It looked like a set from the BBC series Line Of Duty with a blizzard of sticky notes stuck to every wall of the home office.
But Nik Bunney wasn’t trying to solve a crime; he was trying to solve himself. Now, more than five years on from that scene at his house in Essex, the City stockbroker-turned-author has used his research to write a book with a compelling message: taking control of your own mental health is as simple as ABC. “It’s ABCD to be accurate,” laughs the 41-year-old father-of-two. “Authenticity, balance, consistency and discipline.” ABCD: Finding Happiness Through Awareness, Values, Principles, And Actions is designed as a handbook for everyone who’s in the same place that Nik was – feeling overwhelmed, anxious and trapped.
Having decided to take stock and change his life, he set about reading everything he could about philosophy, self-help and therapy.
He soon realised similar themes emerged again and again when it came to mental wellbeing. “I’m just a bloke with a story people can relate to – but I am the happiest I’ve been in many years,” he says. “Hopefully this book can provide a framework to help others.” A is for Authenticity Time to assess what you’re in control of and let go of the rest. “Really, all we have control over are our own thoughts and actions.