"When I feel like I'm going mad I write.
A lot of my worst fears have come true; fears that felt so big I could barely hold them in my head. I was convinced when they happened the world would end.
But the world didn't end. In fact, it pushed on and demanded to keep spinning through all sorts of mayhem, and I got through it.And because I persisted, I learned lessons about how to be a stronger, kinder, better human - lessons you can only learn by going through these sorts of things.
This is for the people with minds that just don't stop; for those who feel everything a thousand times more than others around them.
Here are some words I wrote."
Dodie, or doddleoddle is a musician, songwriter, YouTube personality, and she writes. 'Secrets for the Mad' is a beautiful book, a collection of thoughts and photos, lyrics and words, and some truly stunning artwork.
So this book is split into a few sections - 'my bad brain', 'obsessions', 'confessions', and 'life lessons'. Now I'll be the first to admit that reading about mental health is hard, especially if it's something you struggle with. But Dodie has written about it in a hopeful way, which is tricky to do if you feel as though you're stuck at the bottom of a well. She's included her darkest moments, but also how she's gotten through them - with her list of small but important things, and her friends and family. As someone who sometimes struggles with getting lost in my own mind, the fact that I can do something small like writing a list of happy things that could really help is a wonderful bit of information.
In 'obsessions', we learn of Dodie's struggle with food, with alcohol, and makeup, as well as more. I think for younger people to see how damaging the media and social networking sites can be - we're all encouraged to be happy, to be skinny and this chapter just perfectly highlights these issues. It can't have been easy to write about these things, and it was tough to read about them, but as I've already mentioned, it's important.
'Confessions' speaks of love and heartbreak, abusive relationships and how to process and deal with these. It was insanely difficult for me to read about these, having just gone through a break-up myself, but it was helpful to see someone else's perspective of the emotions and confusion I've been feeling. Loving is a part of life and to open up about the things in this section must have been incredibly hard. But again, it's processing, it's healing and I really respect Dodie for doing this.
And finally, 'life lessons', what would we do without them? Learn how to cook with Daniel J Layton, find out that why you should understand and embrace your sexuality, and how families can change and recover from what they once were. This is, in my opinion, the most important section of this book because it highlights just how much a person can grow and learn from everything in their life. For someone only just in their 20s, Dodie knows so much and while she still struggles with things sometimes, I think she's someone for younger girls to look up to - she's kind, she's caring and she understands what it is to grow up.
So yes, if you want to be inside the head of someone who doesn't understand what they're thinking, definitely pick up this book. It's emotional, but you'll fall in love with it.
- Dottie x
