When Erin Holland won the Miss World Australia title back in 2013, she had no idea she’d soon be taking the title quite so literally. Because the TV host and cricket tragic really hasn’t stopped moving since.
As the pandemic took hold in Australia, Erin found herself in Pakistan hosting a cricket tournament, before she and her cricketer fiance Ben Cutting quickly booked tickets back to Australia before the borders shut.
And then … nothing. For the first time in years, the star of Channel 7’s The All New Monty: Guys and Gals says she found herself at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go. And it took some getting used to.
“For someone who usually spends the majority of the year travelling, I really struggled with it in the beginning. It was massive shock to the system,” she tells Health Hacker.
“I was so happy I had Ben to lean on. He quickly set about creating a makeshift gym with bits of equipment we could find online, incorporating daily workouts, and doing my PT sessions over Zoom.
“Actually having the time to train every day at a similar time, cook three meals a day, and spend a long stint with Ben — the longest we ever have by about three months — was actually really lovely.”
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The secret, she says, was changing her mindset, shifting the focus from the things she was missing out on to the positives she could take out of spending more time at home.
“I found myself time to really try to breathe through the situation when things felt like they were getting too much, and being grateful to live in this beautiful country, with the beautiful, incredibly supportive and loving people I have in my life,” she says.
“There really is beauty in the simple things in this life and this time has given me a chance to really appreciate it.”
It’s something you’ve probably heard me talk about before: how employing an attitude of gratitude is one of the most important things we can do for our mental health.
Countless studies have shown people who have a grateful outlook are happier, healthier, more confident and resilient, less angry, and even sleep better.
It’s the single easiest thing we can do for our overall health, and it’s free.
So with that in mind, this week we’ll be taking a closer look at what makes Erin happy.
HOW TO HACK HAPPINESS
1. Choose your friends wisely
“Surround yourself with people who inspire you,” Erin says.
“I find real joy and motivation in seeing people succeed. Humanising success and seeing real people that you actually know achieve their goals, makes me feel like it’s tangible, and that I can do the same.”
2. Just keep swimming
“The secret to success? Just putting one foot in front of the other,” Erin says.
“Have your end goal firmly in your mind, and make decisions that best benefit that end goal, not just instant gratification.”
3. Spice it up
“Healthy and nutritious foods when the time is put in to prepare them are the most delicious,” Erin says.
“I really enjoyed having the time (and not just myself to cook for, as I usually spend my time in Sydney alone) to explore new and delicious recipes. There are so many to choose from out there.”
4. Treat yourself
“Sometimes it’s the simple things that make you happy,” she says.
“Like ice-cream on the couch – that makes me very happy.”
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