Wednesday saw the biggest names in the world of wellness gather at Knightsbridge's Pavilion Club to celebrate the launch of HELLO! Happiness.
In a room fragranced with Neom's Scent to Destress, Roxie Nafousi, Anna Mathur, Dr. Tara Swart, Tiwalola Ogunlesi and Poppy Delbridge gathered to enlighten our guests on all things happiness, from their secret hacks for a more optimistic life to how they stay upbeat in the face of adversity.
Read on for the best things we learnt from our esteemed panel…
1. Tapping is seriously energising
Poppy Delbridge began the morning with a tapping session, designed to help us focus our minds and leave us feeling energised – and the atmosphere in the room was electric by the time she wrapped up the five minutes of tapping.
READ: I cleared my 'incurable' brain fog and eased my anxiety in 10 minutes – here's how
We began by saying how we felt first of all, with tense and stressed at the top of the list, before Poppy led us through a session of tapping our faces while repeating positive affirmations.
By the end, the room was left buzzing with excitement, with the mood clearly lifted from the short session.
2. Jealousy isn't a bad thing
Roxie Nafousi, author of two best-selling books on manifesting, explained that we needn't fear or avoid the feelings of jealousy, and instead, we should turn the feeling of envy into inspiration.
So, instead of feeling jealous of your neighbour's extension, your colleague's promotion or your friend's new bag, use the envy to inspire you to work towards what they have.
NEED TO KNOW: How to be happy: 21 expert-approved tips to become your most optimistic self
3. Gratitude is essential for happiness
Many of us find ourselves moaning daily about everything from train delays to the weather, to traffic jams, but psychotherapist Anna Mathur explains that reframing these negative thoughts can turn our whole day around.
MORE FROM ANNA: The 90-second ritual that wakes me up more than coffee
She shared that when she is annoyed about having to do yet another load of washing for her family, she thinks how grateful she is for her children and husband, remembering lots of people wish for what she has – revealing she often finds herself in tears of joy after feeling thoughts of gratitude.
4. We're rushing – way too much!
Anna also explained that rushing all the time can prevent us from being happy. While we might feel we're being productive when we rush around, running around our house doing chores before flying out the front door, it impedes our happiness by making our bodies think we're in danger.
By slowing down, we tell our nervous system that we're safe, which can put us in an altogether happier place.
READ: Orthosomnia is on the rise – what are the symptoms and how do you cure it?
5. We're not priortising ourselves enough
Anna shared that she often checks in with how much time her clients are spending on themselves and is horrified to find that they often say they're practicing self-care by aiming to drink more water, sleep better and make time to have dinner more often – all things Anna says should be a given, not considered as self-care.
"When did we stop doing these crucial things, and start thinking they were treats?" she questioned, before adding that to feel happy these things should be the bare minimum we aim for.
Visit our happiness hub for more inspiration on how to be happier, and stand by for our next panel event…