A positive experience stays with you for the rest of your life

How wonderful to give someone an experience, that stays with them… Would you agree with me that that is money well spent? That an experience is a good investment?

Based on research, professor Richard Wiseman, a (positive) psychologist, talks about the value of experiences and the impact it has on our happiness. An experience travels with you in your memory and when we relive a positive experience we infuse ourselves again with the good feelings that went with it. Even stronger, over time our memory of experiences get distorted, as we forget the negatives or difficulties that were also part of it. Imagine your holiday to the Caribbean: the flight was delayed, you needed to change hotels because the first one was really bad and you got an upset stomach. Five years later, you will remember the beautiful beaches, the fantastic food and the great partying. And you will still tell stories about this holiday years later. The experience becomes bigger, happier and more exciting over time!

When it comes to material goods, it is the opposite. Once you have opened your present, which happened to be a £2,000 designer handbag, you are absolutely delighted. Your bag is shiny, beautiful, perfect. However, the first scratch and the first smear on the lining are upsetting you. You are worried about how to keep it in a perfect condition and as it goes, it will only travel downhill with your bag. In a few years, there is only a tatty bag, that is out of date and ready for the bin. No stories to tell about that one….

So, what better present than an experience?

 ‘A positive experience last a life time’ – Dr Mariette Jansen

Mother’s Day is a day where women deserve to be indulged, regardless of their status and even though, it is beautiful to be a woman, it can also be stressful.

My special offer for Mother’s Day is an active de-stressing pack, offering experiences and presented in a lovely material package – the best of both!

1. A pack original Nag Champa incense – the one they use in the Ashrams in India
2. A USB stick with my CD Meditation with a Western flavour – 9 tracks, including a long body scan and the sleeping meditation
3. My book as in introduction to meditation: ‘Bullshit, non-sense and common-sense about meditation’
4. Two tickets for the same meditation workshop (because it is fun to do stuff with someone you enjoy being with) – dates are Friday 4^th April - Weybridge, Saturday 5^th April - Kingston, Friday 9^th May - Weybridge, Saturday 10^th May - Kingston.

The original value is £98, the special pack deal is £49.95, all nicely delivered in a colourful envelope. Click here to order. To check out other activities, visit www.stressfreecoaching.co.uk