Explore the wellbeing power of pups, and find out which breeds might best suit your lifestyle. It’s time to start barking up the right tree

Friendship has long been considered a tonic for our mental wellbeing, and research from The Kennel Club, the UK’s largest organisation dedicated to dogs, shows that canine companionship in particular can positively impact how owners feel, and improve their wellbeing.

The survey revealed that 95% of owners find that their dog improves their mental health and wellbeing generally, with two in five owners crediting their dog with easing feelings of loneliness. It is no coincidence that over the past couple of years, during periods of lockdowns and social isolation, many people struggled with loneliness, and thus the UK saw an unprecedented rise in dog ownership.

Dogs help throughout our lives, from teaching responsibility to younger children to developing compassion among teens, and helping adults find or maintain a purpose and structure in their lives. One can never underestimate the power of a dog in getting their owner out for their daily walkies! And who can forget their ability to remind us of the power of unconditional love, often when we need it most.

No matter what the breed, age, size, or shape, it’s clear dog owners unite in agreement on the benefits of having a furry friend in their lives. However, for those ready for dog ownership, and seeking a breed particularly renowned for their loveable, friendly, and supportive nature, The Kennel Club has shared some suggestions to help find the therapeutic four-legged friend you might be looking for. Of course, an individual dog’s behaviour will be dependent on training, socialisation, and personality, but the following can serve as a useful guide to help you find your own canine companion.

Golden Retriever

These dogs have a big heart. Perfect for families, they are known for their friendly nature, and their confidence can be infectious. They are intelligent, which often means they pick up on their owners’ emotions, and tend to enjoy training, too. They are large in size, so love a long walk, which can benefit you both by getting you out in the fresh air and reaping the benefits of being in nature!

Labrador Retriever

The loveable Labrador has long been a family favourite – their happy and playful nature makes them a wonderful companion. Their historic background as a fishing dog makes them highly trainable and intelligent, meaning they can make wonderful assistance and therapy dogs, too.

Maltese

A small but smart dog, the Maltese is a great choice for anyone in a smaller living space, and perhaps not as able to go on the long walks required by larger breeds. Their loveable nature and sweet characteristics make them a welcome companion to have around the home and by your side. Their long and soft coat requires lots of grooming, which many can find to be a calming and therapeutic task.

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Long thought to only occur in children, more and more adults are now realising that their daily mental health issues could also be down to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

When Kat Brown, a freelance journalist, was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) almost two years ago, at the age of 38, she was finally able to find the right treatment after years of battling depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Like so many of her generation, she had no information about disorders like ADHD, and had relied on food and alcohol as coping mechanisms for most of her life. “It was interesting looking back and going, ‘Oh, well that makes sense,’ and matching things up,” she says.

For a disorder once thought to only occur in children, data shows that diagnoses of adult ADHD are growing four times faster than among children in the US.

Coming to terms with your diagnosis

With information from experts and personal experiences now readily available, more adults are realising that their daily struggles can be explained by a missed diagnosis of ADHD.

Adults without proper diagnoses are often given non-specific medications and therapies, which have a minimal impact on ADHD symptoms.

In gathering material for this article, a tweet was sent out asking for people who had been diagnosed as adults to talk about their experiences. Within 24 hours, there were more than 200 people ready to tell their stories. A common feeling reported following diagnosis, was relief.

One of these people was John-Michael Aurednik, from West Virginia, who says his diagnosis allowed him to make sense of many things in his life. “Getting diagnosed puts into context every single ‘trivial’ struggle that this disorder contributes to,” he explained.

Understanding your ADHD

Developing an awareness of how your ADHD affects your life is essential in finding the right treatment, and improving your wellbeing.

Stephen V Faraone, professor of neuroscience at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, explains how studies have shown that adults with ADHD frequently struggle to be insightful about their symptoms. Hearing the perspective of those close to you can be beneficial in understanding your symptoms from an outside perspective.

Kat Brown began “taking charge” of her mental health, and researching how to look after herself after her diagnosis, which allowed her to figure out what her life was going to look like moving forward.

Allow yourself to grieve what could’ve been

It’s no surprise that those who were diagnosed as adults felt that their life would have been different if they had received an earlier diagnosis. Nevertheless, half of the respondents said that their diagnosis allowed them to offload feelings of guilt and shame as they understood how their ADHD had influenced their experiences.

But the truth is that only 120,000 out of the estimated 1.5 million adults in the UK who have ADHD have received a

Keeping your spending in check over the holidays can be challenging. Even when we know we can’t afford to overspend, the thought of letting friends, family and loved ones down can urge us to go beyond our means. We share 25 ways you can manage your finances in the run-up to the holidays and avoid a Christmas debt hangover

The holidays should feel magical, shouldn’t they? Spending time with loved ones, watching nostalgic films, playing board games, giving meaningful gifts, and sharing comforting foods. Yet, in the UK, over a quarter of us feel stressed about the festive season. As the holidays draw nearer, nearly half (46%) find even thinking about what Christmas presents to buy is stressful, 45% find the costs to be worrying, and 42% find the general financial impact of Christmas to be stressful.

Around three in 10 of us will overspend during the Christmas period. While that’s down from previous years when up to 43% would spend beyond their means, we still spend around 29% more each December than we do any other month.

It’s estimated that a third of us will borrow money to pay for Christmas. That’s 16.9 million people, feeling the pressure to put gifts, food, and even increased bills around heating, holiday lights, and travel to see family on credit cards, using our overdrafts, or taking out a loan.

