Happy Pills 31 Prescriptions for Happiness

At first glance this may seem like a book about medication, but don’t be fooled. These “pills” that Dr. Todd Clements is talking about are not pharmaceutical manufactured capsules, but rather specific challenges and activities aimed at helping you to start feeling better fast! Dr. Clements is a board certified psychiatrist, college professor, and author, who began prescribing a group of some of his most chronically depressed patients specific tasks to accomplish each day. He quickly noticed that those patients who followed through with his assignments experienced significant mood improvements compared to the ones who didn’t. These patients also returned each week asking for him to give them more assignments. A new term was coined for Dr. Clements prescribed tasks when one lady commented to the group that her family had seen such a positive change in her that they were asking if she had been secretly taking “happy pills.” Dr. Clements observed that as he continued to create and assign “happy pills” to these patients many of them underwent a radical change in not only the way they felt, but even in their whole view of life. Before long many of these patients were creating and sharing with each other their own “happy pills.”Each “happy pill” in this book is accompanied by a specific task for the reader to complete. Some of these tasks can be done in a few minutes—such as listing 5 things each day that you’re grateful for and then spending two minutes to reflect on each one. Other tasks, like writing a personal letter of appreciation to a friend, or donating 2 hours of your time to a local homeless shelter or food bank, require more time and planning to accomplish. Each “happy pill” is based on a Bible verse that applies directly to the day’s task at hand. Happy Pills is different from other books in that once you read about that topic you’re then asked to follow through with completing an activity. For instance, the happy pill #4: “Witness the Power of Words” is based on Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” Dr Clements explains how studies show that people raised in negative and discouraging environments suffer higher rates of depression and lower self-worth than people surrounded by a positive environment. He then challenges the reader to provide a sincere compliment to 3 people that day. As readers complete the challenge of each “happy pill” they realize more joy and fulfillment in their lives. This is great news for the millions of people suffering with depression who want to start feeling better fast—especially those who don’t know where to start when it comes to breaking the spell of sadness that envelopes them. However, this book is not just for depressed people, but anyone who’s up for a daily challenge that will expand their horizons.Happy Pills contains 31 different and unique challenges for its readers. The idea in mind is to complete a new “happy pill” each day for a month, but there are other ways that will work just fine too. Some people prefer to do the same “happy pills” over and over, while others like to do them together with a friend. Some support groups will choose one “happy pill” per week that each member accomplishes. What matters most is not the schedule, but the act of participating.Happy Pills is ideal to use with a counselor or in conjunction with a support group. Church groups will also find this book very useful, particularly due to the fact that each “happy pill” is tied to a specific Bible verse. Working through this book provides great opportunities for believers to strengthen and live out their faith.Happy Pills truly is a book that can be life changing!