February: unless you’re a lover of romance and over-priced greetings cards, there’s not much in the way of celebration this month.

It’s bitterly cold, it’s dark, the festivities of Christmas are long over, the excitement of a brand new year has abated and we’re edging once more towards that biscuit tin.

According to experts, there are a number of effective ways to cheer ourselves up this winter without eating inordinate amounts of sugary treats.

Zoë Copsey, head of nutrition at Lomax Bespoke Fitness, Nutrition and Wellbeing, believes diet is the key to happiness in winter.  ‘Serotonin is commonly known as the happy hormone,’ she said. ‘It is produced to control our mood, emotions and sleep and, with the right foods and nutrients, you can help with the production of it’.

Serotonin is created from an amino acid known as acid L-tryptophan, which cannot be produced by the body. This means it needs to be absorbed from external sources, i.e. the food we eat. Ms Copsey recommends eating lots of shellfish, milk, egg, poultry and yoghurt to boost the production of serotonin.

Experts believe that another important component determining happiness levels is a hormone called oxytocin. Oxytocin is associated with social bonding, calmness and happiness. It is released when mothers give birth to their babies, and also when humans interact with their pets.

Stroking an animal you feel close to can, according to a study, help reduce blood pressure and heart rate in humans.

Oxytocin is also the chemical released during orgasm, which can boost the feeling of attachment to a sexual partner and make you feel happier.

There are many scientifically-proven ways to boost your mood, from exercising, to sitting in the sun, to eating the right foods. If you know how you want to change your life, a life coach can help you to achieve and maintain these goals.

To find out more about how life coaching could improve certain aspects of your life this winter, please visit Life Coaching Areas and browse our selection of information pages.

View and comment on the original Metro article.

Though being treated like you are one of the gang by your partner’s friends may seem like a recipe for success, actually getting on ‘too’ well with your other half’s buddies may spell trouble in paradise.

According to research conducted by Cornell University, older men who socialise with their partners are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

A romantic partner becoming too involved with a man and his friends is known in the scientific world as ‘partner betweeness’, a phenomenon which was experienced by 25 per cent of the men surveyed for the study in question.

Head researchers Benjamin Cornwell and Edward Laumann have said that this state actually undermines the male feelings of autonomy and privacy that are essential and central to feelings of masculinity.

The pair went on to say that men who do not spend enough time in the company of their own friends can begin to feel less attracted to their partners, and that wives should encourage their husbands to spend more time with their friends.

‘The key issue is whether it reduces his contact with his friends while it increases hers – for example she alters his social schedule to the point that his contact with his friends increasingly occurs in the context of couple’s dinners.” Said Cornwall.

Laumen added: ‘He needs to have someone to talk to about the things that matter to him – whether its football, politics, what car he is going to buy or worries about his health or his job.’

If you are experiencing problems in your relationship then yourself and your partner may benefit from relationship coaching. Please visit our fact-sheet to find out more, or alternatively use the search tool located on the homepage to locate a qualified professional in your local area.

View and comment on the original Daily Mail article.

Researchers from the University of Bedfordshire have found that couples who work similar jobs find it more difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The researchers examined the lives of more than 600 individuals, around half of whom had partners who worked within the same sector.

The study participants were asked about their working hours, boundaries between their home and work life, and how often one sphere had an impact on the other.

Interestingly the results showed that individuals who had a ‘work-link’ with their partner tended to work longer hours and had more difficulty balancing work commitments with their social life in comparison to couples working in totally different sectors.

According to Professor Gail Kinman who led the study, more and more couples are now sharing similar occupations – a trend which is becoming increasingly common in the education sector.

Though the results of the study revealed that sharing a similar occupation could be beneficial for enhancing a mutual understanding of working conditions, it was also found that these couples need more support in setting boundaries between their work and home.

‘The findings suggest that doing similar work to your partner means that work issues are more likely to “spill over” into home life and threaten work-life balance.” She said.

If you are struggling to find a balance between your working life and personal life then consulting a life coach could be beneficial. Find out more by visiting our work-life balance page.
View and comment on the original Daily Mail article.

Though Christmas is a time for happiness and cheer, unfortunately alcohol means that tis the season for red faces after we embarrass ourselves in front of friends and colleagues after a few too many.

If you have decided you want to avoid the yearly office party embarrassment or you just don’t fancy a throbbing head or a stomach that’s doing so many turns it could churn butter, then read on for some useful tips on the do’s and don’t of Christmas drinking:

1. Don’t drink on an empty stomach

This is the cardinal rule if you wish to avoid a hangover. Food helps to moderate the absorption of alcohol and also reduces the chances of any stomach irritation.

