Mental Health

We all know there’s a physical benefit of swimming, but have you ever stopped to think about the mental health benefits? According to Dr Happy from the happiness institute “Regular exercise is a potent stress-buster, and a powerful antidepressant. In addition, exercise is a magnificent mood enhancer, contributing to positive emotions such as happiness and satisfaction, pride and contentment. In this latest article for HIF, Dr. Happy shares 7 ways swimming can benefit your mental health.

Anyone can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after they experience or witness an event that threatens their life or safety, or others around them. Psychologist and Mental Health Expert Dr. Happy, from The Happiness Institute explains what it is and shares the most common signs and symptoms that can impact daily life for someone suffering with PTSD.

Does your child spend too much time playing video games?  If you’ve answered yes, don’t worry you’re not alone. According to Mental Health Expert and Psychologist Dr. Happy, “95% of parents admitted to being worried about the risks associated with online gaming and the amount of time their children spend playing”. In his latest article for HIF, Dr. Happy, shares his top tips on how to ensure your children develop appropriate and important skills around self-control, decision making and effective communication.

Regardless of the nature or even the severity, any injury has the potential to derail our smooth functioning. According to mental health expert and psychologist Dr. Happy “There’s no doubt that injuries can contribute to pain – both physical and emotional. But there’s also no doubt that how we interpret these injuries, or how we think about what they mean for us and our future.” In his latest article for HIF, Dr. Happy shares the importance of focusing on what you can do when injured, rather than what you can’t.

Alcohol affects people in different ways. According to Mental Health Expert and Psychologist Dr. Happy, “Although alcohol appears to have a positive impact initially, and it can be fun and cause an improvement in mood in the very short term, over the medium to longer term it affects brain chemistry; and not in a good way. Alcohol disrupts the balance of neurotransmitters which can cause depression, anxiety and even anger and irritability.” Learn more from Dr. Happy about the effects of alcohol on your body and your mental health.

When you get back from holidays almost instantly they seem like a distant memory and you’re back into your everyday life and post-holiday blues set in. We chatted with mental health expert Dr. Happy, about his top tips for overcoming post-holiday blues while also creating more happiness and a better life.

Does music boost productivity in the workplace? Well, the simple answer is yes. Psychologist and mental health expert, Dr. Happy explains “listening to music can increase the speed with which people complete tasks; and improve the quality of ideas people have.” In his latest article for HIF, Dr. Happy shares the benefits that music can have at work, while remembering that one person’s Mozart is another person’s Justin Bieber!

For many people, the festive season is a wonderful and happy time. For others, however, this time of year can actually be very difficult. The festive season can be a period that reinforces the extent to which people feel alone, or serves as a reminder of loss. For some it’s a very busy work period and no time for celebrations or even any rest. Whomever you are and where ever you fit there are several strategies that can help. In his latest article for HIF, mental health expert, Dr. Happy from The Happiness Institute shares five things you can do to have a (relatively) merry festive season.

It's great to have goals. Often, our goals are about changes we want to make in our lives - like eating right, getting fit, or doing better at work or school. The easy part is knowing what change you want to make, but the challenge is planning how to get there and sticking to it. With this in mind, mental health expert Dr. Happy, shares his simple strategy on how to achieve your goals by implementing positive changes.