Pauline Beaumont – therapist, author, mum of six and passionate baker – outlines the importance of slow, calming, mindful activities for nurturing our mental health. We talk about why balancing the frenetic, technology led parts of our lives with activities that allow us to find more presence, creativity and community is so important, why we need to celebrate life’s imperfections, what simple ingredients like flour and water can teach us about life and how emotional eating plays a role in our everyday. Pauline Beaumont, Bread Therapy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard professor, talks us through why we’re over simplifying exercise in the modern world; why ‘just do it’ doesn’t work and why exercise really does matter. We look at how it’s connected to our mental and physical health, from coronavirus to depression; whether there is an optimal form or duration of exercise; how we’ve evolved – the biological and anthropological foundations of movement and whether sitting is the new smoking? Book: Daniel Lieberman, ExercisedOur app:IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/deliciously-ella-app/id1445510165?mt=8Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deliciouslyella.delella See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tal Ben-Shahar created the most popular course in Harvard’s history, studying the science of happiness. He guides us through the universal pillars of happiness from the importance of learning and curiosity to our relationships, meaning and purpose, as well as the universal detractors from the downfall of technology to the gap in our expectations, the modern rat race and the misunderstanding of the connection between, wealth, success and happiness. Poem – The Guest House by RumiBook – Happier by Tal Ben-ShaharThe Happiness Studies Academy - https://www.happinessstudies.academy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our September back to school special is on how to de-stress and de-clutter your life, looking at how we can bring more joy, ease and efficiency into our every day. We talk to author of Life Skills Erin Zammett Ruddy about morning routines, skipping the snooze button, boosting our energy in three minutes, organising the house, creating a positive working from home environment, streamlining our overflowing inboxes, de-stressing in less than a minute, meditation, saying no and walking into a room with confidence with tips from wellness leaders like Arianna Huffington and Dr Oz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why should we be optimistic about the solutions to climate change? Why is positivity more likely to give us better results and what does the latest research show? We talk to Lily Cole about everything from rewilding to the power of technology, the role of food, the limits of the individual, eco-anxiety, conscious consumerism, green washing and how contradictory and imperfect many of the solutions are. Plus what Elon Musk thinks and how hard it was to follow Greta Thunberg’s advice. Lily Cole: Who Cares Wins See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spend about a third of our lives at work so finding joy, balance, purpose and structure is so important. Yet so many of us feel instead that our jobs are a daily grind that have a negative impact on our mental wellbeing, so today we’re asking Samantha Clarke how we can change that. From tips on working from home to the myth of the overnight success, finding inspiration, dealing with burn out, the over glamorisation of entrepreneurship and truly switching on and off at the start and the end of the day, we look at creating better relationships at work, reconciling work life balance and taking control of our everyday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We speak to Helen Lewis, author of Difficult Women, about feminist hero’s, the importance of embracing our imperfections and flaws, why we airbrush certain parts of stories, why we tear each other down and why women can’t always support women. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We talk a lot about the importance of sharing our worries and anxieties, but what can we do on a practical level to change negative cycles and to create consistent patterns that support our mental health. Physiatrist, Dr Sarah Vohra, talks irrational thoughts and beliefs, why we catastrophise, what causes negative thought patterns and sabotaging cycles, the role of our senses, why quick fixes don’t work and what’s the role of those around us. Dr Sarah Vohra, The Mind Medic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Body image concerns are prevalent, so the question is how do we proactively fight against that pressure and foster a body sense of self and in doing so create a positive body image. Should we just stop talking about body image altogether, how far reaching are the consequences of a negative view on ourselves, what role does social media play and how do we change it for our children? We explore all this and much more with body image researcher Nadia Craddock.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/play-episode/id1428704212?i=1000427670685 A starter list of recommendations:Social Media Accounts @car_uwe @nadia.craddock @phillippa.diedrichs @emily.l.matheson @honeykinny @beauty_redined @maxineali @yrfatfriend @munroebergdorf @scarrednotscared @antidietriotclub @bodyposipanda @bodyimage_therapist @chr1styharrison Books Shrill by Lindy West Body Positive Power by Meagan Crabbe Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings Hunger by Roxane Gay The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf Body Respect by Lindo Bacon (published as Linda Bacon) and Lucy Aphramor Podcasts Appearance Matters – the official podcast of the Centre for Appearance Research – with Nadia Craddock and Jade Parnell The Body Protest with Nadia Craddock and Honey Ross Food Psych with Christy Harrison RD See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We so often see perfectionism as a positive flaw but could it be having a detrimental impact on our mental health? We speak to LSE professor Dr Thomas Curran about the rise in perfectionism, the conflict of who we really are versus an idealistic view of ourselves, our increasing focus on meeting unrealistic expectations, the correlation to anxiety, how social media comes into it and how focusing on our self-esteem and purpose can counteract the concerning trends that we’re seeing.  Thomas’ Ted Talk:https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_curran_our_dangerous_obsession_with_perfectionism_is_getting_worse?language=en  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices