No Such Thing as Normal: From the author of Glorious Rock Bottom

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but she also gets that insomnia is far more than ‘drinking a cup of cocoa’ (as I have, literally, had friends suggest - although she worded it more along the lines of being awake in the middle of the night, reading articles about insomnia on Google - and how they explicitly instruct NOT to read such articles while suffering insomnia. Lots of unnecessary stuff about the funding and inadequate nature of mental health services in the NHS, awe got it that they are under funded the first time no need to repeat. The book helpfully has a chapter on how to ask for help and tells you what you need to say to your GP and to nag your MP about the lack of mental health provision! Whether you are just feeling frequently worried and anxious (which, let's be honest, who isn't these days?

I wanted to know more about myself, so I asked colleagues from Romania what they thought about that feedback. At the end of the book Bryony summarises the key points she has made throughout the book and encourages the reader to cut them out and stick them on their walls as a reminder.As a service user myself I have had lots of professional support (for which I am grateful),but what has actually changed my life is the introduction of peer support and books like Bryony's which have made me feel less alone and more understood. A very useful book, full of information and resources as well as compassion and useful empowering analogies. Here are the basics from sleep, food and drink to work and even breathing, understanding your relationship to these key parts of life being vital to addressing your mental health. Gordon also mentions that she started this book in lockdown, which to be honest, I was not surprised to read.

It’s not very often that a book makes it onto our grid (in fact, this might be a first) but there was something about ‘No Such Thing as Normal’, that set it apart from so many other books of this genre. If you are concerned with what other people think about you, know this and set yourself free: If they find you intelligent, stupid, ugly, or average, that has nothing to do with you. Thoughts have such a powerful force over our day to day lifestyle and making sure that these are positive amongst everything that is going on in our lives is so important. I've listened to almost all of Bryony Gordon's books and have enjoyed following her mental health journey - a joy to listen to even when she is talking about the most difficult topics. I remember thinking "oh, bright cover, I like it" and that's about it when I saw this book 🤣 But with the bright cover, comes a very nice guide to mental health.I ended up typing 2 pages of A4 on my own issues with those two and have plenty of information now to use for myself. She understands that ‘meditation/mindfulness’ - though a common suggestion from well-intentioned friends, is useless when you are really struggling. As if I was the only one holding the absolute truth and the “right” way of perceiving the world, and anything else was either strange or abnormal. I enjoyed the explanation behind those pesky thoughts that drag me down and it's uplifting to know there are resources and people out there who want to help. The real shift happened the day I decided to meet new people with the eyes of a child, with curiosity and a genuine interest to know them and connect with them, from the heart.