The Happier Life Project

When we meditate, we practise developing patience every time we notice the mind has wandered and gently bring it back. In day eleven of the Month of Mindfulness Challenge, host Gabby offers two mindful patience exercises for you to try. The first is a simple practice called the Bell Exercise, designed to help build patience and prepare for high-frustration moments. The second is a longer session,...

Mindful walking combines the benefits of physical activity with the calming power of mindfulness, supporting both your mental and physical well-being. Instead of rushing from one place to another, a mindful walk encourages you to slow down, tune into your body, and appreciate your surroundings through the senses. Adding mindful walking into your week can help reduce the effects of stress, ease sym...

"Dropping Anchor" is a powerful grounding technique designed to help you stay steady in the midst of emotional turbulence. It can be used to manage difficult thoughts, feelings, memories, urges, and physical sensations more effectively. Rooted in ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), this practice is taught and narrated by Dr Russ Harris — therapist, trainer of health professionals, and author...

Water is involved in nearly everything our body does, yet we often take it for granted. Today’s practice is a simple mindful hydration exercise that combines the benefits of meditation and hydration into a single, easy action. It only takes a couple of minutes and can have a powerful impact on your mind and body. Some of the benefits of mindful hydration include: Calms and grounds your mental stat...

Scientists have found that practicing gratitude can offer powerful health benefits. It may make you happier, reduce anxiety, and boost your immune system. Research also shows it can increase optimism, relieve depression, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, and strengthen relationships. This short session guides you to reflect on what you appreciate in your life — the big things, the small things,...

Today’s practice is a simple mindful meditation to help you ease into your work day with clarity and calm. Written and narrated by Jade Langridge, the founder of Blossom Therapies, a holistic practice offering Counselling, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Intuitive Energy Healing, and Light Language, this session gently prepares your mind and body for the day ahead. Whether you’re heading into a busy office o...

Today’s mindfulness practice is all about tuning into your senses, bringing awareness to what you can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, along with any thoughts that arise. By gently guiding your attention through each sense, this meditation helps anchor you in the present moment and calm a busy mind. It’s a simple yet powerful way to reconnect with your body and surroundings. Let’s take a few mi...

Leaves on a stream is a powerful mindfulness technique used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you cope with difficult thoughts and feelings. It’s based on a practice called cognitive defusion, which helps create distance between you and your thoughts, as a way to reduce the power they have over us. In today’s exercise, you’ll visualise a gentle stream. As thoughts arise, simply no...

When anxiety creeps in, our bodies often brace without us even realizing it. In today’s practice, psychologist and founder of the Mindful Living Collective, Dr. Elisha Goldstein, shares a simple yet powerful anxiety hack to help you recognize tension, release it, and refocus your attention. To close the practice, Dr. Elisha will gently guide you through a minute of diaphragmatic breathing — helpin...

The more time we spend in mindful awareness; of our surroundings, body, or thoughts, the more we learn to simply observe without rushing to judge or critique. Today’s practice invites you to reflect on your day with openness and honesty, free from self-judgment. In this short guided meditation, you’ll be gently encouraged to notice what’s present without labelling it as good or bad — just allowing...

Join our Month of Mindfulness Challenge; 30 days of short daily practices to help you slow down, check in, and care for your mind. Sometimes we wake up and jump straight into the day without checking in with ourselves. Our minds rush ahead to what’s next or drift back to what’s already happened, rarely pausing to notice how we actually feel in the here and now. For Day One of the Month of Mindfuln...

This episode of The Happier Life Project explores the idea that living well might not come from doing more, achieving more, or constantly striving; but from embracing less. What if the key to a fulfilling life lies not in endless productivity, but in recognizing our limitations and finding peace in the life we already have? Bestselling author of ‘Four Thousand Weeks’ and ‘The Antidote’ Oliver Burk...

In today’s hyperconnected world, we’re constantly scrolling, checking notifications, and juggling multiple digital distractions. But what is the true cost to our mental health and overall wellbeing? In this episode of The Happier Life Project, host Gabby Sanderson is joined by Dr. Anastasia Dedyukhina, a leading global expert in digital wellbeing, two-time TEDx speaker, and bestselling author of H...

