Life is hard. Sometimes it feels so hard that you might think you’d be better off dead. And it seems so unfair. Why should you have to put up with all this bullshit when you never asked to be born in the first place?
The world’s a mess, but even if you have really difficult things going on, it is still possible for life to feel worthwhile and even, you know, nice. No, you didn’t ask to be born, but you’re here now. And if there’s a way, you might as well make the most of it.
Why should you listen to me? I’m not a therapist, psychiatrist or ‘wellness guru’. But I was depressed (and often suicidal) for 20 years, starting when I was 8-years-old. I was given several different medications and kinds of therapy. I even spent two days a week in a mental hospital at one point. Nothing seemed to make much difference – they kept me from killing myself, but that’s all. I was bullied all the way through school, and kicked out of my home. I’ve overdosed, self-harmed and been dependent on alcohol. I’m from a poor family, I’ve spent years unemployed, and never had much money. I’m not going to tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and cheer up. I know it’s not that simple.
For most of my life I thought I had everything figured out – humanity was evil, I was a terrible person, and life could never be worthwhile. That’s why I hurt so much. Maybe that sounds familiar. But it wasn’t true.
I’m not suicidal any more. I still have an occasional downer day, but I don’t consider myself depressed either. Life feels nice. One thing I really needed was to find a way to make life make sense. Eventually I did; that’s what you’re reading now. For me, the right medication and therapy play a part too. But the ideas in this book are the bedrock. When I’m having a tough time, they’re what I think about. And they help.
This book won’t ‘fix your life’ for you. No book can do that. There are no magic words in here that will make your problems disappear in a puff of smoke. But it does have:
- Some pretty persuasive arguments for why you (yes, you) aren’t beyond hope.
- The meaning of life (kinda).
- A flowchart.
- A way to think about thinking that makes understanding difficult emotions much easier.
- A new definition of happiness.
- Some harsh but useful truths.
- Lots of things you can do to help you grow into a healthier, happier person.
If you’re reading this, you might be in a very dark place at the moment. Forget having a nice life, why bother to live at all? So that’s how this book starts. Reasons to live.
Have a Nice Life 