Born to be Mild: Adventures for the Anxious
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- Create Date：2021-09-04 09:51:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rob Temple
- ISBN：0751574732
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A handful of years ago， I moved with my wife to a house on a quiet street in a quiet town and lay quietly in a room for a long time。
I used to love an adventure， but when I hit my thirties I started to become afraid of the world， until I was too frightened to even go outside at all 。 。 。 it was just me， my phone and my social media feeds。 Doesn't sound too healthy， does it？ It wasn't。
Rob Temple runs the social-media empire Very British Problems from the comfort of his own sofa， but what happens when the four walls of your living room become your world？
Everything goes wrong。
In this hilarious and life-affirming memoir， Rob sets out to reinvent himself as an intrepid traveller， a bee-keeper and yogi， all to become a little less Bear （Pooh） and a little more Bear （Grylls）。 Along the way there are good days and bad days， but with each failed adventure and small triumph， Rob discovers how the mild-mannered and anxious can still enjoy their own share of （gentle） adventure from time to time。
'Raw and honest' - Daily Mail
'A refreshingly unpolished memoir that reads like somebody talking to you with an unfiltered voice' - Sunday Express， S Magazine
Reviews
Anita
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Not as funny as I thought it would be but I did still have some laugh out loud moments。 A good read。
Cristina
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Life is too short to read such a bumbling mess of pseudo-literature。 While I do love the Very British Problems for their brevity， wit and the ability to accurately and briefly pinpoint very human problems， this is an atrociously boring attempt at being remotely funny。 So， to quote the author himself， "I don't mean to be rude， but it's not quite what I had in mind。" He'll get it。 Life is too short to read such a bumbling mess of pseudo-literature。 While I do love the Very British Problems for their brevity， wit and the ability to accurately and briefly pinpoint very human problems， this is an atrociously boring attempt at being remotely funny。 So， to quote the author himself， "I don't mean to be rude， but it's not quite what I had in mind。" He'll get it。 。。。more
Ruby Wells
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An easy and funny book that certainly has a lot of relatable content， although somewhat repetitive as it goes on。 Laughed out loud on numerous occasions
Paula Crabb
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Rob has a great way of writing about what must have a been a deeply co fusing and upsetting time。 Very humorous！
Jasmine Toohey
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Really enjoyed this book！ I definitely saw a lot of points about being comfortable in your life。 You don't have to try everything！ Really enjoyed this book！ I definitely saw a lot of points about being comfortable in your life。 You don't have to try everything！ 。。。more
Danny Reid
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Spit-your-tea-out hilarious; written by the creator of Very British Problems， Rob documents his attempt to acclimatise himself with the outside world after going through a breakdown， resulting in alcoholism and divorce， and him living back at home with his parents。 We accompany Rob on his “adventures” which include meeting his pal at a service station， an ill-advised trip to London and a saunter round a chilli festival。 My favourite chapter had to be the antique shop bartering one; I was in stit Spit-your-tea-out hilarious; written by the creator of Very British Problems， Rob documents his attempt to acclimatise himself with the outside world after going through a breakdown， resulting in alcoholism and divorce， and him living back at home with his parents。 We accompany Rob on his “adventures” which include meeting his pal at a service station， an ill-advised trip to London and a saunter round a chilli festival。 My favourite chapter had to be the antique shop bartering one; I was in stitches！ Perfect for anyone who’s ever been plagued with poor mental health， and resonant in the tentative aftermath of ‘returning to normal’ with the pandemic。 。。。more
Janet
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Really enjoyed this。 It was great to read about someone else who suffers from anxiety & to also be able to laugh。 I did laugh out loud a few times and generally really enjoyed Rob's attempts at 'adventure'。 😊 Really enjoyed this。 It was great to read about someone else who suffers from anxiety & to also be able to laugh。 I did laugh out loud a few times and generally really enjoyed Rob's attempts at 'adventure'。 😊 。。。more
Lauren
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I wasn't aware this book was written by the person behind the Twitter account @SoVeryBritish and I think that is my error as I think if I'd known then I would have realised the style of book that this would be。 Not that there is anything wrong with this style of book， it just isn't for me。 From reading the blurb I thought this was going to be a book about a man overcoming his anxiety through doing a series of challenges， but on the whole it wasn't。 I felt like the book was trying to list as many I wasn't aware this book was written by the person behind the Twitter account @SoVeryBritish and I think that is my error as I think if I'd known then I would have realised the style of book that this would be。 Not that there is anything wrong with this style of book， it just isn't for me。 From reading the blurb I thought this was going to be a book about a man overcoming his anxiety through doing a series of challenges， but on the whole it wasn't。 I felt like the book was trying to list as many 'relatable' moments as possible in the style of the Twitter account and this led to it lacking any depth or containing very little analysis of anxiety or why the author abandoned certain challenges。