The Happier Life Project

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. 

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. 

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 anxiet...

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://myp...

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...

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 tr...

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 a...

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...

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 peri...

Every June is Pride Month where the world celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or questioning (LGBTQ) community. And although since the 1969 Stonewall Riots, huge progress has been made, we must not ignore the stats. LGBTQ adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition, and transgender individuals are nearly four times...

When someone you love is struggling with addiction, it doesn’t just impact that person. It impacts the whole friends and family network. Your life becomes filled with worry, stress, frustration and anticipation, which can chip away at your physical, mental and emotional health. Strained relationships, financial difficulties, and increased risk of abuse are only the tip of the iceberg as your life...

Your body's "biological clock," or 24-hour cycle (circadian rhythm) can be disrupted by a number of factors from too much technology time, not getting enough natural light, working night shifts, a partner who snores, jetlag, children, external sound distractions… the list goes on. Interrupted, or not long enough sleep, can cause a negative impact on our health, happiness and wellbeing; with varyin...

When we look at a female’s reproductive health (the health of an individual's reproductive system during all stages of their life), there is a lot going on! And while we have made great progress in openly discussing topics that have historically been conducted in hushed tones, or not spoken about at all, there is still a lot of confusion and embarrassment around certain areas. Good sexual and repr...

Surveys from around the world find that males everywhere are reluctant to talk about their mental health. Could the dangerous effects of toxic masculinity, the way men are culturally trained and socially pressured to behave, be the main underlying reason why?  In a world heavily influenced by the projections of film, the media and social media, what does it mean to be ‘a real man’? And if you don’...

Grief and Loss affects nearly all people at some point in their life. Not only do we have to go through it, we have to experience loved ones go through it too. The pain and suffering can be excruciating and highly traumatic. And we can grieve in different ways, presenting a variety of symptoms and emotions including: shock and numbness, overwhelming sadness (with lots of crying), tiredness or exha...

We see it on TV, in movies, read about it in books, listen to it in songs… the kind of friendships that stand the test of time, weather all of life's challenges and have each other’s back to the bitter end. But in reality not everyone is lucky enough to have a 'bff' or a circle of close friends, especially as we get older. According to mind.org.uk research suggests that loneliness is associated wi...

How do you cope mentally with ‘being on a diet’? Especially when most diets fail most of the time? “Chronic dieters consistently report guilt and self-blame, irritability, anxiety and depression, difficulty concentrating and fatigue. Their self-esteem is decreased by continuous feelings of failure related to ‘messing my diet up again’, leading to feelings of lack of control over one’s food choices...

Sleep, or lack of, disturbs the whole family. Parents that are struggling to get, or keep, their child asleep can feel confused, stressed and exhausted … which inevitably the child picks up on. And for children, the effects of sleep deprivation can lead to lifelong problems. Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memo...

An Anxiety Disorder is one of, if not the, biggest mental health problem in the world. Every human has feelings of anxiety during their life. But when our anxiety gets hyperactive, this anxiety can turn into a disorder and make it a lot more difficult to get through the day.  Leading anxiety expert Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT, is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in Anxiety, OCD (a...

According to the school of life.com “Many of us spend a large part of our lives, in one way or another, feeling stuck - that is in a state where a strong desire to move forward on an issue meets with an equally strong compulsion to stay fixed where one is.” Whether that’s in our career, relationships, friendships, family, ambitions, struggles, addictions, we hit a wall and can’t see past it. Feeli...

Have you ever wondered what a yoga retreat is like? Maybe it’s something you’ve always quite fancied but haven’t got round to? Perhaps you’re curious, but with so many to choose from unsure where to start? Or if you’re new to yoga, you might find yourself a little intimidated even though you think it sounds fun!? In this episode of The Happier Life Project we are peeling back the curtain and takin...

Astrology is one of the branches of science that helps a person to go inwards and evaluate the life they are leading. Via the influence from the stars and planets, Astrology guides you in a positive direction by helping you to understand and recognize your moods, temperament, emotions and even lifestyle preferences, according to your birth chart. Your birth chart is a map of the sky documenting wh...

To mark 2023’s International Women’s Day, host Gabby chats to Rhonda Vetere, globally recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Tech, and according to Forbes, 'a role model for business owners everywhere'. Whether Rhonda is spearheading corporate initiatives around the world, competing in another IRONMAN 70.3 mile triathlon, or in her philanthropy work mentoring students & athletes around th...

This Self Love Therapy conversation is in session! To conclude The Happier Life Project’s trilogy of podcasts exploring self love and how we can take practical, compassionate steps to treat ourselves more kindly, accept ourselves fully and put our health and happiness in higher regard, self love therapist Tasha Bailey joins host Gabby. Tasha is a qualified & accredited psychotherapist (UKCP) and a...

Self Love by name, Self Love by nature. Liv is a social media influencer and content creator with over 200,000 followers who educates her audience on all things mental health, self-care, body positivity and acceptance. So for episode 2 of our self love mini series, The Happier Life Project could think of no better guest! Why have we dedicated 3 episodes to studying self love? Because when the My P...