Healthy habits to boost your child's happiness

In the first part of his exclusive series, mental-health expert Dr Alex George reveals how early habit formation can help give children a brighter start in life

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When I was a boy at school, I struggled. I was never given a steer on how to build my mental fitness, and I didn't know what the idea of resilience was.

I didn't know that you could work on things that could make you feel happier and help you to deal with challenges. Thankfully, that is changing - and I'm over the moon to be part of the shift. In 2025, we know so much more about mental health. And it begins when we're kids.

Everyone is dealt different cards - where you're born, the genetics you're given, whether there's anxiety or mental illness in your family. When you're given those cards, though, now we know that you can deal them, there are things you can do to maximise your experience.

Studies show our children's mental health in general is suffering. And the biggest threat to children and their development now is just how fast the world is changing. Every year the world changes faster in the same period of time. Social media, AI, the wheel is spinning more quickly.

What we're seeing more and more is that kids are being sucked into technology earlier, whether that's on a phone, an iPad, games or YouTube. They're not, therefore, being connected to other people or nature.

It's time to break the cycle. I've created a toolkit for both children and parents, which is simple and actionable. And I'm here to tell you that it's all down to creating healthy habits. Healthy habits that all add up to one thing: happiness.

So read on. This is the toolkit I wish I'd had when I was young.

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

Happiness is achieving a sense of peace in your life. It's contentment.

There are difficult times, of course - highs and lows - but this is about adjusting where your child's baseline sits.