Resource Highlight: The Happiness Trap
By: Erin Alcamo
It can be difficult in today’s society to see happiness as the normative emotional state. Individuals on social media are constantly showcasing their seemingly happy lifestyle with friends, family, work, and more. However, part of being human is truly feeling all emotions, not just happiness. Sadness, anger, frustration, disgust are all parts of experiencing the moving parts of life. When these uncomfortable feelings arise, however, they can cause individuals to create thoughts which prevent them from achieving their goals. Practicing a few techniques from The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris, we can learn to allow ourselves to embody and accept all emotions that life throws our way and live more aligned with our core values.
Acknowledge thoughts and feelings: Become aware of our emotions and our related thoughts and build self-compassion through disenging from harsh self-judgment, recognizing our own distress, and responding with kindness. Essentially, treat yourself as you would a close friend!
Connect with the body: Practice physical grounding techniques such as slow breathing, mindfully talking a walk, or stretching.
Engage in present activities: Refocus your attention on what you are doing.
Resource:
The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris:
The Happiness Trap helps guide readers through the process of accepting their emotions and living their lives to their fullest potential. This book helps explain why are are focused on the emotion of happiness, and why we are uncomfortable with emotions such as sadness, disgust, etc. Continuously practicing skills such as attuning to our emotions and making room for these “big feelings,” we can learn to be more present in ourselves.
