1KHO 914: The More We Pursue Happiness, The More We Suffer | Dr. Russ Harris, The Happiness Trap

Ginny Yurich (0:01)

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Hey friends, welcome back to The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast. I'm so glad you're here. Today's conversation is with someone I've wanted to talk to for years, Dr. Russ Harris, author of the million copy, best seller, The Happiness Trap. And the big idea behind this conversation is fascinating. What if trying so hard to be happy is actually making us less happy?

We talk in this episode about anxiety, parenting, why you don't have to feel calm in order to act calmly.

And Russ actually walks us through a simple exercise you can use when your emotions start to take over. Before we jump in, make sure you're following the podcast, so these new conversations keep showing up for you. And if you've been listening for a while and haven't left to review yet, I'd be so grateful if you take a minute to do that today. Both of those things really matter a lot. Okay. Here's Dr. Russ Harris.

My name is Ginny Yurich, the founder of 1000HoursOutside. And we have a guest today that I have been a fan of for so long. I have had one of his eight books, I mean, for years and years, over one million copies sold, The Happiness Trap. I have the second edition, Dr. Russ Harris. Welcome to you.

Russ Harris (3:47)

Oh, thank you. Thanks so much for having me on the show.

Ginny Yurich (3:51)

This is such a critically important topic, and I think it really affects also how we raise our kids. And so if we can learn these things and we can learn that, it's not all about the external things that lead to happiness, then this is really going to help. So you are a world renowned trainer of acceptance and commitment therapy act, a physician, and you live in Australia. So that's really cool too. But you have a lot of books about act. And I'll make sure I'll put a link in the show notes, people can find them. Plus, there's an online program, The Happiness Trap. You have a fantastic newsletter. And if therapists would like online training, tell them where to go.

Russ Harris (4:29)

Oh, psychwire.com, psychwire.com.

Ginny Yurich (4:32)

Okay. So you offer a lot. Would you talk to us about how you are seeing all these patients?

And also in your own life, you know, you're seeing patients and in your own life, you've hit all the markers of success. But then you have this feeling and you experience it with yourself and others, that it isn't working. So can you take us back to those days that kind of spurred you on to figure out why?