‘Just mentally stopping and trying to figure out if I feel “present” sends me into panic mode’

So am I more grounded, happy and ‘loving’ of myself ? Not really. The activities that didn’t work – the morning pages, mindfulness and feedback activity – put me in a foul mood for the rest of those particular days. There was the not enjoying it in the first place, and then the follow-up misery of failure itself. ‘If a person is feeling down, what they invariably need is listening to, not pampering,’ says Perry. ‘These lists don’t take into account that what one person needs to do more of, another person will need to do less.’

This makes sense. I spent seven days trying to apply a blanket remedy to a set of specific problems that boiled down to ‘need to feel less tired’. So the activities that worked were ones that alleviated this the most. There is a rather twee graphic doing the rounds on Tumblr. It reads: ‘Treat yourself as you would a small child – eat well, sleep well, go outside, don’t be mean and allow yourself plenty of naps.’ Is this the real secret to happiness, I ask Perry? ‘Yes,’ she replies. Research backs this up, too – scientists from

Yale and UCLA found that doing altruistic deeds boosts people’s health and makes them feel better. Surely this is the real definition of ‘wellness’? So maybe kindness trumps pampering. Perhaps we should do more, rather than trying to ‘be’ more. Personally I’d much rather become involved with a charity than tell my reflection I love it ever again.