Her support and advice throughout this book makes this so much more than just a “self help” book, it becomes a companion.

I was still in academia when the pandemic began and it was useful having some mental wellness tips to share with anxious students. We may think that normality does exist because of the sizable numbers of people who don’t seek psychological treatment.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. Obviously it has been an immensely stressful, even traumatic, period calculated to cause recurrence of mental illnesses. I listened to the audio version because I am unable to focus on words on a page at the moment, so I allowed myself to be hugged by her voice instead! Since the author is from the UK, it is from a UK perspective so a lot of the resources/getting help information wasn't as applicable in America, but it was still written in a way that it was easily adaptable. Sara Fabian is a Women’s Empowerment Coach who helps modern, professional women grow their confidence and get loved, wealthy, and successful by rising into their feminine power.

I expected others to behave in certain predefined ways, and I stereotyped people based on their country of origin.In school, we learned about the bell-shaped curve and how most of us fell under the middle of the bell. We can only perpetuate emotional and mental stigma if we have a comparison population without such problems. I saw this behavior in the middle of the day, right on the streets, and at work, in the ladies room. Or, more accurately, I knew it was going to be messy, uncertain, stressful, fraught, frightening, lonely, and overwhelmingly sad - but that it would still be OK.

I have read all of Bryony Gordon's books and I always find them a bit hit and miss - but I absolutely loved this book. Imagine how boring life would be if everyone thought the same: no learning from each other, no brainstorming of new ideas, no evolution and growth.The world as we knew it was finally ending, and the most bizarre thing had happened: I knew it was going to be OK.

In No Such Thing As Normal, Bryony offers sensible, practical advice, covering subjects such as sleep, addiction, worry, medication, self-image, boundary setting, therapy, learned behaviour, mindfulness and, of course - as the founder of Mental Health Mates - the power of walking and talking. These books feature both aesthetic and meaningful illustrations that both parents and children will love! This can be a very helpful entry point for many trying to understand and heal their own mental health or support others in their journey, but it wasn’t working for me.

She understands that ‘meditation/mindfulness’ - though a common suggestion from well-intentioned friends, is useless when you are really struggling.