Ep.17. In this episode of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide, your hosts Paul Flower and Dr Gary Wood compare goals and New Year's resolutions and tell you how to set your goals for positive outcomes.  As usual, there are the usual tangents, anecdotes and colourful turns of phrase all in pursuit of the podcast's overarching goal 'to find the things that could actually make you happier'.

Based on Gary Wood's book 'Don't Wait For Your Ship to Come In . . . Swim Out to Meet It'. To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3wMc3Gh. And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3FnnQxT

Check out Gary's blog post: Survive New Year’s Resolutions and Thrive with Goals – A Survival Kit.

Support Happiness, A Sceptics Guide at BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic (to donate audio processing credits).

Ep. 16. Another bonus festive episode of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide with Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower. This time your hosts offer 'twelve' tips to survive and thrive over Christmas and the festive period, which would also help any time of the year. A festive survival tip is not just for Christmas! Not all of the tips might apply to you, your needs and your experience, so pick the ones you are able to apply to give yourself a seasonal boost and pass on the other tips. 

Warning: This podcast contains pantomime anecdotes and tongue twisters.

For more ideas and information, check out Gary's blog post: 10 Tips for How to Thrive Not Just Survive at Christmas.

To make a small seasonal donation to the production coffers, please visit  BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic.

#happiness #wellbeing #wellness #psychology #mindfulness #selfhelp #books #talkingcures #psychotherapy #counselling #christmas #SurvivingChristmas 

Ep,15. In this episode of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide, your hosts Paul Flower and Dr Gary Wood consider the question of how to make happiness insights stick.  This time we look at 'storytelling' and the way we tell our life stories, even on a day-to-day basis, help to shape how we view the world.

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

If you'd like to support the podcast, you might like to 'Buy Us a Coffee' or donate some audio processing credits to our account. 

#happiness #wellbeing #wellness #psychology #mindfulness #selfhelp #books #talkingcures #psychotherapy #counselling #storytelliing

Ep.14. In this bonus seasonal episode of Happiness, a Sceptics Guide, your hosts Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower look at Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and offer 12 tips to help you combat it, and indeed any bout of lowered mood whatever the season. 

None of the tips offered in this podcast is intended as a prescription but offered for information and entertainment purposes. Neither do the tips replace medical advice or psychological therapies, so if you experience persistent lowered mood or think you might be depressed then book a visit to your family medical doctor. 

If you'd like to support the podcast, you might like to 'Buy Us a Coffee' or donate some audio processing credits to our account. 

#happiness #wellbeing #wellness #psychology #mindfulness #selfhelp #books #talkingcures #psychotherapy #counselling #SAD #SeasonalAffectiveDisorder

Ep 13: The second in a series of review episodes of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide, in which your hosts take a pause to take stock of the story so far. In this bonus episode, Paul Flower and Dr Gary Wood look back on episodes 8 to 12 to recap on the takeaway points from 'Happiness and Mindfulness (08)'; 'Talking Cures for Unhappiness (09)'; 'Happiness and the Self-Help Industry (10)'; Happiness, Self-Help and Toxic Positivity (11); and 'How to Read a Self-Help Book (12)'. This episode concludes with 'what's coming up' but not before a few well-placed (and misplaced) anecdotes.

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge. See here for the UK, or here for the US.

If you'd like to support the podcast, you might like to 'Buy Us a Coffee' or donate some audio processing credits to our account. 

#happiness #wellbeing #wellness #psychology #mindfulness #selfhelp #books #talkingcures #psychotherapy #counselling

Ep.12. In the third part of the self-help trilogy, podcast hosts Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower look at practical tips on how to get the most out of a self-help book. The answer is to treat it like a personal development course. This episode of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide offers an 'active reading formula' to help you do just that. 

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

Support Happiness, A Sceptics Guide at BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic (to donate audio processing credits).

#selfhelp #personalsdevelopment #books #activereading #studyskills #lifehacks #happiness #sceptics #psychology #coaching

Ep.11  Part two of three looking at the self-help industry, your hosts Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower discuss whether self-help advice encourages toxic positivity. The episode also looks at the general theory of meritocracy, are we all equal and therefore all capable of getting the same results from our reading? Is there an over-emphasis on dramatic results? 

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

Support Happiness, A Sceptics Guide at BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic (to donate audio processing credits).

#selfhelp #personalgrowth #wellbeing #happiness #sceptics #ToxicPositivity #SelfHelpIndustry #SelfHelpBooks #meritocracy

Ep.10. In the first of a three-part look at the self-help industry, your hosts Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower discuss book therapy - or bibliotherapy if you prefer. Learn all the secrets of the self-help book formula and how to read the warning signs of what to avoid. And how to find a self-help book that's right for you.

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

Support Happiness, A Sceptics Guide at BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic (to donate audio processing credits).

#selfhelp #personalgrowth #wellbeing #happiness #sceptics

Ep.09. When we talk about happiness, inevitably, we must talk about unhappiness. In this episode of Happiness, a Sceptics Guide your hosts Paul Flower and psychologist Dr Gary Wood look at 'talking cures'. How do you know if you need help? Where do you find help, and which therapy works best? Is cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT), the panacea for all ills? This episode answers these questions and more.

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

Support Happiness, A Sceptics Guide at BuyMeACoffee or Auphonic (to donate audio processing credits).

#happiness #sceptics #psychotherapy #cbt #mbct #counselling #coaching #talkingcures #unhappiness #sadness #psychology #wellbeing

Ep08. In this episode of Happiness, A Sceptics Guide your hosts Dr Gary Wood and Paul Flower tackle the subject of mindfulness. What is it, and can it make us happier? What are the benefits of paying attention 'on purpose', in a non-judgemental way? Not always as easy as it sounds - even in a 20-minute podcast. Should mindfulness (and happiness) be about liberation from conditioning or adjustment to conditioning? 

Based on Gary's book 'The Psychology of Wellbeing' (published by Routledge). To read more about the book, for the UK go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd And for the US go to: https://amzn.to/3gmgukd

#happiness #mindfulness #adjustment #liberation #wellbeing #wellness #psychology #coaching #sceptics