Seriously, this is an excellent exercise and I think it’s something that would be extremely interesting as a countrywide experiment – perhaps the BBC might be interested in the project, following on from the Slough programme?

p.s. Perhaps Sir John Betjeman would have been forced to compose a new ode to Slough were he here to observe the transformation.

The one single thing that changed everything for me was “Act as if” – so if I was feeling a bit low or grumpy, I’d try and act as if I was positive and cheerful. It meant that people responded more warmly towards me and that itself made me feel more positive and cheerful ie in a real way and I could then actually BE positive and cheerful.

Great advice, Bridget!