I also found the way the chapters went off on tangents to be quite annoying at times， for example one chapter begins by saying that for one of his challenges the author is going to go to Cadbury World， which I was looking forward to reading about， only for it to go off on a tangent about breaking a tooth and going to the dentist， Cadbury World was abandoned and never mentioned again。 I actually grew to quite like the book by the end and I liked the Author。 Overall I thought it was cleverly written， I think it was written as a text about anxiety but actually ended up being more about overcoming alcoholism and learning who you are again。 I'm not sure whether this is what the author intended to do or whether it naturally came through in his work as he was experiencing it at the time but it was an interesting side story to the book。 Again I'm not sure if this was intentional but I think the beauty in this book was to be found in what wasn't written down - how often anxiety makes you feel like you can't be bothered to do things， how you think the whole world is completing amazing things whilst you are sat at home and the realisation that actually sometimes the beauty can be found in the smallest of things。I'd recommend this book to anyone after a light read。 。。。more
Nick Davies
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I bought this to test how amenable I am to reading ebooks on my new mini tablet thing。 I had heard of the book on twitter and it seemed likely to be worth 99p。 It was。 And the reading on a tablet thing was pretty much a success too。 So all good。 This memoir/autobiography type thing is the author's frank retelling of his attempts to recover from alcoholism and marriage break-up linked to crippling anxiety。 As a consequence of this as a pretty serious subject， it might be a challenge for Temple to I bought this to test how amenable I am to reading ebooks on my new mini tablet thing。 I had heard of the book on twitter and it seemed likely to be worth 99p。 It was。 And the reading on a tablet thing was pretty much a success too。 So all good。 This memoir/autobiography type thing is the author's frank retelling of his attempts to recover from alcoholism and marriage break-up linked to crippling anxiety。 As a consequence of this as a pretty serious subject， it might be a challenge for Temple to make this light and entertaining enough to read - but it's not something he fails to do。 Honest， non saccharine， very readable， and plenty of insightful moments （discussion of how often we appreciate things more after the event spoke to me particularly， with my habits of a lack of motivation to do things， and the times I have felt lukewarm whilst doing them） it certainly was thought-provoking， certainly because aspects of the overthinking due to anxiety are common to some of my habits。It feels harsh however to judge it slightly less favourably because it was at times a little 'mild' （naturally）。 I understand that the struggles of someone unable to leave the house at times， for whom going to buy a sandwich is a triumph in the face of mental health issues， aren't likely to be as exciting and thrilling as a novel。 At times though there were 'ok' bits among the more interesting and actively 'good' bits。 Which is a metaphor for life， I suppose。 。。。more
blueisthenewpink
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Not bad at all。 It is very British。 I have 77 notes and highlights in this ebook， most of them very British expressions。 At times， even my inner voice changed to a very British accent （sounded mostly like the voices of John Oliver， Tom Hiddleston， and Hugh Laurie - in turns， not at the same time， I have no idea what that would sound like）。 At other times it changed to whatever accent the author was doing in the scene。 I loved the references I could get and that they weren't explained （yeah， I'm Not bad at all。 It is very British。 I have 77 notes and highlights in this ebook， most of them very British expressions。 At times， even my inner voice changed to a very British accent （sounded mostly like the voices of John Oliver， Tom Hiddleston， and Hugh Laurie - in turns， not at the same time， I have no idea what that would sound like）。 At other times it changed to whatever accent the author was doing in the scene。 I loved the references I could get and that they weren't explained （yeah， I'm a real sucker for being treated as an intelligent reader instead of as one with very limited mental capacity）。 The book reminded me of Adrian Mole， multiple times， telling us about all the misfortunes but instead of the constant whining， we got some hilarious self-irony， gratefulness， and acknowledgment of the good times as well。 It was fun。 （Which， by the way， is the exact same review I gave the new Marvel movie 'Black Widow' yesterday。） 。。。more
Heidi
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I really wanted to like this but it seemed like an unrelated list of anecdotes that were mildly depressing。 Instead of gentle laughs or rueful smiles I felt indifferent to the 'problems'。I really wish I'd liked this - but I think that's part of the problem - it's trying too hard to be liked。 I really wanted to like this but it seemed like an unrelated list of anecdotes that were mildly depressing。 Instead of gentle laughs or rueful smiles I felt indifferent to the 'problems'。I really wish I'd liked this - but I think that's part of the problem - it's trying too hard to be liked。 。。。more
Chelsea Nixon
，
I really enjoyed reading this。Its not going to blow your mind or blow your socks off but its a comforting read。 For those with an anxious mind， trying to find contentment in like with a world of YOLO and FOMO which is just too much！Reading chapter by chapter of his low-key adventures in such a funny quick whipped way had me howling with laughter at times because it felt like I was reading potential rants and thoughts that could come out of my own head。
