Matt Haig

[NomDeGuerre]

 

[Chinese_whispers]

As someone who has ADHD and depression MH was an author I felt I "should" like because what he writes is accessible and from the POV of someone who has "been there" and wore the t-shirt. But personally I never finished a book of his I started and I find his quotes or whatever he writes on Instagram reductive, vague and irritating. I don't have twitter to know what he gets up to there.

He's like the white, yoga mom of depression.

 

[chocolate choux]

A little plan

Be curious (though you’ll have to stop if you can’t afford further education). Go outside (assuming you live somewhere safe and pleasant, and not somewhere yucky like Grimsby or Stevenage). Get to bed on time (family or work commitments messing that up for you? Too bad). Hydrate (if you work without regular access to a toilet, you’ll have to skip this). Breathe from the diaphragm (breathing properly really is great if you’re able to). Eat happy (if the foodbank allows it). Get a routine baggy enough to live in (seriously, who can choose to do this?).

Be kind (critical thinking and boundaries can go). Accept that not everyone will like you, appreciate those who do (genuinely good advice, shame Matt isn’t an example of this). Don’t be defined (ignore the fact that you may be regardless of your mindset). Allow fuck-ups (but remember to play the victim). Want what you already have (even if it’s inadequate housing, poor health, £3 to feed yourself until payday, etc). Learn to say no to things that get in the way of life (does he realise that for most people this is work?). And say yes to this that help you live (yes! Once you’ve clocked out for the day. Money and time permitting).

-

Sorry for the long post, that page just wound me up. These are all just platitudes that you can find for free across the internet. It’s sad to see someone dubbed a “mental health expert” (although he is not) writing a book that shows such poor understanding of mental illness and the reality of how limited people can be in terms of their ability to make these “improvements”.

 

[kachoochoo]

and so, after "andrea said there's a to-do" was deleted *so* quickly, we got this

now I'm not saying he's borrowed his wife's twitter account, but she's not been very active recently, so how would she know there's been a "to-do"?

 

[Disillusioned]

[Very Matt Haig voice...]

Wear the liner socks and know that they are there for you. You and only you will know it. Or don’t wear them... and wriggle your toes inside your trainers and feel the freedom. On another day you might choose hiking socks. No one can choose for you. It is your decision. Own it. Enjoy it.

 

[Phil Anne Throw Pee]

Depression is not nice. It makes you feel sad. Exercise can help. Or not. It's your choice. I'm going to have an alcohol free gin. Or I might have a proper gin. Or I might not. Pasta is tasty. Especially with a sauce. Be Kind. Stay well. Eat some Bread. If you want. But you don't have to.

NUMBER 1 BESTSELLER, £22.99 + VAT.

 

[Jelly Bean]

trolls when trolls are young female authors

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Oh ffs if he is that fragile - get off fucking twitter.
He has the worst possible temperament for it. Thinskinned, defensive and humourless.

 

[Into_the_tunnel]

As an ex-science teacher I am completely flummoxed as to why him lying down and eating a pear is equivalent to sideways momentum.

Momentum equals mass multiplied by velocity. Where is his speed and direction outlined in this paragraph?

Tosh. Utter, utter tosh.

Edit, I also taught Psychology and everything he writes offends me.

 

[kachoochoo]

well this went well... always glad to see well-known people getting in on it too! (that's why they're not squiggled) At the time of posting this, there are over 100 comments all going "why him?" love to see it as the kids say. also, in the unlikely event of ever getting to a 2nd thread about the grifter, it's gotta be The Thinking Person's Influencer in Dubai hasn't it?!

he deleted this so quickly, i could only get this terribly cropped desktop screenshot. i think we can definitely take it as he just heard the words "appearance fee"

 

[vodkandcokeplz]

Piers knows

 

[Kitt]

You can just tell when he’s writing this shit, he gives himself a bit of a semi.

 

[SavetheDrama]

I too feel bad because I am in favour of mental health being de-stigmatised and discussed openly, just like you would any other issue, and I was especially happy to see him talk back to people who go after boys and men who display emotions, but even before I left Twitter I ended up muting him because as it’s usually the case, he got too big for his breeches and can’t be criticised/touched.

 

[kachoochoo]

this is getting a LOT of criticism. love to see it!

 

[MrFMercury]

I read his first book. I really thought I’d relate to it having had very severe depression, needing hospital care etc. I found it weirdly soulless and triggering. This utter shit he is currently peddling reduces painful, complex and life changing illness and experience to some trite sound bite. It’s offensive.

