Sign-In
Cart
The Human Survival Guide: For Adults Who Would Quite Like Some Instructions
Paperback
Series: The Human Survival Guide
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Sep 25 2026
Pages: 176
Weight: 0.54
Height: 0.38 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Nobody gives you the adult manual. Apparently, you were just supposed to work it out.
Being an adult means navigating work, money, relationships, ageing, family, technology, grief, decisions and other people, often while appearing to know what you are doing.
The Human Survival Guide is a practical, funny and clear-eyed field guide to the parts of ordinary adult life that rarely come with instructions.
Why can two honest people remember the same event differently? Why do pointless systems survive when everybody knows they are pointless? Why does more money so quickly become normal? Why can a relationship argument about the dishwasher have very little to do with the dishwasher? Why does a number on a screen acquire so much authority? And what happens when work, ageing, illness, technology or loss changes the person you thought you were?
Drawing on psychology, research, history and the strange situations human beings repeatedly create for themselves, Martin Rothery explores the machinery underneath everyday life without turning it into another self-help programme.
Along the way there are field stories, field tests, practical experiments and useful questions. Some problems can be solved. Some have to be decided. Some need another person. Some need grieving. And some become considerably easier once you can see what is actually happening.
There is also a children's edition of The Human Survival Guide, written for younger readers. This is the companion field guide for the people who were supposed to have everything figured out by now.
No ten-step transformation. No promise of a perfect life. Just better instructions for the confusing business of being human.
Also from
Rothery, Martin
Responsible Success: Building an Ethical, Effective and Profitable Practice in Therapy and Changework
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
Escape the Self Help Reef: How Big-Stage Inspiration Keeps You Shallow, and the Architecture You Need for Real Change
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
Strangers All Around: Why we became strangers to each other - and what it is doing to us
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
The Aware Universe: What consciousness, cosmology, and the expanding void might be telling us about where we are
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
Strangers in Charge: Why the people running your world have never lived in it
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
The Aware Universe: What consciousness, cosmology, and the expanding void might be telling us about where we are
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
The Human Survival Guide: For Adults Who Would Quite Like Some Instructions
Rothery, Martin
Paperback
Also in
Self-Help
Go-To Notebook with Mohawk Paper, Midnight Blue Blank: (Blank Notebooks, Simple Notebook, Blue Notebook)
Chronicle Books
Other
Go-To Notebook with Mohawk Paper, Brick Red Dotted: (Dotted Notebook, Notebook with Dots, Red Notebook)
Chronicle Books
Other
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Brown, Brené
Paperback
The Craftivist Collective Handbook: Projects, Stories and Methods for Your Gentle Protests
Corbett, Sarah P.
Hardcover
How Do You Feel?: A Spectacular Compendium of Ideas, Interactive Games, Provocations, Tests, and Tricks That Explore the World of What You Feel and Wh
Hughes, Edgar Gerrard
Paperback
The Healthy Deviant: A Rule Breaker's Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World
Gerasimo, Pilar
Paperback
Conscious Crafts: Knitting: 20 Mindful Makes to Reconnect Head, Heart & Hands
Koranteng, Vanessa
Kludje, Sicgmone
Hardcover
Inspired: Understanding Creativity: A Journey Through Art, Science, and the Soul
Richtel, Matt
Hardcover
1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round
Attenberg, Jami
Hardcover
Your Intuition Led You Here: Daily Rituals for Empowerment, Inner Knowing, and Magic
Naranjo, Alex
Vargas, Marlene
Hardcover
It's Just Fucking Meditation: How to Find Yourself, Calm Your Anxiety and Manifest the Life of Your Dreams
Holub, Bryan
Paperback
The Complete Guide to the Enneagram: A Modern Approach to Self-Discovery and Connecting Well with Others
MacKenzie, Sierra
Paperback
The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness [With CD]
Williams, Mark
Teasdale, John
Segal, Zindel
Paperback
Awakening the Chakras: The Seven Energy Centers in Your Daily Life
Daniels, Kooch N.
Weltevrede, Pieter
Daniels, Victor
Paperback
Worthy as You Are: Weed Out Unhealthy Beliefs and Nourish Your Authentic Self
Duriel, Durgadas Allon
Paperback
The Power of Your Angels: 28 Days to Finding Your Path and Realizing Your Life's Dreams
Fallois, Isabelle
Paperback
Witch Wisdom for Magical Aging: Finding Your Power Through the Changing Seasons
Johnson, Cait
Paperback
Escribe El Guion de la Vida Que Quieres: Manifiesta Tus Sueños Con Tan Solo Lápiz Y Papel
Christyn, Royce
Paperback
Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick
Jen Sincero
Paperback
Creative Visualization: Using Imagery and Imagination for Self-Transformation
Shone, Ronald
Paperback
I Am That Girl: How to Speak Your Truth, Discover Your Purpose, and #bethatgirl
Jones, Alexis
Paperback
The Art of Communication: How to Be Authentic, Lead Others, and Create Strong Connections
Apps, Judy
Hardcover
Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power and Paradox: Freeing the Mind, Focusing Chi, and Mastering the Self
Fauliot, Pascal
Paperback
Catastrofobia: La Verdad Detrás de Los Cambios de la Tierra En El Arribo de la Era de Luz
Clow, Barbara Hand
Paperback
Princes, Frogs & Ugly Sisters: The Healing Power of the Grimm Brothers' Tales
Hunter, Allan G.
