Overview
The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris was our book for December. This book is all about learning to stop struggling with your thoughts and emotions. It frames how to do this and gives you exercises to help you stop struggling and falling into the happiness trap. This book is based on the ACT model of therapy which includes a lot of mindfulness practices. ACT can be broken down into this.
- Accept your thoughts and feelings and be present
- Connect with your values
- Take effective action
- “You can’t leap a chasm in two jumps
- “Life gives most to those who make the most of what life gives”
- “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
Review
I enjoyed a lot of the concepts in this book. It reads easily and I really like the concept of ACT. The author is also kinda funny. This book is a lot of work though. The author drives home that you can’t just read, but you actually have to do the exercises and put the things it teaches into practice multiple times a day. I found it a bit hard to follow through with all of them despite the authors pleadings. I do recommend it though. It’s a great read and gives you a new mindset and tools to help you stop struggling so much with trying to be happy. I would recommend this book to anyone who finds themselves struggling with their thoughts, emotions, or the pursuit of happiness.
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