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Jump to navigationJump to searchHow to Be Happy (or at least less sad): A Creative Workbook by Lee Crutchley (view source)
Revision as of 16:47, 21 May 2015
, 16:47, 21 May 2015no edit summary
The idea is deceptively simple: it's a workbook and you're going to work your way through it and then see how you feel at the end compared to how you were at the beginning. You're presented with a series of exercises (no - nothing too strenuous...) which will push your mind into thinking about ''you''. Not about the sad, down in the dumps you, but the one who just might have quite a lot going for them. Don't worry that you're going to be presented with some of those trite phrases that people offer when they encounter someone who is depressed. I don't know if ''Pull yourself together'' or ''what's your problem?'' ever had a positive effect on anyone, but the only time you're going to meet them in this book is on the front cover, where they're crossed out.
Let me tell you about one of the exercises. Put your hands down on a sheet of paper, one at a time and draw around the other hand so that what you have looks like a pair of gloves. Now - in each finger write down something you're grateful for. As Crutchley says, ''they could be people, places or pizza''. Actually, this is very clever. If you have to write down three things you can do it quickly: spouse, kids and the dog. But ten things are a bit different. You have to start of group things (''I don't want to put just one dog down, so I'll put 'all the dogs we've had in one finger.'') It took me about fifteen minutes to come up with a list which pleased me - and in the quarter of an hour I'd concentrated solely on all the ''good'' things in my life and there wasn't a single negative thought. It's a wise and gentle book.
I haven't given away too much there - there are quite a few similar exercises which might not make you feel ''happy'' but they're going to put problems into some sort of context. Now, is there anyone who ''wouldn't'' like to feel just a bit happier? No, I thought not.