2. Choose your drinks wisely

According to the brains behind alcohol, congeners – which are impurities produced by the fermentation process are a contributing factor in the severity of a hangover.

Dark spirits such as red wine and brandy contain a higher level of congeners than clear spirits such as vodka and gin, so are preferential if you wish to avoid feeling terrible the day after. The same goes for any alcohols that have been distilled, as they will have been purified to a greater extent meaning lower congener levels.

3. Don’t mix your drinks

Mixing up different drinks with different congener levels and impurities could result in a worse hangover than if you stick to the same tipple all night.

4. Drink water

Alcohol dehydrates the body so stock up before hand so that you will be less dehydrated at the end. Ideally you should also alternate between water and alcohol throughout the night, which not only keeps you hydrated but also means you may end up drinking less alcohol.

It is really important that you know your limits when drinking alcohol, especially when in a working professional environment. If you are concerned about your behaviour when you are under the influence of alcohol then the most sensible option is not to drink at all.

View and comment on the original All About You article.

We’re all guilty of wondering how ‘he’ managed to snag ‘her’, the modelesque beauty hand in hand with the plump, 5ft something ‘beast’.

According to a new study published in the Psychological Science journal, some unattractive men get by purely on the unfettered belief that they are far more attractive than they  really are, making them more likely to approach beautiful women.

Forget protein shakes, forget hair transplant surgery, forget that secret tub of Nivea – the key to dating a beautiful woman is simply unbridled arrogance.

The results come from a study of 96 male and 103 female undergraduate students given 3 minutes to talk to each of 5 members of the opposite sex.

Before the experiment started, they were asked to rate all 5 ‘dates’ on their attractiveness. After the dates, they were asked to rank how attracted they thought their dates were to them.

The researchers concluded that: ‘Essentially, men who rated themselves high on attractiveness were more likely to overperceive women’s interest. The more attractive they actually were to women, however, the more likely they were to underperceive.”

The results also revealed how women tended to underestimate how attracted men are to them. The researchers have speculated as to whether this could be an innate mechanism designed to deflect unwanted sexual interest and appear more choosy in order to single out the best potential mate.

So if you are an attractive woman wondering why the tall dark and handsome men never approach you, it could be because they don’t feel worthy enough!

Of course, physical attraction is subjective and should never determine one’s feelings of worthiness or confidence. As this study demonstrates – your confidence depends more on how you feel than how you look.

If you are feeling particularly unconfident or unable to approach the opposite sex, you may benefit from speaking with a life coach. A life coach can help you build on your qualities and help you to see your worth and merit in order to fulfill your potential. To find out more about how a life coach might be able to help, take a look at our Confidence/Self-Belief section.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article here.  

An Italian study has found that individuals are more likely to catch on to the contagious effect of yawning in response to a close relative than they are to a friend or an acquaintance.

The action of yawning has long since been known to stimulate blood flow around the brain, a response which is now thought to be a natural way of maintaining alertness within a group situation.

The study in question found that the contagious effect was most likely between directly related family members, slightly less likely between friends, and even less likely still between acquaintances and strangers.

The researchers said: “Our results demonstrate that yawn contagion is primarily driven by the emotional closeness between individuals and not by other variables, such as gender and nationality.”

The findings have been further cemented by results from additional studies involving children with autism. Children with autism are generally less able to express empathy than other children – and were found to be less likely to pick up on the contagious effect of yawning than other children.

Experimental psychologist Dr Catriona Morrison from the University of Leeds has said that this subconscious response could shed light on the evolution of the human brain.

View and comment on the original BBC News article.

Earlier this month a top London oncologist became so paranoid that her husband was having an affair that she hired a detective agency to place a GPS tracking device underneath his car.

Unfortunately, the device had been positioned rather clumsily and its flashing red light rather embarrassingly and inconveniently sparked a bomb scare which saw the whole of Sutton high street being cordoned off.

The husband in question wasn’t having an affair after all, but it seems his paranoid wife is not alone in thinking her husband might have been playing away from home.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, a firm selling tracking devices has seen a huge increase in the sales, mainly to suspicious wives.

The cost of hiring a private detective varies but can cost around £500 for one-man surveillance for a day, with back up from the office doubling the cost.

Just from doing a quick internet search you can see just how many services such as these now exist, most of which operate within the law as obviously bugging your own home or tracking a car on which you are insured is legitimate, as is taking photographs and videos in public areas.

