Happy Is the New Healthy

Book excerpt: If there was ever a need for a book like this, it is now. As a world renowned expert on the subject, Dr. Joan Neehall is the one to deliver this message. Have you been stressed, anxious, or worried? Have you felt pangs of loneliness in recent times? Are you longing for greater connection with others and the world around you? In a phrase, Are you looking for happiness? If so, you are not alone—at least not statistically speaking. Millions of others are seeking this feeling of spiritual, mental, and physical wellness too. Now, in her latest book, Happy Is the New Healthy, forensic psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Joan Neehall explores the underlying causes of unhappiness, and shares with us the secrets to rewriting the frequent thoughts and redirecting the common behaviors that keep us in that state. Most importantly, she demonstrates, through examples from her 35 years of clinical practice, how others have successfully initiated the kinds of changes in their lives that engender the feelings of peace, satisfying connection, and enduring happiness we all seek. Of course, the advice in this book could not be more timely. A dedicated chapter not only acknowledges the very specific challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presents for individual, societal, and global happiness, it advances ways to look at, cope with, and use the most daunting of circumstances to reimagine the kind of future that will make you happiest. By daring us to take charge of our emotional health and giving us the tools to do so, this book partners with its readers, reminding them that we are not at all alone in this pursuit.