Keep your brain active. Engage your brain. Your brain is the most fantastic machine ever created, and it needs to be exercised.

There's real evidence that getting involved in charitable activity (and it's probably better to give your time and effort, rather than money) makes people happier.

I think, in all honesty, the first place that someone in emotional distress should turn is their loved ones, and then to use professionals.

Rumination tends to be eased if we learn to be mindful; if we are able to be aware of, and understand how our own thoughts work.

I believe that mental health services should be based on the premise that the origins of distress are largely social.

Keep active - do something physical each day. Could be as simple as taking the dog out for a walk (if you've got a dog!), but could be going for a swim, or going to the gym every day.

When you notice an unhelpful emotion or a shift in mood, or when you notice that you're doing something you know can cause problems (being snappy, for example, or drinking too much), that could act as a cue to examine your own thoughts - "what am I thinking?".