I received an e-mail recently with the title ‘The 20 best positions in bed.'

What’s the answer that automatically hits you in your belly?

Happiness is a choice. Self love, support and care are essential not add-ons or afterthoughts. As Socrates said 'the unexamined life is not worth living.'

How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? Do you jump out of bed, ready to seize the day or press the snooze button, turnover and try and delay that moment when your life begins again?

Ever feel you could be doing more, achieving more, living more?

'Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see' Confucius

Do you want to work smarter rather than harder?

'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' Benjamin Franklin

'I've always been a worrier.' 'I tend to over-think things' 'I'm too analytical' These are some of the statements clients often make at the start of a first session. The trouble is, worrying can get to be a habit, and every worrying thought has an effect on how we feel emotionally and physically. It affects our behaviour too.

25 years ago, following the birth of my second baby, I plunged into a depression that blind-sided me. I simply didn't see it coming. At first, I thought I was just overtired due to the demands of night-feeding and having two very small children. However, before long, I had changed from a capable young woman, to someone who could barely cope with the demands of day-to-day living.

Have you ever wondered why you feel more down in winter than summer? Have you noticed less energy, disrupted sleep or low mood as the days shorten and the nights draw in?

I ran a work shop recently about Aspergers and autistic spectrum disorder. I began with and over-view of the history of the diagnosis and recommended treatments. It certainly painted an unsettling picture, and one which illustrates my assertion that mental health is only now beginning to emerge from the dark ages.

Have you ever wondered how it is that some people are just more self assured than others? They are more 'grounded' and resilient when things go wrong. They just seem more comfortable in their own skins. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with how rich or successful they are. The ones with the top jobs, big houses and a wardrobe full of Jimmy Choo's are just as likely to be as insecure and anxious as their less well-off cousins.

Say what you see. It's the simplest thought experiment I know, and demonstrates an essential insight to help you change your mind and raise your personal bar to happiness. Have you ever felt 'stuck' in a situation, lifestyle or relationship? Perhaps the situation doesn't need to change. Perhaps you do?

Do you wish you had more confidence and self esteem? Are you successful on the outside, but harbouring a scary feeling that one day someone will find out you're not as good as you seem to be? Perhaps you need to change the story you are telling yourself about who you really are?

Do you suffer from back ache, shoulder pain or unexplained stiffness and soreness in your joints? If so, you may be experiencing some of the symptoms of the recently identified syndrome, 'sitting disease.'

Slow Life For Busy People