Mikhail
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Not bad。 You might want to read it one chapter at a time。 Whenever you feel that your life lacks action。
Laura
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Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comWhat and funny and sweet read Born to be Mild is。 I have been a big fan of the Very British Problems Twitter account for years- it never fails to make me smile and think ‘ahh me too！’。 Well， think of this book as a longer version of those tweet -， but not as laugh-out-loud， as it has some heavier themes running through it。Rob tries to answer the question – can socially awkward， anxious people get out there and have a good time regardless？ Can they take on excit Book reviews on www。snazzybooks。comWhat and funny and sweet read Born to be Mild is。 I have been a big fan of the Very British Problems Twitter account for years- it never fails to make me smile and think ‘ahh me too！’。 Well， think of this book as a longer version of those tweet -， but not as laugh-out-loud， as it has some heavier themes running through it。Rob tries to answer the question – can socially awkward， anxious people get out there and have a good time regardless？ Can they take on exciting new experiences and have adventures？Rob decides to take on lots of new experiences， which he relays to the reader。 He also takes us through various points in his life where his anxiety and ultra mild-mannered-ness has impacted his life， and how he， therefore， interacts with others。 His success with Very British Problems， how this led him to work from home permanently and that in turn resulted in a persistent and， at times， debilitating feeling of anxiety for Rob。Though you don’t want to feel as if you’re laughing at Rob’s life， I found this book really funny and， to me， it didn’t feel like you were laughing at his expense – rather laughing along with Rob as he relays lots of humorous， albeit awkward， experiences that lots of people can no doubt relate to， whatever their personality type。 It just sums up so much of what it means to be ‘British’ in a humorous， entertaining way – but the inclusion of Rob’s personal experiences and very difficult times add a very real and important message about mental health to this book。 You might not assume that someone who manages a funny， light-hearted social media account could be suffering from anxiety， but you never know in reality。 It manages to drive home the impact of poor mental health without feeling preachy or over the top， and remains a entertaining and fun read。I really enjoyed Born to be Mild – on the whole it was very easy to read， thought-provoking and I found myself completely absorbed in Rob’s tales。 Definitely recommended！ 。。。more
Karen Middlebrook
，
I cried with laughter。 I feel 'seen'。 I love the writing style。 Left me with a feeling that there are good people and things in the world。 I cried with laughter。 I feel 'seen'。 I love the writing style。 Left me with a feeling that there are good people and things in the world。 。。。more
Rebecca Margetts
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I enjoyed this book， non fiction is not something I usually read， so I enjoyed the change。 There was something soothing about hearing - in detail， the normality， daily struggles and jokes about a 'normal' family life。 I enjoyed this book， non fiction is not something I usually read， so I enjoyed the change。 There was something soothing about hearing - in detail， the normality， daily struggles and jokes about a 'normal' family life。 。。。more
Nafisah
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Shelved under did-not-finish because hmm， this was just grating to read。 It was not very funny， nor relatable — even though I would’ve been the perfect target audience。 Sorry， I stopped at around 20% and don’t find it beneficial to continue。 It’s one of those things where it could probably be entertaining in small doses， but not as a whole book。 Still， the two stars because the writing isn’t bad？ Just not for me。
Aricia Alves
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I'm having a hard time finishing this book。。。 I was going to wait until I finished but I'm not sure I'm still going to。 Half of it has gone but it's been 4 months， and I read three other books in between。 So， here we go: I understand that the premise of the book was meant to be the story of a "mild life"， purportedly， and what I imagined by this， I think， was that the book was going to make some point of how it's okay not to be a shiny star in society， and that struggles everyday people face are I'm having a hard time finishing this book。。。 I was going to wait until I finished but I'm not sure I'm still going to。 Half of it has gone but it's been 4 months， and I read three other books in between。 So， here we go: I understand that the premise of the book was meant to be the story of a "mild life"， purportedly， and what I imagined by this， I think， was that the book was going to make some point of how it's okay not to be a shiny star in society， and that struggles everyday people face are common to most of us， and don't feel alone， etc。 But he really went on and wrote， actually， a "mild book" in itself。 It takes us with him in very regular days when nothing happens， like buying a gift， or， say， visiting a "spicy sauces" fare， or going to the supermarket - that particular one happens many times - and that's just it。 There are some jokes sprinkled around but they are as mild as the non-happenings。 Those jokes that a friend of yours would make on the way somewhere， and you would slightly smirk。Every time he mentioned having had quite an episode of depression and some level of anxiety I sat upright and thought "This is it！ He's going to get more personal and share something"， but no。 He would invariably mention it and take us to the supermarket again。All in all， it's not a terrible book， and sometimes it's a bit funny， but mostly it's just boring。 。。。more
James R。
