The Happier Life Project

Day 3: Anxiety Hack: Recognize, Release and Refocus

Psychologist and founder of the mindful living collective, Dr Elisha Goldstein, shares an anxiety hack when you notice you’re bracing to help you to recognize, release and refocus. Then for the last minute, Dr Elisha will guide into some Diaphragmatic Breathing.

Day 2: Practicing Non-Judgement

The more time you spend in mindful awareness of your surroundings, body, or mind, the more you can practice observing without judging. Try reviewing your day honestly and without judgment by following this simple guided meditation. 

Day 1: Grounding Breathing Exercise

Sometimes when we get up, we go straight ahead into the day without even noticing how we feel. Our mind is either already in the future anticipating forthcoming events, or in the past reliving something that has already happened. Day one's mindful activity is just to take a few minutes to sink into our body and prepare ourselves for the start of the challenge, via grounding and breathing. 

Introduction to the Month of Mindfulness Challenge

Mindfulness is the practice of gently focusing your awareness on the present moment over and over again, free from distraction or judgment. Studies suggest that focusing on the present can have a positive impact on our health and well-being, reducing stress, improving memory, focus and attention and decreasing emotional reactivity. Mindfulness-based treatments have also been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, there's even  evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep. 
 
Before we begin season 2 of The Happier Life Project podcast we invite you to take part in our month of mindfulness challenge. Every day we will release a new short audio clip with a different mindfulness practice with the invitation to do something good for your state of mind every day for 30 days. 

Best Takeaways from Season 1 with Gabby

To conclude season one of the Happier Life Project host Gabby looks back at some of her favourite most profound and helpful tips and takeaways from some of the guests. Concentrating on the subjects that most seem to really struggle with covering confidence, self love, childhood wounds, negative thoughts, imposter syndrome and a cluttered mind.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To follow My Possible Self on instagram: @mypossibleself
To follow Gabby on instagram: @radiogabby

Boost Your Low Mood with Kelly Watkins

Low mood is an emotional state characterized by sadness, anxiety & low self-esteem that anyone can suffer from. Symptoms of a general low mood may include feeling: sad, anxious or panicky, more tired than usual or being unable to sleep, angry or frustrated and low on confidence or self-esteem.
According to the nhs website. ‘Everyone feels low or down from time to time. It does not always mean something is wrong. Feeling low is common after distressing events or major life changes, but sometimes periods of low mood happen for no obvious reason. If you're still feeling down or no longer get pleasure from things for most of each day and this lasts for several weeks, you may be experiencing depression.’
Guest, Kelly Watkins is a qualified Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT, BABCP accredited) and a HCPC registered Forensic Psychologist. Kelly has over 13 years’ experience in the mental health field and has built up a successful private practice. Kelly wholeheartedly contributes to the movement of ending the stigma around mental health and making a positive difference in this world and has a large social presence which has led her to write and develop a range of e-books and mental wellness products.
Kelly explains the different types of triggers for low mood and suggests things we can do to prevent, catch or improve how we are feeling. Kelly also talks about what makes you prone to low mood and why it's helpful to monitor your feelings and mood. Host Gabby asks Kelly about how and why hormones impact mood, her thoughts on the 'mood boosting' supplements and for advice on managing others when they are responsible for dragging down your mood.
Kelly and Gabby also share some of their favourite mood boosters for a happier life.
For more on Kelly: www.kellywatkins.co.uk
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
 

Strong on the Inside and on the Outside with Renee McGregor

You don’t need to be a professional athlete to reap the benefits from fueling yourself correctly with food and movement. But with so many confusing mixed messages, diet plans and other people’s influences over how we should look, eat and show up in life, often we are left operating sub-optimally without even realizing it. 
Do you try to eat well to reduce the risk of chronic diseases? Or do you try to eat well to look a certain way? Do you look at other people who seem to be radiating health and happiness and think "why don’t I feel like that when I follow their ‘tips’ and suggestions?" Do you feel a prisoner to your own cravings? Is fatigue the bane of your existence? 
You might be under-fueling even if you are ‘doing all the things’, and not enjoying life as much as you should be because of deep rooted fear derived from outdated, inaccurate propaganda. 
Renee McGregor is a leading Sports and Eating disorder specialist dietitian with 20 years experience working in clinical and performance nutrition. Renee works with individuals, athletes of all levels and ages, coaches and sports science teams to provide nutritional strategies to enhance sport performance, manage eating disorders and overtraining. She is also author of ‘Training Food: Get the Fuel You Need to Achieve Your Goals Before During And After Exercise’, ‘Fast Fuel - Food For Triathlon Success’, ‘Orthorexia: When Healthy Eating Goes Bad’ and ‘More Fuel You: Understanding Your Body & how to Fuel Your Adventures’ with another book on the way. 
Renee passionately believes in only giving advice backed on science and sitting down with host Gabby busts some common nutritional myths, whilst sharing her deep disdain for the ‘move more, eat less’ mantra. Renee talks about the pressures athletes are put under and how that can lead to the development of an eating disorder. She also shares her concerns about some of the harmful messaging from the ‘wellness industry’ that are setting people up to fail and cause potential health problems. 
In this jam packed episode, Renee teaches Gabby about low energy availability, the importance of female hormone health and how food can impact. Plus she stresses why it’s never ok for girls to go without periods. In addition Renee reveals the foods that make her feel strong on the outside and on the inside and shares why it’s actually much healthier to go for a slice of cake than a protein bar. 
This episode of The Happier Life Project will make you question how you eat and rethink where your priorities line up on the scale from vanity reasons to health, happiness and longevity.  For all things Renee McGregor: https://reneemcgregor.com
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast

