MY ANXIOUS ‘INNER EEYORE’ HAS GONE

AUTHOR and journalist Kirsty Robinson, 45, below, lives in South London with her husband Luke and two children. She followed Shawn’s ‘happiness habits’ for 21 days and was amazed at the result…

DESPITE being a pretty positive person, I often find something to worry about as my head hits the pillow on a Sunday night. I might mull about what the week ahead would bring, or about the world my kids are growing up in – even if there wasn’t a specific situation, or I couldn’t control the outcome.

Today, that has gone. These happiness habits quieten what I call your ‘inner Eeyore’ – after the eternally downbeat donkey in the Winnie The Pooh books. They stop you feeling sorry for yourself.

Starting each day counting my blessings and thinking about some of the simple things I’m grateful for immediately bolstered my mood.

The morning walk to school with my daughter Wilma became a chance to consider how fortunate I am to be doing just that with a little girl who wouldn’t be ten for ever. Before this, it was often just a mad dash while I stressed about the day. These ‘happiness habits’ transformed the way I responded to the ups and downs of life. Even when my mum was in hospital with pneumonia, I managed to stick with the ‘happiness schedule’.

By training my brain to notice the positives around me – such as the hardworking hospital staff – I shook off dark thoughts far faster. Saying thank you to a different person every day is even more powerful; if you can only squeeze in a single exercise one day, this should be the one.