6 Things Happy Women do Differently | How to Create your Happiest Life after 40

Women today have more freedom, choice, and opportunity than any generation before them, yet happiness has been declining since the 1970s.

I'm sharing six principles that have genuinely changed how I experience my own life, and I believe they can change yours too. I unpack why women's happiness has been declining since the 1970s despite having more freedom and opportunity than ever.

This episode is packed with practical, science backed ways to feel more alive in this next chapter of life.

What We Cover:

- Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable trains the brain's AMCC and builds the resilience that supports happiness and longevity.

- BDNF and mental health explains why exercise, sleep, nature, and connection are the real foundations of a good mood in midlife.

- Big P and little P purpose shows that meaningful purpose doesn't require a grand life calling, only daily moments of value.

- Intrinsic versus extrinsic values reveals why chasing status, money, and approval leaves so many women feeling empty.

- Glimmer moments and joy prove that small, frequent pleasures do more for wellbeing than the big holiday once a year.

- Presence and self-audit encourage women to notice what's working and what isn't instead of living on autopilot.

- Structural unhappiness reframes women's declining mental health as a systemic issue, not a personal failing.

Timestamps:

6 Principles for a Happier Life After 40 (00:00)

Principle 1: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable (04:39)

Principle 2: Protect Your Physical Health First (13:37)

Principle 3: Big P and Little P Purpose (24:51)

Principle 4: Create Daily Joy and Glimmers (31:33)

Principle 5: Be Present and Notice Your Life (37:02)

Principle 6: Women's Unhappiness Is Structural (40:02)

How to Feel Alive in Your Life Again (47:26)

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Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast,  Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.

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Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?

Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine.

Get your free guide → https://sarahrusbatch.com/free-guide-100-things-to-do-instead-of-drinking

Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/

If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067

And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze