded guide on mental illness and achieving emotional wellbeing.

Rather than focusing on specific illnesses it focuses on how and why we become mentally unwell, how we can reframe ourselves and how we think to overcome some of the difficulties we face. There is also a huge emphasis on how we can dismantle stigma of mental health within through its gentle reminders that we are not alone no matter how isolated a mental illness can make us feel.

Despite being a short book, a vast number of topics are touched upon. The book starts with reasons to live and goes on to explore areas such as acceptance, medication, love, community, modernity, and self-compassion to name just a few.

Having read books by The School of Life before and enjoying them and with mental health being an area of interest of mine, I was very excited to read this book and was not disappointed.

As soon as I started reading the book felt a warm and reassuring conversation with a friend. Having had my own struggles with mental illness in the past, I felt like the book understood everything I have felt in the past and some of the theories and ideas it presented highly resonated with me and the way I think and feel about the world. Whilst a lot of the stuff was familiar the reminders were invaluable.

I have seen some people have been disappointed by this book so let me be blunt. This is a guide. If you are looking for a scientific book, with extensive research and case studies then this is not for you. The chapters are punctual and don’t leave much room for exploration. However, if you’re new to the topic of and want to get a brief well-rounded understanding of mental health, or perhaps are struggling, need some gentle reminders or just want to feel less alone in how you are feeling then this book sets out to achieve exactly that.

Overall, this is a fantastic consolidation of why some people struggle with mental health and how we can achieve mental well-being. The School of Life: On Mental Illness is like a conversation with a friend; it completely understands the harsh and isolating realities of mental illness and truly felt like a hug in a book.

Categories
Health Mind & Body Non Fiction

Are You Really OK? Stacey Dooley

How often do you say ‘Yes’ or ‘I’m’ fine when you are asked if you are OK?  Are you really OK though? No, no we are not and statistics surrounding mental health problems vouch for that.

Every week, 1 in 10 young people in the UK experience symptoms of a common mental health problem and 1 in 5 have considered taking their own life at some point.

And whilst mental health amongst young people was a concern prior to the pandemic research has found that ‘globally there were estimated to be an extra 76 million cases of anxiety in 2020 than would have been expected if the pandemic hadn’t happened, and 53 million more cases of major depressive disorder’, showing just how vital the topic of mental health is now more than ever.   

In ‘Are You Really OK’ Stacey Dooley, best known for her extraordinary documentaries, opens the conversation around mental health, exploring different conditions such as depression, eating disorders, addiction, OCD, and psychosis. In addition to facts and statistics, each topic is demonstrated through the real experiences and stories of some of the incredible people Stacey met on the wards when filming her documentary in 2020 and 2021.

In addition, to individual conditions Stacey also explores the topic of mental health amongst different social groups such as the LGBT community and the impact of racism and poverty on mental health. This was truly eye-opening and helps us to gain an understanding of mental health through the eyes of different communities within society, as well as a reminder that we can all have an identical experience, but it can impact us all very differently.

The book gives a well-rounded picture of mental health within our society. At no point does Stacey claim to have lived experience or be an expert, which is what makes this book really stand out from others. Instead, she takes us on a journey with her to learn and gain insights on what is happening in the wider world. I feel like this approach makes the book a perfect read for anyone who wants to know more, no matter their knowledge or personal experience.

Overall, a very insightful overview of the topic of mental health. We should all take the time to read this book in hope for a better tomorrow for our young people.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

Every Family Has a Story, Julia Samuel

In Every Family Has a Story leading psychotherapist Julia Samuel shares the beautiful and insightful stories of eight families who she has personally worked with. Collectively these stories widen our eyes to the vast range of adversities families go through and show how these issues can make or break families.

Aside from the eight stories shared, Julia also draws upon academic research and shares her twelve touchstones for family rituals which provide us with tools to improve our relationships within our own families.

Despite the trauma and hardships which the families in this book courageously share with us all, this is also a book of hope.

As a huge fan of Julia and the incredible work she does, I was honoured to receive an ARC of Every Family Has a Story and have to say it truly did not disappoint my expectations.

I was absolutely captivated by the eight families in the book. Their stories were shared sensitively but really showed the complexities which families face, covering issues such as grief, suicide, addiction, and blended families to name a few.

So often (particularly when you are young) you think everyone has a perfect family. This book reinforces that no one does (or perhaps I am yet to meet someone who does), however what is important is how we work at our family relationships, how we hold time and space for others and the importance of forgiveness whilst also protecting our own individual best interests.

