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.

  • Can we afford the luxury of happiness in a recession?

    Times are hard. Can we really afford to focus on happiness during a recession? Shouldn’t we be knuckling down and tightening our belts, putting on a brave face until things get better? To think this way is to equate happiness with comfort and prosperity, a common mistake in our capitalist culture. For decades advertisements have […]

  • Tips to cheer yourself up

    Today I’m going to share 15 tips for cheering yourself up when you’re feeling down. But first, a word of caution. They can only work if you truly want to be cheered up, and believe you deserve it. Often we harbour secret beliefs that prevent us from allowing happiness into our lives. Beliefs like: I […]

  • Ventriloquist offends blonde

    A young ventriloquist is touring the clubs and one night, with his dummy on his knee, he starts going through his usual dumb blonde jokes when a blonde woman in the 4th row stands on her chair and starts shouting:- ‘I’ve heard enough of your stupid blonde jokes. What makes you think you can stereotype […]

  • Group Influence

    Welcome to the first Happy Nation newsletter! Happy Nation aims to promote individual and social happiness. This means recognising that none of us is an island and that our happiness is deeply affected by the society we live in. Ever noticed that some people, or groups of people, make you feel good, while others bring […]

  • Generosity of Friends

    The following comes from Jo Robertson: Recently my second son was graduating from university in Dunedin. I wanted to attend with my three other children to celebrate with him. However, I live in Hamilton and was concerned about the expense of travelling there and accommodation costs for us all. Wonderfully, the trip was made possible […]

Stephanie Hills

Promoting Individual and Social Happiness

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