The Happier Life Project

Mind, Body Liberation with Michelle Hopewell

Many of us feel uncomfortable in our bodies and skin. A negative body image can cause us to struggle in many ways such as; with depressive and anxiety symptoms, increased risk of suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, Interpersonal problems, alcohol and drug use and abuse, reduced physical activity, loss of sex drive, stress, social isolation, decreased motivation to seek help, perfectionistic tendencies and repetitive negative thoughts. 
Body Liberation is freedom from all outside expectations of how your body should look. It is is the independence from social and political systems of oppression that determine certain bodies as more worthy, healthy and desirable than others. And whilst body liberation is the belief that all bodies are worthy and deserve to exist just as they are; its main mantra is, you are more than your body.
Michelle Hopewell is a body empowerment and menstrual wellness content creator and actress, who has done the work to reconnect with her body and come to a place of body neutrality. Eager to see as many people reconnected and in tune with their own bodies, Michelle shares her own experiences as well as information and tips on period health on her Instagram page and blog. 
Chatting to host Gabby, Michelle shares her journey from having a disassociated relationship with her body, to coming to a place of neutrality and accepting her body as it is.  Michelle and Gabby discuss the 'beauty standard' that puts immense pressure to look a certain way, and the lengths people will go to to try and achieve it. Michelle reveals how her journey into acting opened her eyes to how just how much body bias there is, and why she pushed back. Gabby and Michelle also look at how some women may still be, without realizing, conforming to the patriarchal 'male gaze'. 
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
To follow Michelle Hopewell on Instagram: @mybodyliberation
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcastTo follow My Possible Self on instagram: @mypossibleself

Ask The Expert: Moving Past What’s Holding You Back with Britt Frank

Britt Frank, LSCSW, SEP is a human behavior expert, licensed neuropsychotherapist and author of 'The Science of Stuck'. In The Happier Life Project's first Ask The Expert (a new monthly episode dedicated to answering listeners inquiry's on a certain topic), host Gabby puts your questions to Britt on how we can get unstuck from any area's in our life we might be struggling with.
Britt answers questions and gives advice on moving forward on in our career, relationships, dating, body hangups, negative thoughts... even screen addiction! If you have a question for our expert email podcast@mypossibleself.com or send us a dm or voice note on Instagram @mypossibleself
 
To find out more about Britt Frank and The Science of Stuck: https://www.scienceofstuck.com/To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcastTo follow My Possible Self on instagram: @mypossibleself
Plus, check out The Happier Life Project's episode 'How To Get Unstuck with Britt Frank' in season 1 of the podcast to learn more about the subject and advice on how to move forward.

The Secret to Young, Taut Skin without Botox or Fillers with Danielle Collins

Face yoga is a gentle form of strength training that targets working the 57 muscles in the head, shoulders and neck. Benefits include better circulation, stronger facial muscles, firmer skin and fewer fine lines and wrinkles. 
Face yoga exercises aim to tone and lift features, soften fine lines, and even reduce facial asymmetry… all the things we might spend a lot of money getting frequent cosmetic injections for. 
But whilst face yoga is a great tool in our face and skincare routine, it's also incredibly good for our wellbeing too.  It eases tension, helps soothe headaches, helps us to relax and feel less anxious and stressed. And by relaxing tensed muscles you find yourself in a calmer, happier state. Plus, by looking better, you will feel better too. Bonus!
Danielle Collins is the world leading Face Yoga expert, best selling author, a regular media contributor and has a huge social media following. With over 18 years experience, Danielle has helped millions of people look and feel the best version of themselves using natural techniques to lift the face and boost wellbeing. 
The Danielle Collins Face Yoga method consists of 5 key areas: face exercise, face relaxation, face massage, acupressure and wellbeing. In this episode of The Happier Life Project Danielle explains this further. She also discusses with host Gabby how face yoga really works, breaking down both the cosmetic and wellness benefits and sharing some of her favourite exercises to both relax, and smooth out the skin.  
You don’t need to be a yogi to practice and benefit from face yoga, and best of all, it’s completely free!
For all things The Face Yoga Expert: https://faceyogaexpert.com/
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To follow My Possible Self on instagram: @mypossibleself