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An enjoyable memoir of a man taking part in a series of unexceptional activities。 The pandemic has dramatically lowered my boredom threshold when it comes to reading so I enjoyed the gently humourous stories even though very little happens。
Louisa Gale
，
What a grear book， very relatable for the anxious。 Also had no idea before buying it that it was set in my homeland of cambridgeshire :）
Maha Althani
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This is the first book i read for Rob and I want to read"British Problems"。 I followed this account in twitter many years ago and I didn't know that there was an actual book about it and he is an author！！ Until lately and I followed the author and i saw that he had a book for the anxious people， so i got it immediately。 Firstly， i thought this book will be all about anxiety and depression and illnesses！！ But Nop this book is Funny， hilarious。 This book defines Anxiety in a different way。 Not wha This is the first book i read for Rob and I want to read"British Problems"。 I followed this account in twitter many years ago and I didn't know that there was an actual book about it and he is an author！！ Until lately and I followed the author and i saw that he had a book for the anxious people， so i got it immediately。 Firstly， i thought this book will be all about anxiety and depression and illnesses！！ But Nop this book is Funny， hilarious。 This book defines Anxiety in a different way。 Not what the people always think what anxiety looks like， and that anxiety must be a bad， sad thing。 Yes indeed anxiety could be a funny， which is the book tell u it's！ This book is not for the anxious people at all。 It's full of ideas， activities。 Its good that i read it especially during this pandemic， it let u appreciate the small things that we have！ Yup this book has no plot， no story， it's just about a real life events of a normal man 😊😌 。。。more
Fred Hart
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I can relate to a lot of this。
Paul Petsa
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Likeable， perfectly acceptable。I like Rob’s account of his attempts at living a braver， more accomplished life and his struggles with alcohol， anxiety and self- alienation。 Some might find it corny or self-indulgent but perhaps that’s because they aren’t able to walk in his shoes。 Personally， I’m glad that this book was written and that I was able to read it。 If you have sometimes （or all the time） felt like you’re the only one that questions every little choice/ decision/ indecision or felt lik Likeable， perfectly acceptable。I like Rob’s account of his attempts at living a braver， more accomplished life and his struggles with alcohol， anxiety and self- alienation。 Some might find it corny or self-indulgent but perhaps that’s because they aren’t able to walk in his shoes。 Personally， I’m glad that this book was written and that I was able to read it。 If you have sometimes （or all the time） felt like you’re the only one that questions every little choice/ decision/ indecision or felt like everyone is doing everything better than you， you might enjoy this too。 I think I’ve probably messed up this review but I’ll worry about that at 2am when I can’t sleep。 。。。more
Karen Rubins-Lawrie
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Listened to this on audio。 The brilliant narrator brought this book to life， and I resonated alot with many of anxious and terrified moments。 It was funny and comforting and its made me feel less like a mad woman during a rough period of anxiety。 I now don't feel quite as alone。 Listened to this on audio。 The brilliant narrator brought this book to life， and I resonated alot with many of anxious and terrified moments。 It was funny and comforting and its made me feel less like a mad woman during a rough period of anxiety。 I now don't feel quite as alone。 。。。more
Bookhuw
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Baffling。
Mark Beech
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This book started really well。 I always like the British Problems tweets， and then finding out more about the author started really well。 The book ended up being neither one thing nor another。 While there were funny stories， the underlying story was the author's physical and mental health， which I didn't feel was ever truly addressed。 This book started really well。 I always like the British Problems tweets， and then finding out more about the author started really well。 The book ended up being neither one thing nor another。 While there were funny stories， the underlying story was the author's physical and mental health， which I didn't feel was ever truly addressed。 。。。more
Prerana Shah
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A good idea to know how brits live
Tim Allan
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Its fairly evident that Rob is battling with some serious personal demons。 He is witty and humorous throughout but the demons are always there。 Lurking。 In typical British fashion， he attempts to keep calm and carry on。 For me， this made for difficult reading as I was hoping for something light and cheerful。 This wasnt。 Rob is a talented writer and it shows in the quality of his prose but I think I was misled in respect to the nature of the book。 Rob: I hope you're doing okay！ Its fairly evident that Rob is battling with some serious personal demons。 He is witty and humorous throughout but the demons are always there。 Lurking。 In typical British fashion， he attempts to keep calm and carry on。 For me， this made for difficult reading as I was hoping for something light and cheerful。 This wasnt。 Rob is a talented writer and it shows in the quality of his prose but I think I was misled in respect to the nature of the book。 Rob: I hope you're doing okay！ 。。。more
Laura May
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Very British; rather endearing。 Some truly fantastic lines。
Buck Smith
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