This is a book about getting unwell. About losing direction and hope. About imagining that we have let ourselves and everyone down.
But it is also a book about getting better. About regaining the thread, rediscovering meaning, and finding a way back to connection and joy.
Here, Alain de Botton follows the arc of a mental health journey, from crisis to recuperation; the moments we realize we cannot cope; the acts of selfcare or therapy in which we find respite; and the days we finally reclaim a sense of stability. Written with understanding and kindness, it is both a source of companionship in our loneliest moments - whether it's a relationship breakdown, a career setback, or anxiety around the everyday - and a practical guide that will help us find reasons for hope.
We are all on our journey towards recovery. This book is for anyone ready to understand theirs.