Happy: Finding Joy in Every Day and Letting Go of Perfect

When we forget to make sure we are doing okay, we can’t then give our best to the people we care about.

Save the big chats and honest words for people who you know have you in their hearts full-time.

while I concentrated on not falling over or farting.

I would call mine ‘the black pit’. This is what it feels like: being in a dark hole unable to pull yourself out of it.

Love... you thrilling, spine tingling, intoxicating, life-changing, awakening feeling. I'm ready for you, always!

Finding other methods to deal with what I feared in life, and how I perceivedmy own story, was now my new mission. First, I looked around at my life and worked out what needed to go. I had built up beliefs about myself, about others around me and about how the world worked that weren’t conducive to a healthy mental state long-term. This needed to change.

Strive for the authentic you: Learn from the past, steer away from negativity and be fearless.

The present: Breathe it in and see what it has to offer. Enjoy its clarity, space and calm.

Dream as you will but know happiness starts here, not there.

Enjoy the memories but don't let them rule you.

We can slow down our own experience and savour what life has to offer if we just sit in the now a little more often. In the present, our minds are clearer and not crammed tight with past and future anxieties.

If the future is a scary prospect to you then even more reason anchoring yourself in the present moment will be positive for you. If thinking ahead makes you feel as if a vast expanse of life lies in front of you without a plot, try sitting in the now. Let the fear dissipate and leave room for other emotions and energy.

Most of us have moments, no matter how big or tiny, that affect us greatly in life. It's inevitable that we will all make mistakes and experience things we wish we hadn't. These good and bad memories will always live and breathe in our minds but it's how much we let them affect our everyday lives that is important. Do we let these thoughts and stories define us? Or can we see them for what they are: moments. Slices of time that occurred, had a directional purpose in our lives, then moved and changed into a new moment.

Dipping into a previous slice of your life is a joy, and is harmless as long as you remember that the version of you then is no better or worse than the one now.

Look around you. Try to be patient. Make space for the good stuff.

Listen to your gut. Understand your needs and breaking points and be aware of them.

Don't compare your wants or your time with other people's. Do what you want to do and make peace with FOMO.

Don't panic. If you feel unhappy. Let it come and go. Remember: all this too shall pass.

If you slip into the blue or indeed the black, don't keep it in. Find someone you trust - friend or professional - and tell them about it.

I don’t think we are designed to know and cope with what is happening all over the world all the time.

But if we are to find real and lasting happiness in our lives we need to abandon our obsession with hunting the highs and resisting the lows and discover the hidden secrets of the ‘calm’.

Rather than just sitting happy in the NOW and knowing I’m okay, I can lean more towards worrying about mistakes I’ve made in the past and things I could have done differently.