The Illustrated Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

I'm a very visual person with ADD issues and a tendency to overthink to the point of paralysis; the illustrated version of this book was the perfect purchase for me. I was cynical about the recommendation from my doctor (Happiness Trap? ugh) but immediately I recognized its utility and loved it.Not at all condescending or preachy, and lighthearted/comic-booky enough to keep the densely packed info upbeat. While much of the material is "intuitive", the organization and categorical breakdowns of "types" of happiness, coping strategies and action plan approaches were extremely helpful to me. I read it twice in a row in one night! I was so inspired by it, I began "project managing" a few areas of my life immediately after, and now I've got my dad reading it. I expect to revisit it for the rest of my life.If you are struggling with negative feedback loops or wondering how to get your life on track in any area, this should be an easily digested read (despite the complexity of concepts presented) and it might just become the most important tool in your mental health toolbox for a while!

Love this illustrated version. Makes it easy to read and understand for younger and older readers. If you have trouble concentrating to read, this is a good book for you.

This book had some good points and helpful strategies. It was very easy to read, just like a comic book. So if you want to avoid reading a long, arduous book, this will probably be good.

A good self help book for people that hate self-help books. None of the fluff but still gets the point across and has easy to complete exercises. It can be a quick practitioner's guide or refresher.

The Illustrated Happiness Trap is a very readable and truly helpful guide to mindfulness-based acceptance and commitment strategies. I'm an ACT therapist, and after reading this book, I've given and recommended it to quite a few people. Although it is a condensed (and illustrated) version of The Happiness Trap, it covers the same information in a very pragmatic and engaging way. I really appreciate The Illustrated Happiness Trap because some people just aren't likely to read the longer book. It's been particularly helpful with teens, and for that reason, I'd love to see a version with examples and stressors more common to teens. Thanks for another winner, Russ.

Very effective cognitive technology. Emphasized moving away from emotional regulation to value based living and opening up to depth of experience. The happiness trap is thinking that we can create a state of "happiness." The belief is that we can reduce suffering by not wrestling with our emotions and creating a wider dynamic range of acceptable emotional expressions. Cognitive strategies to wrangle with emotions create suffering in the long run. Fusing and defusing with thoughts and sensations are important concepts. Non-evaluative modes of experiencing thoughts and feelings go a long way to freeing us.

I'll be honest, when I first ordered the illustrated version I thought it would include a good deal of text along with comics or images to break up the concepts. When I received it, and took a look and realized that it is ALL illustrated, I almost returned it. Then, I gave it a shot and started reading it. I LOVE this book! It is quirky and a bit charming, the language is VERY understandable and not so psycho-babble -ish. I recommend it for anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, or who believes CBT is the only way to make changes in life. Ps. I'm a therapist who will use excerpts of this book with my clients as well!

This book offers nice tips on how to deal with negative thoughts, anxiety, self doubt, and other challenges most humans encounter at one point of another. The illustrations are a fun addition. I think everyone can take away a useful nugget from this book and recommend it.