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Curated by Dr. Prerna Kohli, PhD · Clinical Psychologist · 30+ years' experience
Living Well: A Psychologist's Library on Happiness, Resilience and the Habits That Help
A growing library of Dr. Prerna Kohli's writing on wellbeing — happiness, gratitude, resilience, relationships, and the small daily habits that genuinely lift how we feel, all grounded in psychology rather than cliché. It's here to help you live a little better day to day. And if a rough patch ever turns into something heavier, there's a gentle path from here to real support.
Wellbeing isn't a personality you're born with or a place you finally arrive at — it's built, quietly and repeatedly, out of what you pay attention to, how you treat the people around you, and the habits you keep. The research on this is more hopeful than most people expect: a great deal of how we feel is within reach of what we choose to do.
Sources: Harvard Study of Adult Development (R. Waldinger); Holt-Lunstad et al. meta-analysis on social connection and mortality; positive-psychology research on the drivers of happiness. Offered as general context, not personal advice.
Where to start
There's no right order — follow whatever you're drawn to. If you're feeling flat, the resilience and gratitude pieces are a good doorway. If it's connection you're missing, start with friendship and healthy communication. If you just want a few things to try this week, the daily-habits guide is the practical one.
Explore the library by theme
Fifty-plus pieces on living well, grouped by what you’re drawn to — from the science of happiness to resilience, relationships, and the small daily habits that quietly move the needle.
The science of happiness
What actually makes us happier — and what quietly doesn’t.
Gratitude, forgiveness & compassion
The emotions that quietly do the most for us.
Resilience & mental strength
Getting through the hard stretches — and coming back.
Calm & the inner life
Mindfulness, meditation and the quieter sources of peace.
Everyday habits & knowing yourself
Small, repeatable things that add up — and self-acceptance.
Relationships, family & communication
How we connect — with partners, family, friends, and better listening.
- Healthy communication: resolving conflict
- How to be a good listener
- How to talk and listen well
- How to be more empathetic
- The psychological benefits of friendship
- Relationship problems and resolving them
- How to love your partner: habits that keep love alive
- How to express love
- How to be a better parent
- How to be a better father
- Motivational tips for students
- Back to school after the holidays
- The emotional neglect of privileged children
Mind, mood & the body
The surprising, everyday things that shift how we feel.
Festivals & celebration
Why marking the good times is genuinely good for the mind.
When it's more than a rough patch
Everything above is for the ordinary ebb and flow of life. But if low mood, worry, or strain in your relationships has settled in — lasting, heavy, getting in the way of your days — that's not something to habit your way out of alone, and it's not a failure to need more. That's exactly what counselling is for.
Depending on what you're carrying, a good next step is depression & mood, anxiety & stress, relationships & marriage, or parenting — or simply see how to consult Dr. Kohli.
Questions about wellbeing & happiness
Is “wellbeing” the same as mental health?
They overlap but aren’t identical. Mental health is about how you’re functioning, including when something is wrong; wellbeing is the broader, everyday sense of living well — meaning, connection, contentment. You can be free of a diagnosis and still want more from life, and you can be flourishing in some areas while struggling in others. This library is about the everyday side; when something heavier is going on, that’s what counselling is for.
Can you really “learn” to be happier, or is it just personality?
Temperament plays a real part, but it’s far from the whole story. Decades of research suggest a surprisingly large share of our day-to-day wellbeing is shaped by what we repeatedly do — how we tend our relationships, where we put our attention, the habits we keep. Those are learnable, which is the hopeful message running through everything here.
What’s the single most important thing for a happy life?
If one finding stands out across the research, it’s the quality of our close relationships — not money, status, or achievement. The Harvard Study of Adult Development, tracking lives for over 85 years, keeps landing on the same conclusion: good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Much of this library circles back to that.
I read these and still feel low most of the time. What then?
That’s worth taking seriously. Tips and habits help with ordinary ups and downs, but persistent low mood, anxiety, or a sense that you can’t enjoy anything is different — and it responds well to proper support. If that’s you, the depression and anxiety sections of the site are a better starting point, or you can speak with Dr. Kohli directly.
Do I need to believe in any particular religion or philosophy to use these?
Not at all. Some pieces draw on Sikh teachings, Ubuntu, or the idea behind ‘hakuna matata’ because they carry genuine psychological wisdom — but the ideas stand on their own, whatever you believe. Take what resonates and leave the rest.
Some things are better worked through with someone
If reading isn't quite enough right now, Dr. Prerna Kohli offers confidential counselling in Gurugram and online worldwide.
This library is general psychoeducation and isn't a substitute for individual professional advice. If you're struggling with persistent low mood, anxiety, or distress, please consider speaking with a qualified professional. If you or someone you know may be in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.