Paperback
The Blue Zone: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest
Buettner, Dan
Hardcover
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Hardcover
The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can't Stop Talking about
Robbins, Sawyer
Robbins, Mel
Hardcover
Discover Your Soul Template: 14 Steps for Awakening Integrated Intelligence
Anthony, Marcus T.
Paperback
As a Man Thinketh - the Original 1902 Classic (includes the Mastery of Destiny) (Reader's Library Classics)
Allen, James
Paperback
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents
Gibson, Lindsay C.
Paperback
Unfuck Your Brain: Using Science to Get Over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers
Harper, Faith G.
Paperback
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
The Little Frog's Guide to Life: Love, Advice and Inspiration for Every Day from the Internet's Beloved Mushroom Frog
Eequay, Maybell
Hardcover
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Haidt, Jonathan
Hardcover
Think and Grow Rich: The Landmark Bestseller Now Revised and Updated for the 21st Century
Hill, Napoleon
Paperback
The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care: Affirmations, Self-Love and Life Lessons According to the Internet's Beloved Mushroom Frog
Eequay, Maybell
Hardcover
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness
Koga, Fumitake
Kishimi, Ichiro
Paperback
The Retire Sooner Method: The 5 Secrets Behind America's Happiest (and Unhappiest) Retirees
Moss, Wes
Hardcover
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
Pressfield, Steven
Paperback
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Mental Toughness, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How to Stop Worrying about What Other People Think of You by Michael Gervais)
Gervais, Michael
Duckworth, Angela L.
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Don't Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition): Why Your Thinking Is the Beginning & End of Suffering
Nguyen, Joseph
Hardcover
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
Schwartz, Richard C.
Paperback
How to Be a Rich Old Lady: Your Guide to Easy Investing, Building Wealth, and Creating the Wild, Beautiful Life You Want
Holden, Amanda
Hardcover
Take Breaks, Work Better: Measure Impact, Not Hours, and Transform Your Profitability
Briggs, John
Paperback
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
Grenny, Joseph
McMillan, Ron
Patterson, Kerry
Paperback
The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money
Chatzky, Jean
Hardcover
Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans
Jones, Sheinelle
Hardcover
Stop Letting Everything Affect You: How to break free from overthinking, emotional chaos, and self-sabotage.
Chidiac, Daniel
Paperback
Be Your Own Bestie: A No-Nonsense Guide to Changing the Way You Treat Yourself
Brown, Misha
Hardcover
The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life
Warren MD W. Lee
Hardcover
Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being
Zomorodi, Manoush
Diaz, Keith
Hardcover
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
Rosenberg, Marshall B.
Paperback
The Courage to Commit: Embrace the Radical Power of Sticking with Something
Johnson, Shawn
East, Andrew
Hardcover
Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity--One Step at a Time
Conley, Courtney
McDowell, Milica
Hardcover
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Holiday, Ryan
Hanselman, Stephen
Hardcover
Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit
Brown, Brené
Hardcover
Who Moved My Cheese?: An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Johnson, Spencer
Hardcover
The Story of Your Life: How Social Media Shapes the Way We Experience Everything
Jezer-Morton, Kathryn
Hardcover
Rewrite the Program: How to Stop Conforming, Start Exploring, and Find Fulfillment
Bowman, Eli
Paperback
The Butterfly Season: What 64 Butterflies Taught Me about Nature's Great Mysteries and the Meaning of Life
Korsgaard, Lea
Hardcover
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World
McRaven, William H.
Hardcover
The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Willing to ACT
Newbury, Kiera
Newbury, Brad
Hardcover
Tarot for the Wild Soul: A Trauma-Informed Approach for Growth, Healing, and Grounding in the Present Moment
Mack, Lindsay
Hardcover
Are You Mad at Me?: How to Stop Focusing on What Others Think and Start Living for You
Josephson, Meg
Hardcover
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
Manson, Mark
Hardcover
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
Burkeman, Oliver
Paperback
The Gifts of Imperfection: 10th Anniversary Edition: Features a New Foreword and Brand-New Tools
Brown, Brené
Paperback
A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World's Sacred Texts
Tolstoy, Leo
Hardcover
Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy
Jones, Robert P.
Hardcover
Reparenting the Inner Child: The New Science of Our Oldest Wounds and How to Heal Them
Lepera, Nicole
Hardcover
Burn the Haystack: Decode Dating, Torch the Duds, and Make Room for Men Who Matter
Young Phd, Jennie
Hardcover