Friendly notes for these troubled times

Matt Haig shot to fame a few years ago with his best-selling book, Reasons To Stay Alive—a bleakly funny and moving account of living with depression and suicidal ideation. In Notes On A Nervous Planet (Canongate, ₹499), he employs the same wry sense of humour to offer advice on coping with anxiety on a stressful planet. Drawing on examples from his life, he offers strategies to help us regulate our interactions in the real world and on the internet. Haig never claims to be infallible and flawless as an individual. Instead, he constantly reminds us of his vulnerabilities and the fact that we are not alone in our struggles. At a time when we need all the comfort we can get, this wise and endearing book may be the friend you need.

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