Why Boundaries are Essential and How to Say No with Michelle Elman

The importance of setting boundaries and saying no, is crucial to good mental health and wellness. It’s all too easy to say yes to everything, neglecting your own needs, especially if you are a people pleaser, and sometimes it feels like the easier option in the moment. However, setting and maintaining healthy boundaries will help you conserve your emotional energy and will put you in a far better mental state. 
Michelle Elman, a five-board accredited life coach, author, broadcaster, public speaker and social media influencer has quickly established herself as the Queen of Boundaries. Michelle’s most recent book ‘How To Say No’ marks her debut as a children's author to which Cosmopolitan praised as one of the best books on mental health that everyone should read. It was due to the high demand from Michelle's adult book on boundaries ‘The Joy of Being Selfish’ that this manuscript even exists, highlighting that this is an area many struggle with. 
Michelle shares her thoughts with host Gabby, on why so many of us are bad at boundaries, and offers some first steps on how we can start to say no respectfully with kindness and confidence. Michelle also explains why self worth and self esteem are so important when it comes to boundary setting and her reasons why she believes that boundaries are the practice of self love.
For more on Michelle Elman, her books, social media accounts and to work with: https://www.michelleelman.com/
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcastTo follow My Possible Self on instagram: @mypossibleself

Day 30: Be More Mindful with Generosity

Generosity is turning away from self-centered actions and turning our time and attention to the needs of others.It does not have to be monetary, or material and can come in the form of simply giving someone your full undivided attention during a conversation, offering a smile to a stranger passing by, or helping someone with a task they are struggling with. 
Generosity is the last of the nine main attitudes of mindfulness, so what better way to close your month of mindfulness challenge than learning how we can implement more generosity into our lives, to make the world a better place to live in.  

Day 29: Cultivating Contentment

Contentment means to be happy with who you are, where you are, and what you have. We live in a world that continuously throws us curveballs and send us messages on why we shouldn’t be content. Mindfulness can help us cultivate a sense of inner well-being and self satisfaction, which allows us to feel content without needing validation from the outside world. Try this mindful exercise to aid you in focussing on what you have, rather than what you don't have.

Day 28: A Practice for Letting Go

The practice of mindfulness includes nine key pillars or attitudes, these are: non judging, gratitude, patience, a beginner's mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go, and generosity. The attitudes support each other and are deeply interconnected. Throughout the month of mindfulness challenge we have been making our way through these pillars and today we are practicing letting go.
When we talk about letting go, we're talking about releasing all the emotional baggage that weighs us down. Be it past regrets, unresolved issues, fears about the future, these burdens restrict us from living life to its fullest.
So there’s no time like the present to practice letting go of any stress, fears and negative emotions. Host Gabby will guide you through a meditation that uses visualization, breathwork, and relaxation techniques to help you let go.

Day 27: A Meditation for Focus and Productivity

This is a meditation for productivity and focus that will help you calm down, clear your mind and be more productive. Guided by mindfulness practitioner and founder of Mynd Andrew Swiney. 

Day 26: Mindfulness In Your Morning Routine

Start your day off in the best possible way by incorporating mindfulness into your morning routine. In today’s challenge host Gabby shares two short simple mindful exercises for the morning. If your day has already started then remember to do them the next day instead. 

Day 25: Practicing Acceptance

Acceptance means perceiving your experience and simply acknowledging it rather than judging it as good or bad. We all have a tendency to want to “become” something. We’re raised with the belief that we need to achieve something and become something or someone new. We need to make something of ourselves. These expectations might not be verbally stated, but they’re still there. They drive many of us to strive and struggle throughout our lives, always looking to the “next thing” that we’re going to achieve, buy, or become: the thing that will finally make us happy.In this mindfulness meditation, you’ll practice acknowledging where you stand, and accepting your current state for what it is.