I thought I would share a helpful book that was recommended to me by my psychologist awhile ago, called "The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living", by Dr. Russ Harris. 

Sadly, self-help books often get a bad wrap due to the stigma around mental health. Sometimes the books may feel stupid, or you might feel silly reading them, as I did when I started reading this book. But it did really Help me, and has valuable insight for living a happier life. 

I even found this book online for free! So you really have nothing to lose. 

Harris begins the book by illustrating to the reader 4 Myths that people often believe which contributes to unhappiness:

Myth 1: Happiness Is the Natural State for All Human Beings

Myth 2: If You’re Not Happy, You’re Defective

Myth 3: To Create a Better Life, We Must Get Rid of Negative Feelings

Myth 4: You Should Be Able to Control What You Think and Feel

Throughout the book there are various exercises for the reader to practise which helps change the way you perceive and deal with the thoughts that are running through our heads all the time. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“We have many thousands of useless or unhelpful thoughts every day.” – p. 49

“The fight-or-flight is often triggered in situations where it is of little or no use to us.” – p. 85

“Any search for a Pain-free existence is doomed to failure.” – p. 137

“What do you want your life to be about?” – P. 167

“If you’re living a goal-focused life, then no matter what you have, it’s never enough…find the values underlying your goals.” – p. 198

“Commitment isn’t about being perfect, always following through, or never going astray. Commitment means that when you (inevitably) stumble or get off track, you pick yourself up, find your bearings, and carry on.” – p. 219