Ben Aldridge – författare

Seriously Happy is a highly practical self-help guide exploring 10 life-changing lessons based on teachings of the ancient philosophers.YA readers are encouraged to discover how Stoicism can improve your mental resilience; the calming, meditative influence of Zen; the decision-making prowess of Aristotle or the confidence-boosting ideas of the Cynic philosophers.As a young man, author Ben Aldridge struggled with debilitating anxiety and self-doubt, until he discovered Stoicism and other philosophies which helped him restore balance, peace and contentment in his life. In this book, Ben shares over 20 practical challenges rooted in ancient philosophy that will power up your focus and confidence, improve your critical thinking, build mental resilience, and embrace happiness. The text is accompanied by gorgeous illustrations by Michelle Brackenborough.The challenges are based on ancient philosophical ideas – such as ‘shame attacking’, facing your fears, and appreciating the small things in life – as well as the ancient arts of Tai-Chi, Qi-Gong and meditation. Seriously Happy shows how to harness the power of ancient philosophies to deal with the real-world stress and anxieties of today.Learn to master a growth mindset and face your fears with fun tasks and challenges such as 'the banana walk', inspired by Cynic philosophers.Get curious, question everything, and power up your critical thinking like Socrates. Learn how to make good life choices inspired by Aristotle’sGolden Mean. Train your mind and embrace discomfort with cold-water therapy or digital fasting like Buddhist teachers.Increase your mental resilience by keeping a setback diary like the Stoics.Power up your focus & concentration with a walking meditation inspired by Zen philosophy.Protect your wellbeing by practising Tai Chi and being in nature like the Taoists.Be calm, be confident, and be (seriously) happy!

Drawing on the theoretical roots of the Stoics, Buddhism, popular psychology and CBT, Ben has created a unique programme that anyone can follow. Join Ben on his journey from anxious mess to back in control. This book is packed with fun and practical challenges that readers can try themselves, all in the name of self-improvement! Thanks to having undertaken these challenges himself, Ben now has an unusual selection of hobbies, a host of interesting new skills, some fantastic dinner party stories and plenty of wonderful experiences... and most importantly he now feels calmer, healthier, happier and more at peace. Split into three types of activity - mental, physical and skilful - the challenges range from climbing a mountain to sleeping on a beach in a bivvy bag in a storm to having a conversation in Japanese. Follow Ben in learning how to pick a lock, how to solve a Rubik's Cube in under a minute and how to memorize the order of a deck of cards after seeing it only once (the ultimate party trick). Along the way, he's eaten some repulsive insects, whilst also creating a new morning routine that freed up the time to write this book. Try out Ben's challenges ... or create some of your own, with the help of the challenge tracker!

START TRAINING FOR A MORE FEARLESS, FULFILLING LIFE! Following on from the bestselling book How to be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, this personal-growth card deck is packed with weird and wonderful challenges to develop your mental and physical strength. By forcing you to face up to negative emotions such as embarrassment, fear and boredom, the challenges make you grow as a person (whilst having a lot of fun in the process). Learn to spin a pen like a pro ... don't speak for an entire day ... cover your hands and face in honey and don't touch anything for an hour. Or maybe you'd like to create the world's weirdest sandwich ... or set your personal best doing push-ups ... or go for a backward walk in public ... The challenges have been designed to start building your confidence and get you trying new things straightaway. The more you complete, the more you'll build momentum to throw at epic adventures of your own devising. There's an accompanying booklet that explains how to use the cards and how to take things further by creating your own challenges. The deck will appeal to all of those who love How to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable, as well as a wider audience of motivational card users and personal development enthusiasts. Get ready to leave your comfort zone!

"Duerme a la intemperie, aprende malabares, resuelve un cubo de Rubik o come algo que no te guste. Permite que el poder de la incomodidad inunde tu vida y sorpréndete con las maravillosas lecciones de resiliencia que aguardan en tu interior.Así lo hizo Ben Aldridge, quien tras fuertes episodios de ansiedad que impactaron su rutina diaria, quiso derribar las barreras mentales de una forma creativa: diseñó y realizó estos 43 desafíos para abrazar su incomodidad e impulsarse con ella.Tienes en tus manos el resultado de su experiencia y también una invitación a romper con tus limitantes autoimpuestas para desbloquear tu potencial."