A Year of Living Happily

Experience a year of discovering how to swap worry and anxiety for joy and contentment using this guidebook of weekly prompts and activities.

Happiness is sought by all – but what, really, is happiness? Sometimes our confusion over just what it is we are looking for can make it seem elusive. Here, Lois Blyth explains what happiness is – and what it is not – and shows how it is within everyone's reach.

She details the science of happiness, such as developing a happy brain, and its power to heal and even extend life. Then, she suggests simple activities for each week of the year that will help you reframe your view of the world. Some will lead you to self-reflection: look at what you're grateful for; increase your self-esteem and appreciate your uniqueness; become aware of your thoughts and language to note negative phrases and replace them with positive ones; tackle procrastination; and find happiness at work.

Others encourage you to give back to the world, including a ‘good deeds pledge’ and developing a greater empathy for those around you. Spend a week living in the moment and exploring the wonder of the world through all your senses, experience the healing power of colour or try incorporating more exercise into each day, no matter how small, as being active is a key way to improve mental wellbeing.

Taking on each activity for just a week at a time makes it seem much less challenging, but also, once you've spent seven days consciously doing something new or thinking in a different way, you'll find that week's activity starts to become a habit. Journal pages with friendly reminders follow each activity so that you can reflect on your experience and what you are discovering.

Through simple shifts in approach, you can choose to be happy and love life, laugh more and live longer. A Year of Living Happily provides a pathway to transforming your life through small, meaningful actions.