Psychotherapist John-Paul Davies explains what depression is, how it can feel, the self-help steps that help and why working with a therapist could open up a much-needed conversation

Every person reading this article will have some sort of relationship to the concept of depression. Whether that’s through lived experience, witnessing the depression of a friend or loved one or questioning if the tough time they are currently going through themselves, is in fact depression.

As Psychotherapist John-Paul Davies explains on Happiful’s podcast, while the initial route for diagnosing depression should be through a visit to your GP or a Psychiatrist, depression is a condition he encounters regularly in his practice. He’s eager to share how common it is and to underline the constant possibility for change and a different way of being.

“Depression is very understandable based on our physiology, our environments, the media and the type of world we live in. It’s a very human response to somebody’s early life, to current circumstances and grief,” John-Paul notes.

“There are most definitely ways we can move through it, albeit it's a gradual process, but never think that because of what’s happened in the past that you can’t change in the present. There’s always hope and things that we can do to help ourselves.”

So what is depression?

“I would say that as human beings, we're at our happiest when we're in the middle band of feelings, which you might describe as ‘calm and alive’,” John-Paul explains. “However, it’s not always possible for human beings to be in that place. If we go above that ‘calm and alive’ band we might be overly aroused, fearful or angry. If we fall below, then we can feel hopeless, helpless, apathetic and in despair. There can be a lack of physical movement that goes with that feeling too. And I think for me, depression is a situation where somebody has a tendency to fall below ‘calm and alive’.”

The impact of depression, he notes, can be far-reaching too. “Depression can have a profound adverse impact, unfortunately on all areas of life for people,” John-Paul shares. “But there can be a range of depressive experiences, some people experience it mildly while, for other people, it's something that's been around clinically quite severely for months or even years in their lives.”

What can you do to help yourself?

As well as seeking support from your GP, John

Sharing a review of Les Mills Pilates on LesMills+. If you’d like to try the platform -the workouts are AMAZING – use my link for 30 days free.

Hi hi! How are you? I hope you’re having a lovely morning so far. I have a couple of conference calls and am looking forward to a hot yoga class. I’d love to hear what you’re up to!

For today’s post, I wanted to share a review of the Les Mills Pilates classes on LesMills+ (formally Les Mills on Demand) because I’ve been loving them lately! It feels SO good to get in a traditional Pilates workout at home, especially since Reformer classes near me are $$$ and I don’t know of any nearby mat classes. I’m sharing my full review in this post and if you want to give it a try, my referral link gets you 30 days freeeee.

Les Mills Mat Pilates Review

Pilates was one of my first workout loves! I would do Mari Winsor DVDs – what a legend – and loved that the movements challenged me in a unique way, targeted core strength, and didn’t get me super sweaty. 😉 (Sometimes it’s nice to go about the rest of the day without needing to shower, or looking like a wet rat.)

I also fell in love with Pilates at our LA Fitness while I was in college; an older gentleman, who was a veteran, would lead us through a mat workout that would have my muscles begging for mercy.

Les Mills Pilates classes contain many of the classic Pilates elements that many of us know and love: the hundred, teasers, side leg series, swan, roll-up, etc. It felt good to do familiar movements, but with the Les Mills incredible cues, instruction, and music that I love so dearly.

Here’s how the class is structured:

1) Warm up, featuring movements like hundred, roll-down, baby swan

2) Hundred strength, including hundred, arm pump, leg circles

3) Abdominal series, with moves like double and single-leg stretch, criss-cross

4) Side leg series

5) Back series with swan, single-leg kick, swimming, back extensions

6) Strength/power with movements like the roll-up, teasers, can-can

7) Cooldown, with stretches like the saw, spine stretch, and forward fold

The mat Pilates classes are all around 35 minutes.

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White Chocolate Raspberry Blondie Recipe

I’m letting you in on a little secret for making a chewy, never dry, and always tender blondie recipe, and this one is loaded with raspberries and gooey white chocolate! 

The day we listed our home for sale I photographed our TO-DIE-FOR Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies and have not been able to stop dreaming about them ever since. Which made me wonder… if I’m in a hurry, could I make a blondies recipe instead?

Now, in the cookie recipe I really like to use straight butter so that it has that classic cookie texture and flavor, but in these blondies I’ve found a preference for the cream cheese addition as bars need more time to bake and tend to dry out a little more which the cream cheese totally solves that issue. That’s secret! Cream cheese!!

And this white chocolate blonde brownies situation has totally triggered my need to create the perfect classic blondies recipe again. I’ve searched for years and years but have always been so, so disappointed. Any tips or tricks that you all believe in for the perfect Blonde Brownies?

There’s something quite luscious about biting into a soft and chewy blonde brownie that has the perfect amount of raspberries dotted throughout and all with little nuggets of melty, dripping-from-your-lips-white-chocolate. But the real winner ended up being the addition of almond extract and the white chocolate drizzle. Do not skip either one or you’ll be lacking that little something in flavor and texture.