But why do so many of us feel the pressure to spend, spend, spend during the run-up to the holidays? And for those already struggling, how do we avoid going into further debt during the most expensive months of the year?

Why do we overspend at Christmas/during the holidays?

Many of us have fond childhood memories of past holidays spent with family, friends and loved ones. Whether that’s remembering picking out the perfect tree together, eating your favourite home-cooked meal with extended family, or that feeling of surprise and gratitude at being given that one special gift you didn’t even know you wanted.

As Counselling Directory member and counsellor Dahlian Kirby explains, our underlying idea that Christmas should be a special time we spend together with our families could be getting overshadowed by our own high expectations.

“The main problem for many people around Christmas is unrealistic expectations. The expectations create pressure to be what you think you should be. This can cause tension and frustration in itself. There is also the possibility that we see Christmas as the time that will rescue us from the boring, the familiar, and even from depression.

“It can lift our mood, as can tasty food and baubles and visits from people we love. However, Christmas won’t cure any issues or problems.”

Our anxiety around being ‘good enough’ and creating the ‘perfect’ celebration can also lead to overspending, Read more

Inspired by our exclusive interview with Joe Sugg, nature's our greatest influence – teaching us about the value of the moment, and gradual growth

Dear Happiful readers,

What is it that Ferris Bueller says? “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

It’s funny to think this classic pop culture reference could really be advocating mindfulness (along with taking a much-needed ‘day off’). And while we wouldn’t encourage you to mimic all the exploits of the protagonist, giving yourself permission to have fun, take a break, and savour the moment are certainly traits worth embracing.

In this issue, we’re encouraging you to take a leaf out of Ferris’s book. We’re calling for a respite from the relentless noise of the world, asking you to press pause, and revel in the journey, the experience, and not just the destination.

The patience of nature really epitomises this. Not only is the wilderness a place to marvel at and treasure the present, but it serves a valuable lesson. We might not be able to see growth before our eyes as it’s happening, but day by day, change is there. And in a week, or a month, progress can be unrecognisable!

Our special edition cover star Joe Sugg is certainly on board with this. In our exclusive interview, Joe opens up about the value of taking your time – how we’re so often in a rush, we don’t appreciate the advances we’re making. That, in particular, with our wellness, there’s no quick-fix. It’s about devoting the ongoing time, energy, and care to yourself over the long-term that matters.

So, with that in mind, we’ve peppered this edition with a wealth of features to support gradual growth, and living for the moment – from setting ourselves free by joining the anti-perfectionist movement, to rediscovering our silly sides, and the power of adult play. Plus, our print-exclusive journaling pages are all about taking inspiration from nature to support our personal growth.

Let’s move away from a life at full-speed, and instead try a change of pace. Take a step into the unknown, and let you heart roam.

Your wildest imagination is a wonderful place to be.

Rebecca Thair
Editor

Our mission
We firmly believe there should be no financial barriers to mental health and wellbeing information and support for those in need. That's why we work hard to offer a completely free digital magazine, ensuring anyone in need has

As winter draws closer, you might be wondering how you can best support local wildlife. While, in the UK, only hedgehogs, bats, and dormice are officially known to hibernate, many other species rest up and hide away to conserve energy – and there are numerous ways you can help!

Hedgehogs

These little creatures are perhaps the most likely hibernators to be found hanging around a British garden, so the best advice is to be cautious when tidying any potential hibernation spots near your house from late autumn.

If you have a compost pile, or are considering creating one, this is a particular favourite sleeping spot of hedgehogs, so you’ll be helping already! Just be careful when aerating or adding to your pile. Or, if you’re looking for other proactive ways to help, you could buy a specially-designed ‘hedgehog house’, or build a makeshift one from piles of discarded logs and leaves.

Tip:

Leave out tinned dog or cat food to help any travelling hogs build fat reserves. While it used to be common, it’s best not to leave milk out, as this can cause digestive problems for them.

Bats

Bats typically hibernate in groups, in quiet, cool areas – about 75% in trees in the UK, while the remainder might choose to roost under the eaves of buildings, or find their way into crevices in old brickwork.

The best thing you can do to help bats is simply not disturb them. Waking a hibernating creature can cost it a lot of its energy reserves, and, according to the Bat Conservation Trust, could lead to starvation for bats, as they lose their fats stores. But if you want more proactive suggestions, you could put up a bat box in a sheltered spot, roughly 4m above the ground.

Tip:

Invite more nocturnal flying insects into your garden, as food sources for bats, by planting night-scented flowers such as white jasmine, honeysuckle, and evening primrose.

Dormice

While they spend the summer months primarily in hedgerows or tree branches, in the winter these small mammals descend to the ground to nest in piles of logs or in grass clumps at the base of trees.

Leaving out food supplies can be helpful for when dormice do wake up, including berries, buds, and, in particular, hazelnuts, which are a great source of fat for them. If you have, or can plant, hazel trees, these are ideal habitats for dormice – and given their dwindling numbers, any help we can give to create mini sanctuaries for these mammals could be a huge bonus.

Tip:

Allow brambles and ivy to grow a little more wild where you can, as this can offer another good shelter option for visiting dormice.

Frogs

Amphibians often rest at the bottom of ponds over the winter months, so it’s best to clean them out before winter arrives. This gives frogs a clean and healthy environment, and helps prevent gas building up from decomposing materials below the surface if ice forms. If freezing conditions do occur, remember not to ‘smash’ the ice, as th