In honour of Stress Awareness Month, The Happier Life Project joins forces with The Motivation Mindset podcast for a special crossover episode—bringing together two powerful platforms to explore practical ways to manage stress, boost mental well-being, and reclaim your calm. Risa Williams, psychotherapist, time management coach, author, and host of the award-winning productivity podcast The Motiva...

Stress is a natural part of life — bills, work, relationships, health, and everything in between. A little pressure can actually be a good thing, helping us rise to challenges, stay motivated, and grow. But when it starts to feel constant, overwhelming, or like it's running the show? That’s when stress becomes a real threat to our mental and physical health. April is Stress Awareness Month, a time...

The Happier Life Project is your go-to podcast for exploring ideas that help you feel good and live better. In this episode, host Gabby Sanderson dives into the transformative world of visualisation and mental fitness, which are powerful tools for building resilience, focus, and emotional strength when faced with life’s challenges and striving toward your goals and dreams. Joining Gabby is Maya Ra...

Becoming a parent is often described as one of the most life-changing experiences, filled with love, excitement, and a whole new level of responsibility. But alongside the joy, many new mums experience emotional highs and lows, sometimes more intense than expected. It’s completely natural to feel a mix of emotions, but for some, those low moments don’t just come and go; they linger and deepen. Pos...

In this special episode of The Happier Life Project, host Gabby Sanderson switches roles to become the guest, sharing her personal two-year journey of egg freezing. Interviewed by fellow My Possible Self contributor Chlo Hodgkinson—a personal trainer, women's diet, fitness, and hormones coach and business owner—Gabby opens up about the physical, emotional, and financial toll of the process. From m...

Anxiety. It’s something we all experience at one point or another, but for some, it’s a constant companion, a heavy weight that can feel impossible to shake off. For many, anxiety becomes a familiar pattern of worrying thoughts, tightness in the chest, and an overwhelming sense of dread that lingers in the background of daily life. But what if everything we’ve been told about anxiety is only scrat...

Do you struggle with skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting, or other repetitive behaviors you just can’t seem to stop? These actions, known as Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs), go far beyond “bad habits” and can have deep emotional and psychological roots. But what causes them? And more importantly, how can they be managed? In this episode of The Happier Life Project, licensed therapist...

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe and often debilitating condition that affects millions of women worldwide. Unlike typical PMS, PMDD can trigger extreme mood swings, intense depression, anxiety, rage, and overwhelming physical symptoms, making daily life feel unbearable. Despite its profound impact, PMDD remains widely misunderstood, frequently misdiagnosed, and often dismissed b...

In this special episode of The Happier Life Project, the tables are turned as host Gabby Sanderson steps into the guest seat. Interviewed by psychotherapist, time management coach, and author Risa Williams (Get Stuff Done Without the Stress), Gabby shares her personal journey through the highs and lows of working in media and tech—where relentless hustle came at a steep cost. Together, they dive i...

Developmental trauma refers to the impact of early, repeated trauma and loss within a child’s most important relationships. This typically occurs in the earliest years of life. This kind of trauma isn’t always loud or obvious. It can be subtle; emotional neglect we don’t remember, an abandonment wound that lingers beneath the surface, or toxic stress that quietly eats away. All of this we carry in...

Confidence is a word we hear often, but what does it really mean—and why is it so elusive? Psychologists suggest that up to 50% of the traits linked to confidence may be inherited, but genes are just one piece of the puzzle. Cultural influences, childhood experiences, societal pressures, and even the impact of social media shape how we see ourselves and how much we trust in our abilities. Add to t...

We all experience negative thoughts—those persistent voices in our heads that seem to weigh us down. Research shows that over 80% of our thoughts are negative, and when we focus too much on them, they can lead to challenges like social anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. Whether these thoughts are true or not, we often believe them, allowing them to dominate our emotions and lives, l...