Steps For Managing Anger with Dr. Ryan Martin

We all feel angry at times and occasionally it can be a helpful emotion. But sometimes it can be difficult to manage and make our lives harder, especially when we too easily fall victim to our triggers. While anger is not considered a mental health issue, it can often be a symptom. And whether you’re the person who is angry, or you’re on the receiving end, it's not good for either party's mental and emotional health. 
Dr. Ryan Martin (aka the Anger Professor) researches and writes about healthy and unhealthy expressions of anger. His books, ‘How to Deal with Angry People: 10 Strategies for Facing Anger at Home, at Work and in the Street’ and ‘Why We Get Mad: How to Use Your Anger for Positive Change’, explore why people become angry, how people can use their anger in productive ways, and how to work effectively with angry people.
 
Talking to host Gabby, Ryan shares some strategies for both managing your own anger and what you can do to diffuse someone else's. Ryan also explains why at the root of road rage, the cause of the anger is usually something bigger than what has happened on the road. Plus, Ryan breaks down the signs to look out for if you, or someone you know, may need professional help for their anger. 
 
For more on Dr. Ryan and to take part in The Anger Project survey: http://alltheragescience.com/
To follow Dr. Ryan on social media: @angerprofessor on Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast

India, Yoga & Healing with Gabby and Friends

To mark International Yoga Day 2023, a global event celebrated to promote the practice of yoga and raise awareness about its numerous benefits, host Gabby takes you to India, the birthplace of yoga.
Listen to Gabby’s incredible journey which begins in Rishikesh, a city in India’s northern state of Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills, frequently referred to as the yoga capital of the world. As Gabby completes an intense month-long yoga teacher training course she speaks to some of her teachers and fellow students from the Jiva Yoga Academy about what makes yoga such a prolific physical, mental, and spiritual practice for your well-being.
Then Gabby is off to South Goa where after a rocky start, being scammed into what she thought was a yoga retreat, Gabby meets Julia Gavin a dedicated yoga teacher, and teacher of teachers, who splits her time between the north west of the UK and southern Goa. At the stunning Palm Trees Yoga Resort, Gabby and Julia discuss what makes India and yoga teacher training, such a life changing experience.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
To enquire about a retreat or yoga teacher training at the Palm Trees Yoga Resort, Goa: https://palmtreesyogaresort.com/
 

How Are You Dad? with Mark Williams

Fathers' mental health pre- and post-pregnancy has received little attention in comparison to mothers. As Prince William said himself of becoming a father, "It’s one of the most amazing moments of life, but it’s also one of the scariest." Dads – as well as mums – struggle during the perinatal period, but many fathers don’t get asked about their mental health during the antenatal and postnatal period. And when they were asked, many reports have said that up to 39% of new fathers wanted support for their mental health and one in five felt totally isolated in the first year of fatherhood.
In short, a lot of dads struggle in silence.
On the lead up to Father’s Day and International Fathers’ Mental Health Day, the Happier Life Project speaks to parental mental health speaker, author and international campaigner Mark Williams who founded International Fathers Mental Health Day and the #Howareyoudad campaign to make sure all parents are having support for the whole family.
Mark himself experienced paternal postpartum depression and suffered in silence for years until he entered community mental health services. Talking to host Gabby, Mark shares his research around fathers and their mental health, advising on the signs to look out for when dad’s may be struggling and squashing the myth that men don’t like to talk. Mark and Gabby also discuss how alpha mums might unintentionally leave a father feeling sidelined and the impact of what dad's witnessing a traumatic delivery can do to their mental health. Mark also explains why if we help support dad's too, we are helping the whole family unit.
To download the free My Possible Self App: https://mypossibleself.app.link/podcast
For Dad’s Who May be Struggling - Hub Of Hope: https://hubofhope.co.uk/