does pleasure lead to happiness

Consider for a moment the difference between pleasure and happiness. Is the man in the picture above feeling pleasure or happiness? What’s the difference and does one always lead to the other?Last week I was working on the content for the upcoming “Love Yourself Slim” workshops and really trying to get across the idea that it is not about favouring one body type over another; ‘slim’ in this sense simply means ‘healthy’.  Do you love yourself healthy? And if not, take a moment to consider what is holding you back? Quite often we have negative conditioned beliefs from our past that lead us to believe we need something outside of ourselves to improve our lives.  Whether that is a big house, an expensive car or food that ‘comforts’ us, these material things actually bring us a lot more discomfort and stress than comfort and happiness.

Being healthy in body and healthy in mind is happiness.

Pleasure is something that is transient – indulging in chocolate, alcohol or drugs may bring a temporary sense of pleasure but ultimately such behaviour can lead to great unhappiness. How can we truly feel happy if we are not healthy?

One of the principal messages I want to convey in my work is that it is essential for us to focus on behaviour that is pleasurable but at the same time leads to our greater happiness.  Retraining our neural pathways to accept behaviour that truly and genuinely rewards us is crucial. For example, if an unwanted emotion arises, then rather than trying to escape from it by indulging in food, alcohol or shopping, we learn to take the courage to accept and sit with the emotion before choosing an alternative positive behaviour that really rewards us such as going for a walk, practising yoga or having a chat with a close friend or family member.

I would like to welcome all the new subscribers to the blog; I really appreciate you being here with us.  I would also like to thank my subscribers who have been with me since the beginning which is now nearly two years! It is truly wonderful to have your continued support. Please keep the feedback coming in – I really enjoy hearing that it has lifted your week. As always, please help this community to grow by encouraging friends and family to subscribe.

journey of kindness
If you would like to watch the show from last Monday when Elsa Jones and I appeared to chat about the forthcoming ‘Love Yourself Slim’ workshops, please click here and set the player to 17 mins 50 seconds.
journey of kindness
The ‘Love Yourself Slim’ workshops are ALMOST SOLD OUT!
To ensure you get a place please register here

Saturday 30th September & Saturday 7th October 9 am – 1 pm

Venue: UCD O’Brien Centre For Science, Stillorgan Rd, Belfield, Dublin 4

Elsa Jones & Fiona Brennan, two of Ireland’s leading weight-management experts collaborate for a
Two-day weight loss workshop and create
One Opportunity for you to take control of your emotional eating and develop healthy eating habits for life!
For full information on the content of the workshops – please click here.

TEDxTALLAGHT

Tickets are now on sale for my up-and-coming TEDxTalk on October 12th . If you are interested in attending please book asap as tickets sell fast.  You can buy tickets on  www.civictheatre.ie and also see a full list of the speakers on
http://www.tedxtallaght.com/2017-speakers
It promises to be an educational and entertaining evening.

Maintenance Program

Sustaining Positivity – The Positive Habit Maintenance Program is now in month three! You can sign up at any time. We are delighted to see so many people register for this invaluable tool.  It is incredibly affordable, has a minimum time investment and maximum benefit for your mental well-being. This program is suitable for you if you have already completed The Positive Habit and/or if you have already started a journey of self-discovery and would like a powerful tool to help you to live a full and happy life.

Included in your monthly subscription you will receive access to (on the 1st of each month):

  • A video explaining what the theme of the month is and how best to put it into practice
  • A new MP3 targeted at the theme of the month
  • New articles
  • Quizzes to monitor your progress

Month Three is entitled, ‘Your Inner Confidence’ in which I will guide you to be truly grateful for who you are and all that you have.

Due to the high demand for the upgrade version of The Positive Habit (with personal therapy) we have decided to reintroduce the online, self-help program (€99.95).
N.B. The upgrade version has been renamed The Positive Habit Plus & is only available to eight clients per month.