How to Be Happy

Practical, nonjudgmental, encouraging, accessible

When I bought this book, I was in such a down mental state that I was pinning quite a bit of hope on its subtitle being possible. Now that I am looking back with clearer eyes, I see why this book is helpful. It gives you permission to identify your negative thoughts but steers you away from ruminating. It's a low risk high reward method of examining your thoughts and feelings. Doing basically any exercise on a page, regardless of its focus, tends to make me feel better in the moment. They are extremely practical exercises. Some of the exercises are just generally relaxing (like filling 50 squares with as many squares of gray as you can), others are more directive (like writing your most frequent intrusive thoughts, then identifying how they are distorted thinking). A lot of the advice and exercises seem to be simplified versions of methods used in mindfulness therapy and CBT. The way that it is introduced is non-threatening and fun. Personally, I don't actually write in this book but copy my prompts into a different notebook. That way I can reuse this book or lend it out to a friend who might need it. Another book which I would recommend buying in conjunction with this one is "Start Where You Are", which is apparently quite popular on Amazon. I feel that the content of these books goes hand in hand. Many of the exercises are similar in themes. However, that book is filled with cheery colors and lots of inspirational quotations; this book is inked in black and white, and might be better for someone who is depressed while stepping into self-examination with a journal for the first time. I recommend going slow and keeping an open mind if you choose to order it. I feel grateful for this book right now. Read more