The Me, Without: The Year I Quit Social Media, Shopping, Sugar and More ... in Pursuit of Happiness

by Jacqueline Raposo

In a world of more choices and opportunities than ever before, how we spend our time can lead us to fulfilment or to spiritual disconnection. Part memoir, part case study, The Me, Without is an inspiring example of how to step back, slow the pace of life and help yourself heal. At the age of thirty-four, journalist Jacqueline Raposo finds herself sick, single and broke. Weary of trying to solve her problems with quick-fix solutions and adding things to her life to bolster her self-esteem, Raposo attempts the opposite and subtracts some of her most destructive habits – social media, shopping, sugar and negative thoughts – for periods of thirty to ninety days over the course of one year. The result is a soul-searching, deeply moving story of self-improvement, full of fascinating insights from doctors, psychologists and science experts about why our brains and bodies react as they do to our habits, and how we can all work to develop more satisfying, calm and meaningful lives.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2019

About the author

Hello! I'm Jacqueline Raposo: food journalist, podcast producerer, bird watcher, dog cuddler, and chronically ill + disabled slow-living human. Thanks for spending some time reading with us,

You can read the first chapter of my book for free at www.jacquelineraposo.com.

-Jacqueline

Reviews

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I surprised myself in that I actually enjoyed this - I thought going in that it could be dangerously self-indulgent but I think the author wrote so well that she got around this hurdle. Overall really interesting and has inspired me to try a bit of time "without".