I’m sure you’ve just read the headline to this post, so let me be clear … happiness is great! Real and meaningful happiness provides many benefits; it’s not just feeling good but happiness is associated with better health and wellbeing, better quality relationships, improved performance in many life domains and even greater longevity. But it’s not all about happiness. No one is and no one should expect to be happy all the time. As the saying goes … it’s OK not to be OK all the time.  So called negative or unpleasant emotions are normal parts of being human in a sometimes messy and complic ..read more

I recently had a realisation, or truth be told a re-realisation (because I’ve been aware of this before), that … life is short and you only get one shot at it!  I know this sounds obvious, possibly cliched, but I also know it’s so easy to forget, to get caught up in life’s stressors and the problems of the world and to lose sight of what’s really important. And what is really important?  Well, obviously that’s up to you; and that will differ for different people. But if you do all you can to clarify your values and priorities AND THEN TO live a life consistent with your values and pr ..read more

As noted in the headline, it’s that time again! As I do from time to time, I’m happy to share today some articles of interest from around the web / world. With topics varying from happiness to health, wellbeing to philosophy and even depression, I hope you find something of value in the following … although my area of expertise is psychology, and positive psychology, I’ve always had a very strong interest in philosophy, which has always had much to say about life and happiness. So, if you do too, check out this article titled “4 philosophers on how to live a happy life” … HERE Although this b ..read more

There are certain things that are inevitable and unavoidable. And yet in some instances, we still pretend they’re not going to happen or avoid thinking about them until then smack us in the face. One of these is … death.  There’s no need for me to go into details, but for a variety or reasons, I’ve been thinking a bit about death of late. And interestingly, it hasn’t been an entirely negative experience. Don’t get me wrong, the death of a loved one will always be distressing. Grief and sadness and normal and appropriate responses to significant losses. But at the same time, as hinted at a ..read more

Around the world at the moment there is war, but also peace. There are people trying to drag us backwards and others fighting for progress. There is deterioration and improvement. There is danger but also many places of safety. In my life at the moment there are worries and challenges, but also great and wondrous things about which I feel grateful and excited. I have people who I feel care little for my needs but thankfully, many others who are caring and supportive. In the last 48 hours I’ve experienced sadness and grief and anxiety and worry but also joy and contentment and excitement and ho ..read more

It’s been a while, but today I thought I’d return to what was a semi-regular practice, of posting and sharing a number of interesting articles related to happiness and wellbeing, living a good life and coping with a difficult life. Every day and every week I come across numerous posts, many of them worth reading and thinking about, but I know most people don’t have as much time for this as I do so here’s a summary with just a few highlights … many years ago now, Corey Keyes coined the terms flourishing and languishing and in the decades since, has become one of the most important but least re ..read more

Today’s post is a quick and simple one. Although as always, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to apply! But in short … we are NOT the world around us. The world around us will always be filled with problems and challenges, with stressors and worries.  We DO NOT NEED TO BE these stressors and worries! At the moment, for example, I have several very real reasons to feel anxious and concerned; and this is just in my personal life, not even taking into account the larger, global problems. But that doesn’t mean I have to BE anxious and concerned. I am trying to acknowledge and accept all that is, bu ..read more

I’m sure you’ve heard about the benefits of living in the present moment. Different versions of present living, approaches to meditation and mindfulness, have been advocated, with good reason, for many years / decades now. And in contrast to many other approaches promoted within the wellness space, there’s good research to support it with links found between mindfulness and being present AND happiness, health and other positive benefits. That being said, it’s important to also note that there are benefits to reflecting on the past AND thinking about the future. If we reflect on the past, in a ..read more

A few weeks ago I published a post on Instagram, asking a question about happiness and wellbeing strategies and what obstacles existed, which elicited quite a few responses and somewhat surprisingly, one of the more common was along the lines of … cost! It seems quite a few people feel that they can’t enjoy or create more happiness for themselves because … it’s too expensive to do so!  Although I’m fully aware of the cost of living pressures many are under, I found this slightly disappointing because most of the strategies I frequently recommend can be accessed for free, or very little, a ..read more

A ..read more