Happy Nation is based on two basic ideas

  1. Focussing on what makes us happy can bring us to greater heights of joy and fulfilment than focussing solely on the problems we wish to solve. This is the philosophy inherent in Positive Psychology.
  2. Happiness, like any other emotional state, is not an isolated phenomenon – it affects, and is affected by, the people around us. To reach fulfilment we must work towards enhancing the happiness of all, using love, compassion and gratitude. This social happiness philosophy is consistent with the principles of Deep Ecology.

Stephanie Hills has thirty years’ experience working with people in distress, both as a social worker and a counsellor.

A large part of her work has comprised using narrative and art therapy to help people move on from depression. While still helping people facing difficulties, Stephanie’s work has broadened to include the promotion and enhancement of individual and social happiness.

Using the principles of Positive Psychology and Deep Ecology, she assists individuals and groups to improve their functioning in various life spheres, taking into account the social, cultural, economic and environmental context of people’s lives.

  • Laughter really is the best medicine

    Gelotology – the physiological study of laughter – has shown that laughter reduces the levels of harmful stress hormones and increases the levels of Gamma-interferon, T-cells, B-cells, and other natural killer cells that fight tumours and viruses. Immunoglobulin A, which is found in saliva and defends against infectious organisms, is also increased when we laugh. […]

  • The moment and the meaning

    Spiritual gurus like Eckhart Tolle stress the importance of taking the time to enjoy the moment as it happens. This mindful way of living opens you up to feeling more alive and enables you to notice the little things, like a wildflower by the side of the road or the colour of an evening sky. […]

  • Sharing Photos

    Doing my bungy jump three months ago, I met a young woman named Lara. Lara had her father’s high-speed camera and took a multitude of action shots, which she promised to email me afterwards. When I didn’t hear from her, I presumed she’d lost my address. It seems she had, but she must’ve remembered my […]

  • No need for a second opinion

    Patient: “Doctor, are you sure I’m suffering from pneumonia? I’ve heard once about a doctor treating someone with pneumonia and finally he died of typhus.” Doctor: “Don’t worry, it won’t happen with me. If I treat someone with pneumonia he will die of pneumonia.”

  • Doctors’ strike

    Doctors at a hospital in Brooklyn, New York have gone on strike. Hospital officials say they will find out what the Doctors’ demands are as soon as they can get a pharmacist over there to read the picket signs!

Stephanie Hills

Promoting Individual and Social Happiness

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