From a book that will reignite your creativity to an outdoor activity made for moments of reflection, try something new with our enriching suggestions

1. Page-turners

My Year In Small Drawings: Notice, Draw, Appreciate by Matilda Tristram

If you’re seeking a new creative outlet, this wonderfully visual diary is a fantastic place to start. From trees to objects in the window, get drawing little-by-little with Matilda Tristram’s sketching prompts, designed to help you find a moment of relaxation throughout the year.

(Out now, £10.99)

2. Out and about

Go for a gratitude walk

When life gets busy, it can be difficult to make time to recognise the things that make you happy, but going on a gratitude walk can be an effective solution. Use your daily walk to think about what you’re thankful for, or use prompts from a gratitude scavenger hunt to help you better understand yourself. For example, pick up something along the way that makes you thankful, or find one thing that you love to smell.

3. Act of kindness

Donate a letter

There’s no denying that one letter can make someone’s day – especially for those who are going through a difficult time and living with cancer. By donating a letter through the charity ‘From Me to You’, you’ll be helping someone feel less alone on their journey. So if you want to put pen to paper and spread a little bit of kindness, sign up today.

(Visit frommetoyouletters.co.uk)

4. Lend us your ears

‘Radio Lento’

‘Radio Lento’ is a must for anyone who enjoys listening to the sound of birds tweeting in the morning, crashing coastal waves, or falling rain. Bring the outside in and be transported to a moment of solitude with these un-edited soothing soundscapes from around the UK. What are you waiting for? And relax…

(Available on some podcast platforms)

5. Plugged-In

Dr Justin Puder

Dr Justin Puder is a therapist and psychologist who uses funny and informative TikTok videos to educate his viewers on mental health, in the hope of reducing the stigma and helping people along the way. Whether you want to learn more, or you just fancy a relatable chuckle, give him a follow!

(@amoderntherapist on TikTok)

Have affirmations and manifestation had a trendy new rebrand? Or is there something more to the new #LuckyGirlSyndrome trend taking over TikTok?

We’re constantly finding new ways to rebrand our habits, experiences, and ourselves. #LuckyGirlSyndrome has taken over as the latest trend, with over 396 million views, as of February 13 2023. In recent times we’ve seen buzzwords like quiet thriving, halo and horn syndrome, and even quiet quitting gain traction. But are these just shiny new words to describe everyday behaviours, habits and reactions? Or is there really something behind the latest trend that can help us to make meaningful changes in our lives?

What is lucky girl syndrome?

Lucky girl syndrome started taking off in popularity in early 2023. Hailed as a new way of manifesting your goals, in essence, it uses affirmations (positive statements that impact how we think and behave) to influence what our minds focus on and to refocus on positive self-talk over negative.

Find out more about what affirmations are and do they really work.

The goal is often centred around having everything work out the way that you’re hoping it will - whether that’s having career opportunities open up, monetary success, or just believing good things will happen to you. Assume success and positive outcomes, and things will start to work out.

Some believe there’s neuroscience behind how lucky girl syndrome works. As some experts have pointed out, lucky girl syndrome can be seen as a rebranding of positive affirmations – a tool known for helping shift our mindsets and achieve specific goals, but not something in and of itself that can act as a magic ‘insta-fix’ or ‘cure-all’.

Regularly practising positive affirmations can help us to trick our brains into thinking we are actually experiencing something. It’s why you might feel more excitement in the run-up and planning stages of a holiday than you do on the actual vacation itself. Or why if you’re really anxious about an interview, creating a mental image of it going well can trick parts of your brain into thinking it has actually had a positive experience. Doing this over and over can help you to avoid self-sabotaging thoughts, behaviours, or habits, helping open you up for success.

Many of us are longing for a more optimistic outlook on our careers, so we're saying ‘goodbye’ to quiet quitting and ‘hello’ to quiet thriving

Last year, we saw the term ‘quiet quitting’ floating around. This is the idea of doing the bare minimum and only engaging in your core responsibilities – no staying late or early starts. This quickly moved beyond the workplace to people’s day-to-day lives, including marriages and relationships.

While some people see the benefits to quiet quitting – having a better work/life balance, being in control, and less likely to burn out, to name a few – for many, rejecting the hustle culture mentality can actually have a negative impact on our mood. We can quickly become demotivated and experience a lack of enthusiasm toward our work or relationships.

What’s more, last year saw the period dubbed the ‘great resignation’, but what about those who can’t afford to quit? Whilst silently ‘getting by’ at work may seem like a good way to set boundaries and protect our mental health, in the long run, it can be damaging. So, how do we go about achieving an optimistic mentality at work, whilst still avoiding burnout? The answer: quiet thriving.

‘Quiet thriving’ is the new buzzword in town. It’s quiet quitting’s antithesis. This is the idea of actively changing the structure of your workday so that you begin to feel more engaged. Perhaps you’re stuck in a work rut – lacking the inspiration or creativity you need to be inquisitive and excited about your job. Quiet thriving is about reigniting this spark, without compromising your wellbeing.

If this sounds like something you need in your life right now, we’re sharing some tips to help get you off on the right foot.

