HOW TO DO IT

Take time at different points in the day to identify moments when you beat yourself up. Make a conscious effort to go from brutal criticism to constructive feedback.

Note down things to celebrate in any way you want. Gervais recommends the Three Good Things app, which reminds you to notice remarkable stuff every day.

Before you start your day, think about tasks or encounters that cause you anxiety and visualise the best possible outcome. Even better: visualise how you’ll recover from a fumble, since optimists see adversity as non-permanent.

It might sound odd to plan to be spontaneous, but the more you practise, the more effortless it becomes. Sign up for that 5K!

Hassett suggests mentally “freeze-framing” your happiest moments – success at work, sprinting the last yards of a race – and taking stock of what you enjoyed about them. This will imprint them in your mind.