The Happy Me Project: The no-nonsense guide to self-development: Winner of the Health & Wellbeing Book Award 2022

Product Information

After growing up in Benton, Holly now lives in Coventry with her two daughters. Her upcoming book, The Happy Me Project, aims to help readers become more confident in themselves by offering solutions to everyday issues. Holly said: “Mental health is first and foremost a human right. It’s not a case of being happy all the time, but I think we have the right to be happy more than we’re not.” The perfect go-to if we ever catch ourselves at a low moment or in need of inspiration' - Jeff Brazier A no-nonsense guide to personal development, with real-life advice, for the skeptics of self-improvement.

Self-development used to be something confined to a very particular sect of society and it all seemed a little outlandish for a huge chunk of the population, but now it's time for self-development to stop trying to be fancy and start becoming the norm. That critical inner voice isn't fact, it's just fear and limits, let's chat about it and work through what's happening.I like to keep things actionable and simple when it comes to our happiness and self development but that doesn't mean there isn't action to be taken. The star gives credit to her Geordie roots for her passion towards lending others a hand. “I come from a family of working-class Geordies - union workers who stand up to people,” she says. “We’re just brought up to find ways to help people out.” Read More Related Articles This year’s theme for World Mental Health Awareness Day was “mental health is a human right.’’ I wrapped up the interview by asking Holly for her thoughts on this and how the theme resonates with her work. In the run-up to her show, I sat down and spoke with Holly about her work surrounding mental health, the challenges people of all ages are facing, and the steps we can take towards living a positive and more fulfilling life.

Boosting your self esteem and building your confidence is the kindness thing you can do for yourself and will take you closer to the life you want. Learn how to support yourself through difficult times and remind yourself that you are allowed to feel happy, you have permission to live a life that feels great and you don't have to stay where you are.Her relaxed and relatable style of coaching allows you to feel that you aren’t being judged, patronised or lectured and she believes that you should ‘ take what you need and leave what you don’t’. Holly's new book The Happy Me Project is described as 'the no-nonsense guide to self-development' (Image: Kayleigh Pope) With the economy, cost of living crisis, petrol and Ukraine and Iran all feeling like fearful and worrying topics right now, let's look at how on earth we can navigate it all and still feel happy. This was also part of a wider conversation around social anxiety in The Happy Me project membership and you can still get hold of that online workshop right now by joining the membership.

Try this self love, self esteem boosting guided meditation to help you build your confidence and live a life that feels great. Holly also advocated implementing a “Definitely Maybe” system, which involves writing down what changes have been made for definite (who you’ll be living with etc.) and changes that might happen (what someone will think of me etc.). “There’s a level of control in even just listing that down,” Holly said. My agent had jobs in the pipeline, I had a couple of films I was booked to do - and then he got diagnosed,” Holly recalls. “I phoned my agent and said: ‘Cancel everything. I’m doing nothing’.” The Happy Me Project Membership opened it’s doors in 2021 and has supported people from across the world in it’s inclusive community.Happiness is letting go of the pressure to be perfect and trying again when we drop the ball or make a mistake. We have a right to live a life that feels good to us”, she stressed, “and that is not going to look the same as everybody else’s.”

This book is set out really well - each section contains a short discussion and then some practical exercises for you to apply. The sections mean you can take what you need and leave what you don't in a really clear way, and makes this a book that you can return to when different things come up in life. Some topics were more applicable to me than others, but the book embraces that. As promised, it also doesn't shroud its advice in spirituality or inaccessible concepts - this is down to earth, accessible and inclusive no matter what your beliefs. Full Book Name: The Happy Me Project: The no-nonsense guide to self-development: Winner of the Health and Wellbeing Book Award 2022 After starring in the hit Newcastle-based BBC series from 1995 to 2003, Holly went on to appear in the likes of Waterloo Road, The Bill, Doctors and Casualty. Her star turn on TV was what first inspired her to turn towards self-help. She even applied her Byker Grove skills in her new venture. “As an actor, you’re learning about the character’s brain,” Holly says.In Holly’s words, it’s all about “recognising certain patterns we have in our brains, and the habits we have, and breaking the cycles of those habits down.” She gave a common example of “anchoring”, a technique that is all about invoking or anchoring a particular feeling to a specific situation. In the build-up to an upcoming talk, for instance, Holly may envisage the talk going really well, creating “a little button” between her finger and thumb to capture that feeling. The idea is that it “breaks the cycle” of the negative thoughts about the talk going badly and the anxiety that comes with that.’’ Holly’s relatable and raw approach to self development has her teaching people how to feel ‘more happy and less crappy’ in a way that reaches those that never thought ‘self development’ would be for them. In this episode I will share a story about where some of my own inner shame has come from and what I do now to silence that noise. Having conversations and social stuff in general can be extremely challenging for many people and in this episode I share how to hold a conversation and navigate the anxiety we feel when doing so. Holly shares her own stories of triumph over adversity. In 2017 Holly became a widowed mom of two girls when her husband Ross died from brain cancer. Before this, Holly worked as a television actress for years and experienced the emotional ups and downs that come with growing up in the public eye. By opening up about her own vulnerabilities, Holly hopes to give others the confidence to face their own bumps in the road, big or small.