Change your mindset

If you can make a conscious effort to try and reframe your negative thoughts and replace them with positives, you’re halfway there. We likely all have elements of our jobs that we dislike, and it can be easy to focus on these at the start of the workday. Instead, try to draw your attention to the aspects of your role that you enjoy - whether that’s being creative, writing, or meeting with your colleagues to come up with new ideas. By doing this, your work will start to feel more meaningful.

Set boundaries

Having a clear start and finish time and making sure you take regular breaks throughout the day will help keep you on track. During your working day, you can dedicate that time solely to that – work – but be strict about keeping this between the hours that you set (no checking emails late at night). This will not only allow you more time to spend with family and participate in your hobbies but will help keep burnout at bay.

Praise your achievements

Take note of the little wins as well as the big accomplishments. This will help boost your confidence at work. Writing a list is a great way to keep track of your successes so, if you’re ever feeling stuck, you have something to refer back to when you need a pick-me-up and a reminder of your capabilities.

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What's the deal with wellbeing retreats? Are these events worth the high cost? How can we recreate one at home?

Health and wellbeing retreats aren’t a new thing, but we’re certainly seeing more of these taking place, and they’re selling out fast. There are a variety of retreats available - from week-long retreats taking place in sunny climates, to weekend retreats in the English countryside. But why are these becoming so popular, and are they worth it? We speak to Maggie Paterson, co-founder of Sunsetbay Retreats in Tywyn, Wales.

Hi Maggie! Why do you think wellbeing retreats are becoming so popular?

People are looking for making some time for themselves to allow them to take a break from home life and/or work, especially if they are looking for a place to de-stress and relax for a while and work on their wellbeing.

A retreat gives guests an opportunity to be nurtured with healthy food and activities, it gives them time to switch off from daily life and have everything organised for them. It’s a place to recharge and start some healthier habits.

Retreats are popular for many reasons, they offer a place where anyone can travel alone and instantly have the company of like-minded people. They offer a space to recharge and relax, as well as opportunities to try out a whole host of healthy activities to clear the mind and move the body.

Can you explain the different types of retreats available?

There are a variety of retreats on the market, and they all have their benefits. Even a short, one-day retreat can help to make some significant changes and offer a short boost. Generally, the longer the retreat (for example, three to seven days) the deeper guests can go into discovering what they need to do to help make changes to their lifestyle.

At Sunsetbay Retreats, we find that three nights is perfect to fit into people's busy lives, but five or more days, if you can take that time, can have a huge impact and be life-changing.

What might be involved?

It will vary depending on the length of the retreat, the location, the time of year and the intention of the retreat itself. However, common activities include scenic walks, cold water dips, wild swimming, meals of nourishing, local and seasonal food, massages, paddleboarding, sound baths, meditation, and various yoga practices.

For those of us who can’t afford the cost right now, is there a way we can create our own wellness retreat at home?

Online workshops have become massive over the past few years, and there are many available to dip into, including online retreats (a mini course of sorts, which offers yoga practices and guided meditations for a small cost)! Youtube has some wonderful practices in yoga, Yoga Nidra, meditation etc. and there are a number of great apps available for all levels, styles and duration to fit into people’s lives and budgets.

It’s also worth looking into what’s going on in your local and surrounding area. Many yoga studios and teachers will host events and retreats throughout the year, for varying prices. You can also check out events, guided meditation workshops etc. taking place locally to you on Therapy Directory.

What is Yog

Nearly one in three of us take a break from our devices each day, while a quarter of us ensure we have a social media detox on a weekly basis. But how effective are social media detoxes, and do we really need them?

When was the last time you disconnected? We’re spending more and more of our time online, whether that’s browsing social media to catch up with friends, following our favourite influencers, or catching up on the latest shows being streamed. Many of us get our entertainment, news, and updates from those we love, all through a device. It’s no wonder that one 2021 survey revealed almost a third of us (31%) feel like we are ‘almost constantly’ online – and a whopping two-thirds of us (64%) feel that social media is having a mostly negative effect.  

Could taking a break from social media and having a digital detox be the answer we’ve been looking for? Or are there any pitfalls to switching off and disconnecting from our digital lives?

What is a digital detox?

From digital detox retreats to phone-silencing pouches, some of us are even switching off our smartwatches and fitness trackers to go back to analogue solutions to help us decrease our time spent online.

A ‘digital detox’ refers to taking a break from your devices for a set period of time. This could mean not using your smartphone, computer, laptop, tablet, or other smart devices to access social media. Taking a digital detox doesn’t just mean turning off TikTok or switching off Snapchat; it also can include decreasing how often you check your emails, play video games, send texts or other messages, and even catch up on the news using your devices.

As of January 2023, globally, we spend an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes using social media each day - around five times the recommended 30 minutes per day maximum that some researchers suggest could lead to significant improvements in our wellbeing.

What are the benefits of having a digital detox?

The benefits of taking a break from tech can vary from person to person depending on how much time you’re already spending on there, how you’re interacting with it, and how it makes you feel. Overall, decreasing your social media use can help you not only get more time back in your day but can help to decrease your likelihood of other negative experiences including:

• encountering cyberbullying
• experiencing fear of missing out (FOMO)
• feelings of isolation, anger, or upset
• comparing yourself to others

A growing body of research suggests that internet addiction may be a real worry - including