According to FollowUS, a company specialising in DIY trackers, eight in ten callers wishing to buy equipment for personal use are women.  “You would think that we would sell hi-tech equipment mainly to men but in fact 80 per cent sold for personal use are to ladies. We have a couple of calls a day from women and maybe one a week from men,” said a FollowUs spokesperson.

If you are concerned about your partner’s fidelity then ideally your first steps should be to discuss matters through with your partner, or to seek help from a professional such as a couples counsellor or relationship coach. For further information about relationship coaching and how it could help you, please visit our fact-sheet to find out more.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article.

Social networking site Facebook causes 1 in 5 online divorces, according to a recent claim by divorce lawyers.

With a staggering 800 million users logging into Facebook on a regular basis across the globe (equal to the population of the whole world only 250 years ago), you have to wonder what everyone’s really getting up to.

The site allows users to stay in touch with friends, find old ones and search for new ones. According to Mark Keenan, Managing Director of Divorce-Online, some users are getting very friendly indeed, with more and more people using the site to conduct extramarital affairs.

With adultery only a click away, having an inappropriate sexual chat with a stranger can be as easy as ordering a book from Amazon.

20% of online divorce petitions have cited unreasonable behaviour on Facebook as a cause for divorce. This disconcertingly high percentage could only be the tip of the iceberg, with many more illicit cyber relationships continuing unchecked.

Computer firms have cashed in on the rise in Facebook affairs. Now suspicious spouses can keep track of their partner’s Facebook habits by buying spy software to record all of their online activities.

One DIY detective, a 35-year-old conference organiser called Emma, only realised her husband was divorcing her when he updated his status to: ‘Neil Brady has ended is marriage to Emma Brady’.

Another woman, 28-year-old Amy, split from her partner David after discovering that he was ‘sleeping with’ an escort in the virtual life game ‘Second Life’.

Mr Keenan has predicted a soar in divorce rates over the next few years, with a combination of stress from the recession, and the easy accessibility of potential partners on Facebook.

If you or your partner is having an affair, you may wish to consult a life coach to discuss your next steps. To find a life coach working near you, please visit our homepage and use the search tool. 

View and comment on the original Telegraph article.

According to scientists, those of us who have a positive, happy outlook to life have a lower risk of premature death.

The research, which was conducted by scientists from the University College of London studied almost 4,000 people between the ages of 52 – 79. The results of the study showed that those with higher contentment levels stood a 35% reduced risk of premature death than those with a less sunny disposition.

Professor Andrew Steptoe who was lead researcher on the study has said that these findings provide good reasoning as to why positive well-being should be promoted as a remedy for stress.

This is also not the first study to suggest that a ‘glass-half-full’ approach’ to life could be beneficial, with scientists also revealing in the past that positive moods can reduce the production of stress hormones as well as helping to strengthen the immune system.

During the past few years, positive psychology has seen a significant increase in popularity, with therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy being made available to NHS patients in a bid to reduce the cost of depression and anxiety to the UK economy.

Many individuals find that dissatisfaction with their personal life, relationship or job role result in a downtrodden everyday approach to life. A life coach is a person who can help you to address areas of your life in which you see room for improvement, and will help you to set attainable goals so you are able to move forward with a more positive outlook.

If you would like to find out about the areas in which a life coach may be able to help you, please visit our life coaching areas page to find out more.

View and comment on the original Daily Mail article.

Now, 72 days later, the curvaceous celebrity has filed for divorce due to ‘irreconcilable differences’.

Every moment of the couple’s romance has been televised and watched by millions, including the moment the giant sportsman proposed with a 20.5 carat-ring, by spelling out ‘Will you marry me?’ in rose petals.

The black and white themed wedding set in Santa Barbara, California, was split between a 2-part special aired on US TV and attended by the likes of Eva Longoria, Lindsey Lohan and Avril Lavigne.

Kim said: “I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision, I hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don’t work out”.

Fortunately, the couple signed a prenuptial agreement before the marriage, and 31-year old Kardashian has asked that both sides pay their own legal costs.

This is the model’s second failed marriage, the first being with music producer Damon Thomas in 2003.

There are now speculations that the marriage was in fact a lucrative publicity stunt, with both parties raking in a value of £200k a week from the partnership.

If you are currently going through a divorce or separation, you may wish to consult a life coach in order to help you to consider your next steps. To find out how a life coach could help you, please visit our factsheet on relationships.

View the original BBC article here.