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Hello Waterstones readers, I'm Matt Haig. I'm here today to talk about my very
latest book, Notes on a Nervous Planet which talks about how the world is
impacting all of our mental health. These are my tips for staying healthy and sane
in the 21st century. Number one: be careful with social media. This is the
one I am worst at myself so I'm not always practicing what I preach but I
think being mindful about social media, being aware of how much time you're
spending on there and just being careful and going on with a mission and saying
oka,y this is what I want to do, rather than being aimlessly distracted for
hours on end and missing breakfast and not having any kind of life because
you're arguing with a flag on Twitter. That's not good. And number two: I would
say get outside at least once a day. And this is probably more for freelancers
and people like writers who could actually spend their whole lives in
their cave, but there's a lot of research now, some of it is mentioned in the book,
about how we don't spend as much time outside anymore and the more, you know, if
you go out for a walk, if you see some kind of nature in your day it has real,
tangible mental health benefits. So I try even in winter, even are on a rainy day,
to get outside. I would also say that it's very important to sleep. You know we
talk all the time about the importance of exercise and the importance of diet
and these two things are very important but there's a growing amount of research
now which says sleep is actually of those three things, it's the most
important thing. And if you think about it yourself, if you have sort of less
than five hours sleep that is going to affect you more than if you had fish and
chips last night or if you drank a glass of wine last night. Sleep is so important
and it's always been something that's beneficial for my mental health and it's
something I've neglected in the past and it's something I'm very careful with
now. Also, number four: it's important to keep some kind of routine.
Obviously you have to be reasonably flexible and realistic but I think if
you get into a rhythm things become easier and again technology can be a
distraction and can take you away from that. But if you sort of - eating, sleeping,
living your life in some kind of natural rhythm then that seems to help.
And lastly, and something that's very very close to my heart not just in terms
of my job but in terms of what I enjoy doing and get comfort from is reading. I'm a
great evangelist for the power of books and the power of words. And I think all
kinds of reading, reading fiction can have medicinal benefits you know,
browsing book shops, browsing your own bookshelves can be a comfort.
I mean for people like me who find it actually hard to lie down on the floor
and meditate, reading becomes a kind of meditation, a way to escape your own mind.
And stories themselves with their beginnings, their middles and ends; when
you are sort of stuck in a sort of psychological moment, the power of a
story gives you that belief in change which is so therapeutic in itself.
Okay so that's my five tips. Be mindful on social media, get outside and leave
your house once a day, get some natural daylight, sleep - be mindful that
sleep is very important even though companies aren't making money out of it
you need to sleep; routine - keep a routine and a natural rhythm to your life and
also enjoy the sheer life-transforming magic and power of these things we call books.
Thank you
you