What Are Blondies?

A blondie (or a blonde brownie) is a rich, sweet bar cookie that is similar to a traditional chocolate brownie, but substitutes vanilla for the cocoa, and usually contains brown sugar. 

Ingredients for White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies

Here is your shopping list for these blonde brownies:

• Butter – unsalted and softened
• Brown Sugar – light
• White Sugar – regular granulated
• Cream Cheese – softened so it isn’t clumpy in the blondies
• Egg – gives structure to the bars
• Egg Yolk – add just a little extra richness and helps the bars be soft and chewy
• Vanilla – flavor
• Almond Extract – flavor
• Flour – all purpose
• Cornstarch – helps the blondies be crumbly but still tender
• Baking Powder – leavening agent
• Baking Soda – gives the blondies their rise and fluffiness
• Salt – cuts the sweetness enhances all the flavors
• White Chocolate Chips – we love Guittard or Ghiradelli brand chips
• Dehydrated Raspberries – it’s important that they are dehydrated or freeze dried raspberries, they add real raspberry flavor without adding any extra moisture 

Sweet berries and buttery cake are perfectly combined in this very easy six-ingredient Berry Cake recipe.

Berry Cake

If you’ve fallen in love with the Cranberry Christmas Cake and then been sad to find that cranberries are out of season the next time you want to make it, this cake is the answer to your cake-loving dreams.

The biggest comment I get when cranberry season ends is – I can’t find cranberries. Can I use blueberries? Will raspberries work? Can I make this cake with other berries? Lucky for you the answer to all of those questions is a resounding “YES”.

But in all seriousness, make a note and pick up extra bags of cranberries to freeze after Christmas. Sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find them marked down after a holiday, but either way, pick up as many as you think you’ll want and then grab a few more.

No special treatment or preparation is required when freezing cranberries. Just toss the bags into your freezer for safekeeping.

There is no other cake on this site that gets the rave reviews the Cranberry Christmas Cake does and I am giddy to tell you that this berry cake. It has already gotten some of the same raving reviews.

A friend who shall not be named 365 Days of Baking may have helped me consume a ridiculous amount of this cake when I made it again to photograph it a while back.

While I love making this to share with my family, friends, and neighbors. I can’t lie, sneaking a piece with some quiet time and a cup of coffee mid-morning is my absolute favorite thing.

The texture and crumb are just delightful The sugary crust is so buttery crisp. I could talk nonstop about this cake – it is that good!

One Pan Honey Turmeric Chicken with Asparagus and Zucchini

This One Pan honey turmeric chicken recipe is so simple, and it has saved me on those busy weeknights when I need to get something quickly on the table. And BONUS…it’s healthy too!

Awhile back I was in a total dinner rut. The stress of moving, not finding a house to buy, new city, new schools, not finding doctors, not knowing my way around etc. was taking its toll and I was feeling a bit tired. So I just simplified literally everything. Starting with meals. I needed more time sitting with my family and less time grocery shopping and cooking. This sheet pan recipe takes only 20 minutes!

I think we made this dinner once a week for over a month until I finally decided it should be on the blog. It’s totally adaptable with what veggies you use and could even be made into a Buddha bowl.

Ingredients for Honey Turmeric Chicken

You aren’t going to believe how simple this recipe is when it comes to the ingredients. This is why it has become a regular on our dinner rotation. I am all about quick and easy recipes these days! Here is what you will need:

For the Chicken

• Chicken Thighs: boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
• Flour: just all purpose flour, helps form a crust on the chicken when you cook it
• Turmeric: adds all the flavor and bold, beautiful color
• Salt: adds flavor
• Pepper: adds a little heat and great flavor, chicken always needs salt and pepper!
• Asparagus: wash the asparagus and snap off the root end, then cut them into 1″ pieces
• Zucchini: gently wash the zucchini and then slice it into 1/4-1/2″ disks
• Lemon: this is totally optional but can be added if you wanted the added burst of flavor

For the Sauce

• Water: base for the sauce
• Honey: adds natural sweetness and pairs so perfectly with the turmeric
• Black Pepper: adds flavor to the sauce and little bit of heat
• Salt: adds flavor and enhances the sweetness
• Rice Vinegar: adds a perfect tang to the sauce and can be substituted with lemon juice if you prefer

The recipe card at the end of the post contains the measurements of all the ingredients as well as instructions for how to make this recipe.

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric is a spice in the ginger family that originates in Southeast Asia and is one of the main ingredients in curry powder. It is a deep yellow-orange color that adds exotic flavor, nutrition and bold color to any meal. 

Where Do You Buy Turmeric?

Turmeric can be found at any grocery store on the spice aisle. They also have it at Costco. If you can’t find it by the spices for some reason, you can usually find it in the health supplement aisle.

What are the Health Benefits of Turmeric?

The main active ingredient in turmeric is a compound called curcumin which has proven benefits as an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and as an antioxidant and it also supports brain hea