Reasons to Stay Alive is a novel and memoir written by novelist Matt Haig, published on 5 March 2015.

It is based on his experiences of living with depression and anxiety disorder, which he suffered from the age of 24.

It is Matt Haig’s first nonfiction piece and the first time he wrote about his illness publicly.

The impression of a dark cloud that poured endless rain over him made him feel 'caved in', with no way of escaping.

He tried to gather up the courage to end everything once and for all, but he was too afraid, thinking that if he survived he might remain paralyzed, trapped in his body forever.

He figured that to survive such tragedy would only bring more suffering; and so those thoughts restrained him from him ending his life.

He recounts how through reading and learning about depression from others who have suffered from it, by writing, and the encouragement from his family and his girlfriend Andrea, he was able to conquer the illness.

Reasons to Stay Alive intends for readers to never lose sight of faith and support.

Matt encourages to enjoy the little joys and moments of happiness that life brings, and tells that there are still opportunities to remain alive.

Matt recounts his first mental breakdown when he was just 24 years old, living in Spain with his girlfriend Andrea.

It emphasizes that a key symptom of depression is to not see any hope nor future; it made Matt feel trapped in a tunnel without any way of escaping.

His past self, with no strength to keep on living, anxious of everything, hears his present self who assures him that if he fights there will be hope and salvation not too far away.

But the old self is still in panic and is not convinced that he will overcome his situation, but his present self still consoles him and reaffirms to keep on going, and that he knows what the past self is feeling but it will all pass and everything will be okay.

Matt expresses that he didn’t like the pills, instead, he was afraid to use them and when he used them, he did not feel that they worked, instead, he felt as he was slipping away from reality.

From then on he refused to take the pills, which lead him to experience his pain at a larger extent but he eventually got healed without the use of medication.

Matt realized that things like exercising, looking at the sunshine, sleep, and conversations made him feel better.

He restates the fact that medication did not help him, and instead he recurred to exercising, doing yoga and it was by that way, experimenting with his own body and mind, that he found what was the best solution for him.

He has another conversation in time in which his present self tells his past self that they made it, that they will get through depression, and that there is another life beyond that horrifying point.

He found courage in him and constantly put himself in uncomfortable situations that made him grew stronger.

He talks about the warnings of depression, that he as a college student and when he was 24, was never aware of his constant worries and panics he had.