I’m super excited to share with all of you the release of the Exchange Rate of Happiness! My debut book on happiness, mental health, which includes practical ways for you to look after your own wellbeing and cultivate your happiness.

As a local author it’s really exciting to complete a project such as this, a lot more time goes into creating a book than I realised. There will hopefully be more to come in the future (perhaps after I finish my masters degree in psychology).

I explore mental health, ego, happiness and what you may need to change, to improve your life overall. Often the decisions we need to make are right in front of us, but sometimes the elephant in the room is the big change we are unwilling to make because of the fear or uncertainty that comes with this.

In the busy fast paced environment of the modern world, it’s easy to forget to put yourself first. This book gives you time to reflect, prioritise your own wellbeing, and to expand your comfort zone and what this entails. Included are methods that have worked for me, techniques I have practiced, and I share with you my own lived experiences in life so far. This helps to build a picture around the importance of mental health and the ebbs and flows we can all experience throughout life. Mental health is a huge topic I could discuss for hours, but instead of boring you for hours I’ve written a short book that lets you come along on my journey so far.

The aim of this book is not to ‘fix’ you, but to get your cogs turning to enable you to put yourself first in life. Once you build healthier habits into your life it becomes much easier to make other necessary changes including setting boundaries, saying no when necessary, looking after your own mental health and cultivating your wellbeing and own version of happiness.

This is not an overnight process, it’s a journey which can take time, consistency and hard work. There will be setbacks along the way, and this is okay. But by recognising and talking about these challenges you can allow for change to begin. This is your starting point, beginning to think about something means you have already started to make changes. Once the action begins, these changes can start to stick through habits and intentions. I’m big on setting boundaries, learning to say no and building up your own resilience.

In support of mental health charities, 10% of profits are being donated to worthy causes such as MHS Shropshire, Shout!, Mind and YoungMinds. Each purchase helps to support some of these vital services, that so desperately need the donations and support.

My hope is that this book enables you start to think about yourself more and to prioritise your needs over the needs of others, to become more resilient and to allow for you to slow down in life. It is suitable for anyone who is ready to start making changes and wants to learn about some of the science behind hormones and neurotransmitters. Without getting too boring and some practical ways in which you can expand your comfort zones, understand Ikigai and finding your own reason for being.

By the end of the book, you should have practical ways in which you can grow as a person, start up your own business or side hustle and expand your comfort zones to enable you to not only try new things but understand your likes and dislikes. It all comes down to you, and what you feel is right for you. There is a wealth of information, and you can hopefully avoid some of my own mistakes that I have made along the way.

The book is available from Awen Gallery in Llanfyllin, or alternatively you can pick up a copy on eBook, Paperback or Audiobook at https://amzn.eu/d/6K5FKlZ