What would make you happy?

Author Lauren Kerr suggests this year may have provided time to consider these questions.

"Are you doing what you're doing because it is something that brings you fulfilment or are you doing it because you feel like it's what everyone else is doing or what social media is telling you to do or what society praises?" she asked.

Formerly of Albury, the life and mindset coach has brought together her psychology studies and experience in Life Above Zero, her first book.

After Kerr completed the first draft in "17 Wednesdays" two years ago, publication was delayed by the pandemic, which also ended a planned tour.

Instead a free Zoom launch will be held on Wednesday, September 30, at 6pm, with the link available on the Life Above Zero Facebook page.

COVID-19 also cancelled Kerr's honeymoon in Italy, although a French bulldog puppy bought as consolation has been a positive.

"If I've learned anything from 2020 it's that you've got to relinquish control, and trust," she said with a smile.

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The daughter of Cheryl and James King, Kerr attended Albury Public School and Albury High School before completing her psychology degree at Griffith University, Queensland.

Now based on the Gold Coast, she says Life Above Zero aims to give readers a chuckle as they recognise certain experiences.

"Sharing stories on moving away from a small town, starting your life in a new place," Kerr said.

"Navigating your way through that next chapter of life where you're building your career."

The title flips the clinical notion that help is only sought when a person is unwell.

"Why does something have to be wrong before you start investing in yourself and wanting to get support or surround yourself with different people and take action," she said.

"There's more to life than just getting back to the baseline of mediocrity, there's life above that, there's soaring, there's thriving, there's flourishing."

Rather than comparisons with everyone else, people needed to stay true to their values and being themselves.

"It's not about trying to have more," Kerr said.

"It's more about not settling, actually honouring your own formula, your values, your own recipe for happiness."

She agreed the rise of social media could amplify feelings of inadequacy with its constant stream of successful, happy images.

"I think it's playing havoc with our mental health, it's affecting the way that we think," Kerr said.

"It's affecting the way that we regulate our emotions and, I think, just people's understanding of what happiness really is.

"It's just as normal to be happy as it is to be sad.

"Because people aren't happy all the time, but that's all they're seeing, it then makes them feel like there's something wrong with them or there's something broken because they're only hearing one side of the story."