A few years ago I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Michaela Avlund, author of “Happiness Skills Based on Positive Psychology” at a Book Fair. Her book recently caught my eye as I was browsing through my bookshelves in search of a comforting read. In this blog post, I want to share about how this lovely book can help to support mental and emotional wellbeing.
Who is the book aimed at?
It’s a wonderful book to shore up your own wellbeing or that of a teenager in your life. It could also be adapted for use in primary school. Having read the book you will feel confident that you understand the neuroscience behind the activities and be equipped with lots of ideas to boost wellness.
What topics are covered?
Some of the topics covered include how to build positive emotions, the power of gratitude, and cultivating self-compassion.
How should I use the book?
You can read the book from cover to cover or use the table of contents to dive into an activity that speaks to you, such as a self-hug, writing a gratitude letter, or keeping a strengths-diary. You could even select a random page and see how you could apply the wisdom within to lift your mood. The book is clearly laid out with lots of easily digestible explanations of the theory underpinning the core concepts.
The book features lots of journalling prompts to encourage reflection and there’s plenty of space to record your answers. Alternatively, you might like to use a special notebook to jot down your responses.
Why now?
I wrote to Michaela for permission to share a cover image of the book to accompany this blog post and in her words “now more than ever we need wellbeing skills. The uncertainty around the virus and the restrictions people have to adhere to can be quite frightening and frustrating but with wellbeing skills, we can keep ourselves healthy and as happy as possible in spite of it all.”
Final thoughts
My wish for you is that you get a chance to read this lovely book and benefit from its wisdom. You may also like to visit Michaela’s website for more insight on how to boost your wellbeing using happiness skills. Maybe like me, you’ll recommend it to others who would also enjoy it.
Marie O’Sullivan, Anokha Learning
Marie O’Sullivan is an experienced teacher and counsellor with an M.Sc. in Child and Adolescent Counselling.