Dear Reader, When I started my journey as The Happyologist eight years ago, I had no idea what an amazing adventure it would be. That’s thanks to you. Your emails, your messages of support, and your participation in my coaching, workshops, talks, and e-courses have all been a real blessing on this journey. They have all been special in their own way and for that, I’m incredibly grateful. They will forever hold a special place in my heart. But today, the time has come to wrap it up. The time has come to retire as The Happyologist and move on to my new path as a philosopher, writer and poet. Lik ..read more

Balsam för själen. This Swedish phrase, translated to “conditioner for the soul“, or perhaps “food for the soul”, is what I and my two besties from university would often talk about. The three of us, one Swede, one Dane, and one Finn (me!), would sit at our favourite little cafe, Le Pain Quotidien on Marylebone High Street in London, and chat for hours whilst nibbling on our favourite treats. That in itself was the best possible food for the soul and I think of that time very fondly. As we in the Northern hemisphere are getting deeper into autumn, and as we all, globally, have got the uncertai ..read more

The other day, someone asked me to describe my perfect day. In fact, it was a question on a card that comes from the Conversation Toolkit produced by The School of Life. One of my soul sisters is particularly fond of the toolkit and likes to use it during group conversations. It’s quite fun and you do end up learning a lot about each other. So, without further ado, here is mine. My Perfect Day I wake up naturally just before dawn. As I open my eyes, I can see the sun slowly starting to make its way in. Still lying in bed, I hear our pup Bond snoring. I know the minute I step out of bed onto o ..read more

The season of letting go is officially here. September 22nd marked the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and also a monumental moment in my life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a happy one. The evening of September 22nd I said goodbye to one of my oldest, most loved friends: my horse Ollie. He got a bad, painful spell of colic and after a few hours with the vet and no sign of improvement, she said there wasn’t much we could do. I had prepared myself for this moment and I knew my top one priority was as little suffering as possible for him. So I let him go. I gave the vet permission to ..read more

Looking back on the first half of this year arises a mix match of emotions in many. Covid entered our lives early on, forcing us to adapt to a new daily norm which made our plans and goals difficult, if not impossible, to complete. Almost overnight, we had to learn to let go. Looking back on all this today, there were both pros and cons. Yes, we all had to let go of plans we could no longer fulfil. Maybe it was a special trip you could no longer take, an exciting work project that got cancelled, a fitness regime that flew out the window as the gyms locked up, or a competitive sports season tha ..read more

Who knew 2020 would be the year when you’d be missing your family and friends the most? Who knew that you’d even be banned from seeing them? To this day, I have to pinch myself to check if I am awake and not in some never-ending nightmare. I can confirm I am awake and it is all real. Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash COVID-driven lockdowns, travel bans, closed borders, and strong recommendations from medical professionals against seeing your elderly family members are all the current normal. Life as we know it is very different from what it used to be to many of us. Yet, I know the ..read more

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or lemon juice for a salad. Or mix them with oranges for a zesty fruit salad. Either way, you choose what to do with those lemons that come flying your way. Photo by Lauren Mancke on Unsplash That’s just it. One of the most certain things about life is the uncertainty in it. You will be dealt cards you weren’t expecting and you will face challenges you didn’t see coming. Life is full of surprises, both good and bad. It’s up to you to decide how to react to them. I was intensely reminded of this the past week as plenty of lemons came fly ..read more

It’s day I don’t know what of lockdown and, in all honesty, sanity has started to flow out of the window a bit. That’s why I’ve decided to look ahead and imagine what I’m most looking forward to when this is all over. After all, there are only so many house, garden, and cleaning projects you can do in a few months. Eventually, boredom and fatigue kick in. That’s ok. That’s when it’s time to take a break. To take a breather. To do something different or to do nothing at all. Frankly, doing nothing at all has been a struggle for me myself as I’ve really started to miss the things we aren’t righ ..read more

There is no time like today to put some spring in your step. I know the world is in a bit of a state and you might still be in lockdown or somehow restricted from doing the things you usually do. Still, the season of spring is upon us and it’s time to celebrate it. Photo by Kyaw Tun on Unsplash That’s why today’s post is short and sweet with six simple tips on how to put the spring in your step. I hope this inspires some joy and contentment in your week. 1. Immerse yourself in nature. This is the time of the year when nature starts to show off. All of a sudden bare trees turn in ..read more

The reality behind lockdown is mixed. Here is my take on it. Photo by Mish Vizesi on Unsplash 1. You have good days and bad days. Sometimes you feel like you’re on top of the world and that you can handle anything. On others, you feel like you can’t get your bum off the sofa yet you’re too restless to keep sitting on there. It’s ok. You’re human. Just lean into it and breathe. 2. You’re running out of house and garden projects to do. One day I gardened for six hours. Another day I cleaned the house for eight. Those are both records for me. I like a tidy garden and a clean house but I could hav ..read more