I have on my desk a present a friend gave me last Christmas: it is a tin. On the lid the bold mock Victorian writing says “Dr Baldwin’s Nervous Pills”. The slightly smaller writing underneath explains that these offer instant relief for “worry, over anxiety, twitching, sleeplessness, irritation, incapacity, bouts of anger and feelings of worthlessness”.

The roots of wellbeing, of course, reach into all of these pools.

The quest for wellbeing plots the course humanity has taken since the beginning of time. In our present age we are surrounded by images of sun-drenched beaches and smiling couples ...

 

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