Keys to happiness

The causes of depression include everything from death to divorce to physical illness. Finding your way back to happiness isn’t easy, but it is possible.

Writer: Leigh Neely

Depression is rampant in the United States. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it is the leading cause of disability right now, affecting around 15 million adults every year.

Lisa Cypers Kamen understands the debilitating effects of depression and actually calls herself a “reformed depressed person.” She readily admits she has been in the “pit of despair,” and now wants to help others get out of it.

“I did not wander into my happy place,” Lisa says. “There was a personal evolution to achieving greater happiness after tremendous challenges. It took work.”

In 2008, Lisa and her now ex-husband separated, and then he was hospitalized. Due to the recession, they eventually lost their home and investments, and he was forced to file for bankruptcy. Things were really bad when Lisa’s employer died, and she had no home, no job, and no financial reserves.

For Lisa, however, failure was not an option. She may have been at the bottom of the hill, but she knew the only direction for her was up. The result was a lot of hard work and writing the book, “Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life.”

Lisa is now known internationally as a positive psychology coach and talk-radio host, but she’s not offering trite sayings and smiley-face icons. “It’s not enough just to think happy thoughts,” she says. “We must take action to create happiness.”

Working diligently, Lisa came up with a breakthrough system that helps others cultivate sustainable happiness and well-being despite the problems, drama, and challenges always present in life.

“Positive psychology focuses on what’s right with life here, now, and tomorrow, rather than ruminating on what’s wrong with it and what happened in the past,” Lisa says. Her goal is to transform post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth.

Her key points include accepting the past as a reference point, not a destination; embracing the truth that life is tough, but you can be happy; appreciating why less is often more; focusing on what’s right, not what’s wrong, and many other keys to opening the door to consistent happiness.