Overall. A strong 5 stars. This book opened my mind and taught me a lot. The only negative is I was gutted it had to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin General UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Every Family Has a Story will be published on 17th March 2022.

Categories
Fiction

The Shock of the Fall, Nathan Filer

Whilst on holiday with their parents, Matthew Homes and his brother, Simon, sneak out in the middle of the night. However, only Matthew returns safely. Fast forward ten years and Matthew is in a mental institution. He feels guilty for his brother’s death and is living with Schizophrenia, frequently hearing and seeing visions of Simon.

What really intrigued me is that Schizophrenia is often a mental health illness, people are afraid to touch in comparison to more common illnesses, such as Depression. However, I thought Nathan Filer, portrayed the illness very well and realistically. As a result, it was no surprise that after finishing ‘The Shock of the Fall’, I discovered he has experiences of working as a Mental Health Nurse.

If I am honest, when I first began reading this book I wasn’t so sure at first. It took me a while to get into it. However, this is part of Matthew’s characterisation. He is not the most reliable storyteller and the switching between different periods of time reflects his thinking patterns. Whilst this can be hard to follow, it is worth it and really helps you to immerse yourself within the character.

Overall, whilst a difficult read, this book shares Matthew’s journey with you in the most honest way, whilst touching upon themes of grief, guilt, trauma and mental illness.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

I’m Fine Thanks, Chris Doveton

Men’s mental health is so often ignored so it was very refreshing to to read this heart-wrenching story, shared by Chris Doveton, who takes us through his story of caring for his wife, his journey with grief and living with depression.

Chris and Anne were happily married when in Anne was diagnosed with a rare illness similar to MND back in the 90’s. At Anne’s request, Anne and Chris kept the diagnosis a secret for many years- hiding the truth from their friends and even their daughter, Louisa. However, as Anne shows more and more signs of her illness, the time comes where they cannot keep this secret any longer and Chris cares for Anne as her body slowly shuts down until the disease eventually takes her life in 2002.

Following Anne’s death Chris embarks on a journey of grief and experiences depression and feelings of loneliness. He begins overspending to fill the void and contemplates suicide. However, Chris’ story also offers hope and encouragement to those experiencing similar feelings as he overcomes these emotions. With male grief and depression so seldom talked about I would like to think this book will talk to those experiencing similar feelings and I hope they can find comfort in the hope Chris’ story offers

I’m Fine Thanks is not an easy read but it was brutally honest, raw and emotional.

*Many thanks to Net-Galley and The Book Guild for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Categories
Fiction Romance

Very Nearly Normal, Hannah Sunderland

If you loved Sophie Kinsella’s ‘My Not So Perfect Life’ then you will love ‘Very Nearly Normal’

This novel follows the story of 28 year old Effie, who is still living with her parents, has a tragic love life, and has given up on her dreams to become a published writer. Effie’s so called best friend Kate appears to be living it up in a glamorous flat, with a successful career and is newly engaged whereas Effie lives under a black cloud. Her self-esteem and self-belief is drastically low and she doesn’t feel good enough and as a result she turns to the bottle to drown her sorrows.

Following a failed date Effie, meets Theo who encourages Effie to live out of her comfort zone. They write a to do list together and before you know it you are laughing and crying as we follow Effie’s on a journey of self discovery.

Overall, a very relatable and feel-good story. It is so easy to think everyone is doing better than us and that we should have reached the same goal posts but this story shows us how we all have our time to shine and that good things come to us all.

Categories
Non Fiction Self help

Confidence Lost/Confidence Found, Kate McGuinness

Unlike some self-help books Confidence Lost/Confidence Found is extremely useful. This book goes above and beyond offering more than your standard clichés and instead gives practical tips and offers the science behind them.

Having gone from high flying lawyer to questioning her self-worth, Kate reflects on her own experiences to help others. I for one have suffered from lost confidence and felt I could fully relate to Kate and found her tips useful and easy to implement into everyday life. This book focuses on small steps, which may seem trivial, yet they are less daunting and therefore much easier to achieve, meaning the results of these small changes are in fact life changing.


Not only did I love the summaries at the end of each chapter meaning that upon finishing the book I could easily revise the different sections but also throughout the book you are signposted to further resources. This is fantastic for those who want to learn or work more on specific aspect which is discussed throughout the book.

All in all, Confidence Lost/Confidence Found is a very empowering read and I believe we can all take something from this book.