WHAT'S ON YOUR RADAR

Sometimes it can be difficult to find the positives, and let’s face it, we’ve all been challenged a lot lately. But the good news is you can boost your happiness level—as long as you’re willing to put the effort in and really consider what brings you joy.

And just in case you need a little inspiration, we spoke to three joyful souls who always know how to look on the bright side of life...

Nadia Power, Olympic Athlete

Go-to song to instantly boost your mood?

“'Can I Kick It?' By A Tribe Called Quest. It's a bit of a random one but it's a very relaxed song with a good beat that I listened to a lot when I was travelling to races this year so it reminds me of some good times when I was performing well on the track.”

What’s the one film that always makes you smile?

“I would probably say the Wolf of Wall Street. I've rewatched it so many times and I still enjoy it and laugh a lot each time.”

What’s bringing you joy right now?

“Getting back to training after having to take a month off because I had Covid. It was a very frustrating month and I missed the endorphins I get from training a lot. However, the time off has made me appreciate my health and the ability to run so much more now.”

Favourite comfort food?

“Definitely a creamy pasta dish, It's what I always order if I'm out for dinner as I haven't quite mastered making it at home yet. Carbonara or chicken and mushroom pasta are usually a go-to for me!”

What’s the one thing you can always rely on to get you out of a bad mood?

“Definitely spending time with my friends or boyfriend. Like a lot of people, a lot of my bad moods come from being alone and over-thinking problems I have so definitely meeting someone for a coffee or a meal always helps me relax.”

Any goals for the year ahead?

“Yes, in athletics I want to improve my times and break the Irish 800m record again and represent Ireland at the World and European Championships. Outside of that, I am entering into my last semester of college at DCU so I'm looking forward to hopefully getting through that smoothly and finally securing a degree.”

Ingrid Hoey, Fashion Stylist

Go-to song to instantly boost your mood?

“My music choice is eclectic to say the last or maybe just plain old bonkers. If you saw my Spotify playlist, you would be baffled. 'Start Me Up' by The Rolling Stones is an instant mood booster, or else 'Faith' by George Michael. I once told my two girls that George Michael and I dated and he wrote the song 'Last Christmas' about me. I forgot to tell them it wasn't true and they believed it for years!”

What’s the one film that always makes you smile?

“Bridesmaids, it never gets old. I still howl while watching it.”

What’s bringing you joy right now?

“My reading glasses. After a year of denying I needed glasses, I finally got some and the world looks so much shinier. Although my friends and family were a bit sad as they loved getting messages from me that made no sense at all, I couldn't see a thing when I was writing the messages so they could be asked the strangest things. Now I just need to remember to actually bring my glasses out with me.”

Favourite comfort food?

“Sausages, creamy mash and gravy, hook it up to my veins!”

What’s the one thing you can always rely on to get you out of a bad mood?

“I really can't wait to start travelling again, there are so many places I want to visit. Top of my list is a trip back to New York, it's my favourite city in the world. You come back from New York and suddenly you are like ‘Right, I'm just popping out, I'll be back in a few hours, I'm just off to CONQUER THE WORLD!!’. It's a city that energises you. On the flipside, I also fancy living like a sloth on a sunny beach in the Greek Islands for a couple of weeks.”

Any goals for the year ahead?

“I always have to have a list of things I want to achieve, both personal and professional. I really want to get back into running on a regular basis, I completed two half marathons last year and want to do another one soon…I just need to get a routine going. Oh and I also plan on setting up my own Revolut and stop tormenting my husband to send money from his Revolut to my friends for nights out!”

Bobbi Arlo, Musician

Go-to song to instantly boost your mood?

“My go-to mood booster is 'Nothing Sweeter' by DJ Sdunkero and Bongi Silinda. I can’t explain the serotonin that runs through my veins when I hear it. I think it collects core memories of happiness for me that are very normal memories, nothing significant but moments where I was truly happy and the song acts as an anthem for those simple moments. It’s also one of the most infectious feel-good compositions I’ve heard in a very long time.”

What’s the one film that always makes you smile?

“That’s a super hard question because I have a couple of movies on rotation for every mood I could possibly be in. I watch She’s The Man at least four times a week followed closely by my weekly Harry Potter marathon and I’m honestly hesitant to release this information into the world but…I am an adamant Christmas movies all year round girl with the obvious being The Grinch, Elf and The Polar Express!”

What’s bringing you joy right now?

“The one thing I’ve learned from the last couple of years is to take nothing for granted and to appreciate the small things because if you find true appreciation and gratitude for the smallest things, it can only get better. I feel in the last year especially, I’ve reached a maturity to have incredible meaningful relationships and experiences that I don’t think I would have truly recognised and would have been as grateful for. I don’t know if that’s an age thing or a circumstantial thing but either way my sense of joy is daily now because of it. Everything excites me at the moment but to be honest, rightly so, my life is madness. I’m currently being interviewed for Brown Thomas how could that not be a nudge of joy?!”

Favourite comfort food?

“My favourite go-to comfort food is and always will be spicy ramen and dumplings, it screams TLC for your tummy. I could eat them for every meal, every day and I still wouldn’t get fed up. I reckon I could break the record for most bowls of ramen consumed in a lifetime!”

What’s the one thing you can always rely on to get you out of a bad mood?

“I watch an enormous amount of TikTok videos and if you are able to come off from watching TikTok without smiling or breaking yourself laughing I’m afraid there’s no helping you! That app is my free and daily dose of serotonin.”

Any goals for the year ahead?

“It’s such a weird thing to think about because in the last year I’ve hit a lot of my goals that I truly never thought were possible. Every time I hit a goal, I have to rethink the boundaries of what I can achieve to then hit the next goal. For me, I thought goals were things that you really wanted to happen but you’d probably never achieve but when you start hitting them, and they are getting so big that you have to use the extent of your imagination, that’s a very wild experience. I would love to go on tour with my whole team behind and with me. That would be just the most incredible experience! I’d also love to play at a big venue like the Olympia or Vicar Street and sell it out. I’m not sure if that classifies as a goal or a dream but I guess we’ll see the end of next year!”

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