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The Happiness Plan with Sarah Treleaven and
Astrid Van Den Broek

Making everyday extraordinary

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Want to feel happier? Ditch the sweatpants
  • Tue Mar 13 2012
  • Sarah Treleaven
bare feet, shoes, heels

Given the "investment" so many of us make on our wardrobes. . . This just might actually be validating news: according to a new study, the clothes that you put on every morning can have a strong impact on your mood. Want to feel happier? Ditch the sweatpants »

Would cosmetic surgery make you happier?
  • Mon Dec 05 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
plastic We spend a lot of time agonizing over our physical flaws, but do you think that cosmetic surgery might make you happier? Recent findings from the National Plastic Surgery Survey show that 87 percent of Canadian women would like to change at least one of their body parts. ...more
Why I'm happy with a few extra pounds
  • Mon Sep 26 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
baguette I'm in Paris, which makes me happy for all kinds of obvious reasons. It's lovely to be in a place where you're surrounded by beauty. ...more
Would you be happier if you avoided mirrors?
  • Mon Jul 25 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
mirro While I'm loathe to admit it, sometimes a really bad hair day can really throw off my mood. Ditto with a giant pimple in the centre of my face. ...more
Does bikini season make you unhappy?
  • Mon Jun 13 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
bikini I say this with reluctance because I don't want to sound too much like a Cathy comic strip, but bathing suit season can be difficult. All of the careful staging and camouflaging you can do with clothes — a belt here, a slip there, a high-waisted hot short never — is undone the second you strip down to a bikini. The love handles, meaty thighs, stretch marks and cellulite are all on display for the world to see. If you have any body insecurities, this is the pretty much the worst nightmare. After all, during sex, you can always dim the lights — not a possibility while you're ankle-deep in lapping waves or splayed out on a dock. ...more
How do you feel about your "size"?
  • Fri May 13 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
size I recently noticed that the sizes in my closet run the full gamut, from extra small to large, in shirts, skirts, dresses and jackets. And I also noticed recently — while shopping for summer shoes and so, of course, also pausing to try on a wide variety of dresses — that it makes me happy when I fit into a four or six or some equally small size. ...more
Does "fat talk" make you any happier?
  • Wed Apr 13 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
shopping A recent story over at Time.com — "Girl, You are So Not Fat! Does 'Fat Talk' Make Anyone Feel Better?" by Meredith Melnick — explores the idea of "fat talk," the "Oh god, these jeans make my thighs look huge" variety of lady exchange that happens everywhere from H&M dressing rooms to 3am cab rides. Apparently, a new study has found that this kind of talk makes women feel worse, not better. ...more
Yet another body part to make you unhappy
  • Fri Apr 08 2011
  • Sarah Treleaven
armpit The other day I was speaking to a friend of mine who was slightly dismayed. She had just visited a cosmetics counter to replace her worn-out favourite colour of blush, and the salesman had tried to talk her into another product: a cream to reduce lip lines, the wrinkles that allegedly form around your mouth. ...more
Is losing a few pounds the answer to happiness?
  • Wed Dec 22 2010
  • Sarah Treleaven
Is losing a few pounds the answer to happiness? So many women are obsessed with the idea of losing the "last five pounds." But will losing it really make you any happier? ...more
Do your boobs make you happy?
  • Fri Nov 19 2010
  • Sarah Treleaven
Do your boobs make you happy? Natalee Woods, former bra fitter and author of the upcoming Boob Job, explains what she learned in her years of observing women's relationships with their breasts. ...more
 
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