The book starts with a candid note from the author:
“I sometimes write things down to comfort myself”
Matt Haig
He says, “Thoughts. Meditations. Lists. Examples. Things I want to remind myself of. Or things I have learned from other people or other lives.” The Comfort Book is his creation, an accumulation of his journal entries. Fragments of his life, he believes, might come in handy to bring others comfort as well. There is much to be learned from this book when you are in dire need of a tether to keep you grounded. Here, we elaborate on a handful of those ideas in detailed descriptions.
Love
In his paragraph, ‘You are the goal’ Haig wraps a concise yet potent discussion on self-compassion. More often than not, we tend to follow unhealthy dictations of kindness. We only think we are deserving of love when we are actively striving to improve ourselves. What we ought to realize is that love must be unconditional, especially our love for self. There is not a thing to prove to anyone. We were intended to experience love forever.
Comfort
Comfort is one thing that goes a long way under pressure. An assurance of well-being, a free pass to wallow in our woes. In the titular section, ‘It’s okay’ Haig suggests how it is alright to be damaged and to bear the wounds of experience. How it is okay to occasionally be nostalgic and to feel intensely vulnerable. All too frequently, our fears of losing important relationships prevent us from accepting even the slightest chinks in our armor. However, the author asserts, it is absolutely okay to let others come upon us at times. We need not always extend the olive branch first.
Hope
It is lovely discovering optimism in works of art or stories, more so when we manage to taste some of it in real. Like the rainbow after a heavy downpour or the unexpected sound of music during agonizing silence- hope appears to us in various visions. The passage ‘Somewhere’ in the book is truly a beautiful rendition of our author’s idea of hope. According to him, we do not always require to be in ideal situations to cultivate the emotion of hope. Simply having faith in change is all we need. To have hope, we are not obliged to neglect the realities of the present. All we need to remember is- “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, we want to reiterate the flexibility of The Comfort Book. This is not a book to be read at once. Rather, to fully comprehend the meaning behind each chapter, you should attempt reading it in little chunks. Along with recounted lessons, this book includes Haig’s own favorite book reading list, his top 10 comfort music, and some recipes for his comfort foods. The chapters are brief, yet the titles are fascinating. You have ‘For when you reach rock bottom’ to ‘The power of why’ and many more! You just have to sit back and take it all in.
