Matthew Johnstone – författare

The Little Book of Resilience is about how we can fortify our lives mentally, emotionally and physically. It is not about what happens when we get knocked down but more about what happens when we get up again. It is a book about what resilience is and how we grow and maintain it. The first step in understanding resilience is accepting what you can and cannot change. You can''t change the weather but you can certainly change the way you interact with it; using an umbrella, a jacket or sunscreen. Just as you can''t change your history, family, race, or past hurts and events but with the right direction and understanding you can certainly change how you look and feel about them moving forward. Life doesn''t always turn out as we''d expected. It can be complex, harsh, joyful, mean, hilarious and utterly perplexing. The sooner we understand this, the sooner we will be able to cope with whatever life throws our way. For the majority of life''s adversities, there is no magic pill or silver bullet - to get over anything we generally have to go through it - but if we''re prepared to learn from that experience, good can certainly come from bad. We can grow to be wiser, more empathetic and understanding and from that we can create greater purpose in our lives.

If you''re alive, you experience stress. It''s just part of being human. For early man, stress helped us flee danger like a marauding mammoth, a hungry sabre-toothed tiger or an invading tribe. It literally helped us fight or flight. In modern society a little stress is useful, it keeps us energised and motivated to get things done, it helps us to turn up and be on time. Yet too much stress is harmful, and stress is sadly, at an all-time high. Unfortunately, it''s almost impossible to avoid or substantially reduce stress in our lives. The things that make us stressed are the same things that always have: too much work, not enough time, financial woes, family needs, navigating difficult relationships - these familiar scenarios aren''t likely to change. So if we can''t change the things that cause us stress, we must change the way we interact with it.When we feel threatened or endangered in any way, our body and mind react accordingly. Unfortunately, these days our brain sees many ''threats'', even if they''re not actually a danger to us. This ''stress'' is a major problem and is now considered to be a major precipitating factor in almost all major diseases. Yet if we''re prepared to learn from it, stress can be a useful teacher. Coping with moderate amounts of stress builds a sense of mastery and it promotes resilience for life down the road. Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts. With that in mind; through this beautifully illustrated book from illustrator and speaker Matthew Johnstone and experienced clinician Michael Player, the hope is to turn one of the most unpleasant of human experiences into a sweet one.

In a world where finding even ten minutes to ''do nothing'' can be difficult, the benefits of meditation can be profound. Meditation is simply a way of giving our brains a well-deserved break and can actually help our brains to function healthily and happily. This beautifully illustrated guide is an inspiring and practical book which shows you how to meditate without the need for uncomfortable lotus positions or prayer beads! With his typical gentle and insightful humour, Matthew''s guide to meditation will enable to you to feel more present, more youthful, have more energy and greater concentration, improve your mood and sleep more soundly.

As beautifully illustrated as it is touching, this second book from Matthew Johnstone, author of I Had a Black Dog, is written for those who care for those suffering from depression - friends, family members, colleagues, and even therapists. Using wonderful illustrations and the image of Churchill''s infamous ''black dog'', Matthew and his wife Ainsley offer a moving, inspirational and often humorous portrait of life with depression - not only for those suffering from it themselves, but for those close to them. Living with a Black Dog speaks directly to the carer and offers practical and sometimes tongue-in-cheek tips on helping the depression sufferer, such as ''Socks have little do with mental health. If people could just "snap out of it" they would.'' and ''Encourage any form of regular exercise. Fitness robs the Dog of its power''. Based on their own experiences, Matthew and his wife Ainsley treat the subject of depression sympathetically, hopefully and, most importantly, humorously.

A handbook for the happy, and a bible for the broken-hearted, The Alphabet of the Human Heart is an enchanting and enriching journey through the upside and the downside of what it means to be human - our hopes and our fears, our strength and our weakness, our highs and our lows.

The Alphabet of the Human Heart is a book of literally two halves. Firstly there is upside A-Z, which is full of the happy and hopeful aspects of our lives, such as A is for Adventure, through G is for Gratitude, S is for Smile to Zen is the Place to Be. The other downside half examines the negative parts of our character lives and how we can overcome them to lead more positive and fulfilling lives. From A is for Anger, through H is for Hate, T is for Temptation to once again end on Zen is the Place to be.

Matthew and James have been friends for over 30 years and they''ve experienced both sides of life - the upside and the downside - and they''ve turned their experience of life - and of friendship - into a book that combines words and pictures to tell a bigger story.

Praise for I Had a Black Dog:

''I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.'' - Stephen Fry

''Finally, a book about depression that isn''t a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston''s deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.'' Sunday Times

Praise for Living with a Black Dog:

''Moving and thoughtfully written ... a must-have'' Daily Mirror

''Comprehensive and very helpful ... brilliant'' Guardian Weekend