 

[Jelly Bean]

which man? where? hiya matt! good to see you spent part of your birthday reading about yourself here. how extremely normal and healthy

View attachment 646861

Of course no one is saying you shouldn't celebrate your birthday (as you well know) you massive twat. Most men I know celebrate their birthdays, even ones who don't just rely on 'sport and booze' for enjoyment. Nice stereotyping there.
People are just startled at you being so fucking self absorbed you chose to celebrate it publicly on twitter, documenting it constantly. Why aren't your family and friends enough for you? Why do you need the validation of strangers so much?

 

[andromeda18]

His recent post 'things I learned the hard way' has made me irrationally angry. So I've sat with it for a little bit and really thought about why he rubs me up the wrong way. And it's because he never talks about the wider socioeconomic factors that contribute to mental illness. The total decimation of mental health services in the NHS by the current government. Poverty, cost of living crisis, insecure work, homelessness. Austerity in general. Are these the only reason a lot of people suffer with mental illness? No. But they sure as hell make a significant contribution.
And in my personal opinion, if you are a popular mental health writer who has profited off the back of mental illness, you should be talking about these things. I don't think it's enough to feign ignorance any more even if you come from a more privileged background because so many people are suffering so severely, that it's impossible to not see it.

I just know that if I had his platform and reach, I would be highlighting these issues on behalf of those who had given me said platform.

 

[Into_the_tunnel]

Social media appears to be contributing massively to his anxiety. He would be best to employ someone to take over his SM to promote his books & avoid it completely for his own mental well-being. I get that he’s helping people, but at the expense of his own mental health by being this spokesperson for it. He’s not qualified in mental health to be giving any advice to others without triggering people. He’s far too sensitive to the opinions of others & he gets himself involved in way too much drama that’s none of his business & then doesn’t know how to handle it. I don’t think social media & having a huge public platform is good for a lot of people & he’s one of them. People don’t need to know what his personal opinions are on world affairs & politics to sell his books. If he invites people into his personal life then he’s inviting them in to have an option on his life, good & bad as that’s how social media works now. Everyone has different views based on their own environment, circumstances & perception so not everyone will like what he says & some people will be offended and triggered but he can’t seem to handle it. I think it’s dangerous having such a big platform & speaking about issues you’re not qualified on & these types of accounts should be proper regulated & limited to proper professionals only. That way more people can have access to free, quality professional advice when they need it without being diluted by all the people that aren’t qualified.

Sums it up perfectly.

He says he is leaving Twitter and FB and wants to go on TikTok, in the same story stream as reposting this from someone else.

If he cannot see that if you have severe D, A or other MH condition then the best way to take care of yourself is to see a professional who will advise you on the best course of action (medication, CBT, or other form of therapy), then he shouldn’t be posting this stuff.

This is what he should be encouraging, not woolly “self-care”, walking on pebbly beaches, talking about being the sky above hurricanes.

Taking medication or seeing a psychiatrist for a mental health condition is not a sign of failure. For many it is the only way to live. He needs to acknowledge this if he is going to stay on IG and continue to talk about MH. Yes, there are waiting lists, but Matt refusing to talk about the role of different interventions other than his shitty books is making the stigma of using those interventions worse.

 

[Into_the_tunnel]

Someone I follow is reading the comfort book ( ) and posted this. How is him quoting something someone else has written ok to put in a book and to fill an entire page like this?

If you want to read about about existential philosophy then just read Kierkegaard ffs.

ETA I’m fecking angry about JM so I will continue. Basically he is too thick and he knows his readers are too thick to read Kierkegaard so he lifts a quote, places it in the middle of a page and he and his readers think they have read him and are now into “existential philosophy”. Fuck off.

 

[lilamay]

He's really talking about himself isn't he?
Replace 'Sally Rooney' with 'me'.


Also, people should be allowed to talk about things they've read and haven't enjoyed.

 

[HeeeeyDuggee]

oh great, mask discourse

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Oh my god, you are joking. He calls himself a mental health campaigner and he 'can't see why people are funny about masks.' Maybe he should have listened over the last year to the myriad reasons why masks have been a problem for some people. Glad he's happy to alienate those who have been abused and struggle to cover their face. Or people who are hard of hearing whos needs have been basically ignored. Or people like me, with autism, not that anyone knows, who gets extremely flustered and confused when wearing one but I've carried on because I couldn't bear being glared at. The man can only see the world through his own experience. He has absolutely zero empathy.