I want to tell you a bit about who I am (and who I am not!). Your mind is precious, and I would like you to know something about me before you trust what I share with you.
I must stress that I am not a mental health professional and do not have formal qualifications in the subject. So please take the information on this website at your own risk (please read the disclaimer section for more details).
While I do not have formal qualifications in mental health, I, perhaps like you, have had daily struggles with various challenges, including those due to long-term pain associated with a form of arthritis. Keeping a positive attitude has been tough, and I have often wondered how to improve my mood. In particular, I searched for practical things I could apply daily.
I soon realised that how one’s mind “thinks” can play an essential role in whether one is happy. When faced with challenges, I noticed specific “unhelpful” ways of thinking that my mind did that caused me to be unhappy. These unhelpful ways of thinking did not help me feel better; instead, they worsened things.
I decided to deal with unhelpful thinking similarly to how an engineer would deal with a faulty machine.
An engineer would need to diagnose faults (i.e. recognise unhelpful thinking) and then repair such faults using tools (mental tools)
Over the years, I learnt about the various unhelpful ways of thinking that one’s mind may do and then researched and experimented with various mental techniques (i.e. tools) that I could use to deal with such thinking. Having benefited from these techniques, I felt I should share such insights. Therefore, I made this website to fulfil this desire to share, hoping it will help many.
When reading the many “self-help” books and other resources, I often found them too vague or too complex to be of practical value in my daily life. Given this, my number one focus for this website was to make it easy to understand and provide solutions that one can use daily.
It is essential that if you are being cared for by a mental health professional, you should never change your thinking or medication without their approval. Unlike me, they are trained individuals who will better understand your issues. On the other hand, please share this website with them, and they may be happy for you to incorporate Happy Thinking into your life under their expert guidance.
Unfortunately, suicide is a very real risk for some, and if you feel in any way inclined to do so, please contact professional helplines in your country and also seek out friends and family. Things may feel very low, but once someone lifts you, you will realise that there is hope.
I am not a super-star happiness guru. No, I have not coached chief executives, nor will you find me giving out lectures or appearing in videos. I do not run any courses; everything I know, I have shared with you here. I am an ordinary guy who you might find sitting next to you on the bus or in a coffee shop. (I do like hanging around with my laptop in coffee shops!) I have kept this website free so that everyone can benefit. However, if you can make a small donation equal to about a dollar, I would be very grateful if you did so by clicking here. Alternatively, you can click on the donate tab at the top of every page. Every little bit will help me develop this website.
Please assess the simple ideas I present and, if you find them sensible, use them to make yourself happier. My ultimate aim is for you to be happy, and I am confident that this website’s material will help you think in ways that will make you happy. Enjoy Happy Thinking!