Personally, I think that our mental state is something which needs to be consistently worked on and how we deal with it, differs for absolutely everybody. I should add a disclaimer that I myself am not a psychiatrist however, I have suffered with many illnesses for over 10 years and have gained a multitude of experiences that have either taken me down hill or up it. I am completely willing to share small pieces of my journey with you if it means that I make it possible for you to feel at ease even if it's just for a moment. As I suffer quite with mental health, it is vital that every day, I spend some of my time allowing my mind to relax and one way I do so, is by reading. Every evening after my bath/shower (without fail), I settle down in my bed with a cup of tea before picking up my kindle. I know what you may be thinking 'A Kindle? How dare you!' I know! I know! I heavily miss books as well but sadly, I deal with dyslexia, not to mention there is such a beautiful ease that comes with the kindle. And I can't forget to mention the battery life which is outstanding! Naturally, I am a massive book worm and have been turning pages since a very young age, so I have no trouble at all sticking my self into the tightest corner possible and disappearing for a couple of hours. I always mention in conversation that something I'm not so secretly obsessed with is Good reads. As I'm able to tag and make status updates at my own pleasure, you'll probably find out what I'm currently reading, what I would like to read and what I have read! Now I understand when it comes to mental health, not every one is going to be the most eager person picking up a book, that has a picture of a massive brain on it! Not to mention I know some people are still not out of the woods when it comes to admitting their diagnosis, so they may prefer to keep their reading private. In ode of this, I'm going to try and include a variety of book options, that may pique your interest.
1. The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Lindsay Lee Johnson. This one in particular is not described as something which includes Mental Health directly however, the way the story is told and written gave me an insight that I questioned, I think others may enjoy. The main protagonist is called Molly Nicol and she has very recently got her teaching degree, along with a new position at a High School. From the beginning to the end, Johnson documents Molly Nicol's day to day doing's however as the story progresses, the POV changes to each student in her class, thus giving us almost the same story but from a different perspective.
2. The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck - Mark Manson Before I get into the explanation of this, I should probably inform you that you have to be a certain type of person to enjoy this book. Yep. I said that. I listened to the audio version of this story on the way to work and before I even hit 5 minutes, it was evident that Manson is a 'taking no bull' kind of person. I should probably add that if you are not a fan of curse words in general this book definitely won't be for you. Manson does take you on an enlightening tour of how he changed his perspective in a very bitterly, arrogant way but he also takes you on a journey of realisation... one that includes how much you no longer like the word fuck. Proceed carefully.
3. Behind The Mask - Tyson Fury. This is actually only a recent read and something I favour greatly about this is that is from the perspective of a gent. Not only that but he's a boxer as well. There is something very comforting about listening to someone else share their story, especially if it's someone who has battled with the limelight. As natural consumers, we consider that many problems can be solved my fame and fortune...in this book, Tyson dismantles all of that and gives us a strong insight to him.
4. The Silver Linings Playbook - By Matthew Quick. In this book, we meet a man named Pat who spends some time in a mental health facility before his recovery period is over. When he exits, we endure on an adventure where we learn about the in's and out's, the impact as well as the damage which led to the result that was Pat going to a Mental facility. It's enlightening, it's funny, it's saddening but it's eye opening.
5. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky. I have read a lot of books in my time and even though I don't like to openly rank them, there are some which have particular stuck my mind in a way that I will never forget them, this being one of them. I read this book in the year 2014 and it was one the very first books, I came across that openly discussed growing teens in this light. One thing that I do need to mention was because of how the trauma was written, I was triggered. However I should mention that when I read this book, I was still in the depths of my darkest period, so now if I were to read it again the outcome may be different. It does not mean that you yourself won't be triggered by it. This book is a very enlightening and a very deep intuitive novel, that sheds light on things in multiple ways.
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