The Happiness Trap: Stop Struggling, Start Living Paperback – 26 Jun. 2008

I would generally be of the sceptical kind of people who would read a headline such as mine's and immediately class it as covert advertisement. I don't blame you if you do. To be honest, I very seldom type up reviews of my Amazon purchases. But this one clearly deserves a chunk of my time. That so much goodness can be compressed into a 270-page book at a starting price of only one penny for a used edition is exhilarating.I stumbled upon Dr Harris' work in a moment of real darkness in my life. 25 years old, graduated in a degree with honours and about to graduate from a masters, living on my own with wonderful friends in an amazing city of a foreign country, working in a qualified job that attracted awe and respect from parents and acquaintances alike. Yet, for some reason, I started to feel increasingly miserable and blue, and I did all I could to run away from these feelings, telling myself stories about how inappropriate it was that someone as lucky as me was feeling that way. As it happens, these emotions could not be reined in for long, so they finally burst in the form of heightened levels of anxiety and panic attacks. Feeling desperate, I reached out to my close friends for support, and I also sought some tools from self-help books in Amazon. And "The Happiness Trap" had very good reviews, so I thought of giving it a try.Boy, I think I've never spent £7.14 more wisely. Part 1 of the book sets for an interesting journey. Part 2 simply blows your mind: anybody who has ever had trouble with an anxiety disorder or depression will connect with Dr Harris' layman stories and explanations as if he had started to write the book only after returning from an expedition into your own mind. It makes you understand the source of all of your suffering and be more at ease with your thoughts and feelings, as you learn to value them simply for what they are: words and pictures created by your mind. Part 3 is inspirational, a super synthesis of the best coaching contents.I finished the book an hour ago with a stupid smile on my face and I felt the urge to write this review. And because this urge is indeed helpful in building a more meaningful life, for me and for others, I allowed myself to fuse with it (readers will understand my choice of vocabulary best).In summary, if you feel a bit lost in life, you're struggling with depression or anxiety, or you simply want to grow internally and understand your mind better, this book is a MUST. And to top it up, it's designed as a reference book, so it'll always occupy a preferential spot in your bookcase. As Americans would say, a no-brainer!!

For me this book serves as a very practical guide to, as the name suggests, living a happy life.I spent 5 years in the military and at the age of 25 left and realised that I didn't really know how to live a happy life. I'd had the job and money but still felt 'unfulfilled', what next.I travelled for 3 years and spent 2 of those years learning about and incorporating Buddhism into my life.Buddhism provided a lot of clarity in life for me as well as extremely useful 'habits' that have improved my quality of life greatly.However, once I returned to the UK I found myself feeling unhappy and unfulfilled once again. Reading Russ's book has helped me understand a lot of the why's to this and be able to do something about it.I think most if not all of the answers and teachings I needed are within Buddhism, but sometimes navigating your way through something like Buddhism can be a slow and arduous task (especially without a teacher).I found the Happiness trap plugged that gap very effectively for me. If I'm honest I felt like I was reading Buddhist literature for most of the book, but in a much easier way to understand for a western brain.It's helped me be aware of thing I wasn't aware of before from Buddhism such as trying to avoid certain feelings and emotions and the challenges that was creating for me in my life.I also thoroughly enjoyed the third part of the book about creating a meaningful life, especially the values part of the book.All in all this is an excellent book that I would highly recommend to anyone who is quite analytical and wants to understand more about the mind, happiness and living a meaningful life.In a quick summary, I'd explain the book as a combination of mindful awareness and practical living training.I think books that are similar to or complement this book are:- The Way of The Peaceful Warrior (more of a story format for someone who is struggling but doesn't want such practical step by step guidance yet)- The Art Of Happiness- Psycho Cybernetics

Useful and lots of practical tips and if you don't like the religious aspects the this is for you. I personally find the religious philosophy elements helpful for giving the concepts and practices context and bringing a more connected feeling to the whole thing

Excellent book.

I am interested in stoicism. It’s a very valuable philosophy which remains valid as far as ethics is concerned. This book allow to understand the way to escape our bias and work out a meaningful life

Eins der praktischsten Bücher, die ich je gelesen habe. Man muss natürlich auch die Übungen machen, die er vorschlägt, sonst wird das nix

Llegado como previsto.

Vi sono dei meccanismi naturali nella nostra mente, che, talvolta, deviano dalla loro funzione utile e diventano dannosi.La capacità di criticare sè stessi (nel senso di identificare e segnalare le proprie aree di miglioramento) è un meccanismo utile, che diventa tuttavia - appunto - dannoso, nel momento in cui la nostra voce interiore si accanisce contro di noi con critiche feroci e continue: "sei un fallito; sei il solito incapace" ecc. Ebbene, le tecniche suggerite in questo libro, almeno relativamente a questo aspetto, a me sembrano inefficaci e a tratti ridicole. Suggerire di "ringraziare la tua mente" quando ti lancia quelle accuse " senza sarcasmo ma con genuino humour" (pag. 59) oppure immaginare che le suddette accuse vengano pronunciate con una voce da cartone animato, a me sembrano suggerimenti onestamente molto sciocchi.