Matt Haig
Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Depression
If you like to read, chances are you’ve heard of author Matt Haig, who has published critically acclaimed works such as The Midnight Library and Reasons to Stay Alive. His books cover a variety of topics and genres spanning from honest personal narratives to thoughtful fiction. However, a central theme present in all his works is the importance of mental health. Haig himself was ready to end his life at age 24, when he fell into a deep crippling depression. He’s talked about the experience candidly in both interviews and his novel Reasons to Stay Alive, where he shares his personal experiences with depression and anxiety.
Haig, who at 24 wanted more than anything to quit life, is now a proponent of living life to the fullest and believing in your future self. He mentions that years ago, if someone were to tell him it’d be okay, he wouldn’t have believed it. However, it was not a smooth path getting there. For years following his depressive episode, Haig experienced crippling anxiety and often found it hard to get through the day. He has shared that even simple experiences like going to the store by himself was a lot for him. Writing served as a way to explore his own mental health. In an interview he mentioned, “I was very bad about talking about my mental health or verbalizing it to anybody … Just the act of writing down what I was feeling became very therapeutic.” However, what he was not aware of was the impact that his writing would have on others.
One of his recent works, The Midnight Library won the Goodreads choice awards for the best fiction novel of 2020. In this novel, he explores the story of a woman weighed down by regret, who decides to end her life. She then finds herself in a place between life and death, a library where she can explore the other lives she could have lived. In doing so, she is able to let go of her regrets one by one. The novel has connected to many different people who have found it difficult to come to terms with their own life. However, Haig has dealt with his fair share of critics. Many criticize his work for romanticizing mental illness and being too sentimental. Haig has come out and talked about dealing with his critics: at the end of the day, authenticity is what matters the most to him. While he is open to constructive criticism, he still needs to be true to himself. He wants to show the truth about mental illness, while keeping his work hopeful because without hope there is no future.
In addition to writing, Haig keeps active on social media, a platform he uses to further his discussions on mental health. For example, recently on his Instagram he posted that “people are absolutely fine about mental illness until you exhibit symptoms of one.” This struck a chord with many commenters who feel like mental wellness is not wholly accepted. Workplaces that advocate for mental health don’t offer employees the time or space for it. Likewise, many people treat mental health and wellness as a trend and ignore the realities of crippling mental illness. Using his platform, Matt Haig creates a space for these discussions and is not afraid to give his candid opinions when he feels it is necessary.
Links:
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fiction-books-2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/CVARb60M3hc/
https://mariashriver.com/matt-haig-on-mental-health-and-having-faith-in-your-future-self/