We're pleased to be able to share with you a piece from Herefordshire-based Rich Hadley, MSc qualified business psychologist.

Getting through your days feeling crushed and hopeless, or toiling in misery, isn't a life worth living. Rich Hadley takes a look at the alternative.

Have you ever wished you could be a time traveller, like Dr Who perhaps? We're all rushing around, making sure we have all the presents we need and all the food and goodies we want, all the special drinks or types of cheese our guests like. Not to mention worrying about whether we've missed anyone on the Christmas card list, or if we have enough wrapping paper. But since we're not Dr Who, or his glamorous assistant, we have to deal with real time. How we approach all of this is down to our Time Perspective (TP).

Christmas is a perfect time to forget about work – if you're lucky enough to have time off – and we all over-indulge a little (ok, maybe a lot!) so it's really tempting to turn into members of the Royale family and just veg out in front of all those Christmas specials on TV for the whole festive period. This is brilliant to an extent of course, but happiness isn't just about the pleasure seeking. For a really happy Christmas, why not think about trying a few different challenges, to help you experience a different side of happiness. We've outlined some of the theory and practice below to help you.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and it can also bring stresses, trials and tribulations, so we thought it might be useful to share with you our 5 Tips for a Practically Positive Christmas to keep you smiling through the festive season.