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Not all people who experience depression are pessimists. Here’s how my “optimism” causes me so much pain…

There's a common myth that depression stems from pessimism; or at least, that a lot of people who experience depression have a pessimistic thinking style. Actually, it's not entirely a myth because it's partially true. Partially, but not completely. Because there are other factors that...

06 October, 2023

A foundation upon which to build happiness

As someone who's studied and taught and tried pretty much every happiness and wellbeing option available, it's hard to pick a favourite. And even if I did have a favourite, one that really made a major difference to my happiness and mental-health, it's unlikely that...

04 October, 2023

Be wary of even some of the best advice!

It might not surprise you to read that I read a lot of articles (and books) about mental health and happiness (and a whole bunch of related topics). And there are a few people who regularly produce some great thoughts and suggestions, about happiness and...

03 October, 2023

Sometimes the best things for you are the hardest things to do

As someone who's studied and taught principles of psychology and self-help for several decades now, I'm pretty confident that I know what I need to do to be happy and successful. I'm not being immodest when I note that I know a lot about happiness and...

03 October, 2023

What if we aimed to be happy-ish more than 100% happy?!?!

Many years ago, when my children were younger, my wife and I discovered a fantastic series of books that we must have read to our kids (and to ourselves) hundreds and hundreds of times. Peter H Reynolds (HERE) is a Canadian author and illustrator who's...

02 October, 2023

We’re all a little bit messed up, in the same and different ways. And that’s OK!

Earlier today I was reflecting on one of my (many) insecurities. I'm proud and satisfied about many aspects of myself and my life; but I'm also anxious and uncomfortable with many other aspects. All of which is true for many, if not most people. We...

01 October, 2023

A simple way to make your problems feel small

Do you have any problems in your life? Do you face challenges? Is there anything in your life that's not perfect? I'm assuming the answer is yes, probably to all 3, because let's face it ...

28 September, 2023

Create your own internal, values based GPS for life!

Have you ever used a GPS navigation system? Maybe one built in to your car, of more likely Google or Apple Maps. How fantastic are they? These systems automatically know where you are, you then tell them where you want to go, and they provide...

27 September, 2023

1 thing experts don’t talk about nearly enough when it comes to self-help and happiness

If you're reading this then you're probably pretty familiar with most, if not all of the most popular recommendations when it comes to creating more happiness or self-development more generally. Specifically, you've no doubt heard about and almost certainly tried strategies like mindfulness and meditation,...

26 September, 2023

Q & A with Dr Happy

As part of my new, weekly eNewsletter (you can subscribe HERE), I'll be choosing one question each week, from a reader, and answering it as best I can. And today, I've chosen to respond to Cheryl. Cheryl asked a number of questions in her email...

25 September, 2023