Sheffield therapist's book on creating a better morning routine

Toby Oliver, a former Sheffield Council communications manager, wrote Rise and Shine with his chartered psychologist sister Kate Oliver. It was published last month and is already being reprinted.

Toby, who like many others first came to Sheffield as a student and never left, said: “The way you start your morning matters - it sets the tone for the rest of your day, shaping your mood, focus and productivity.

"It’s simple, the way you start your day is the way your day is going to be. Ask you yourself, ‘do I rise and shine or do I rise and whine?’”

“And, if you do ‘rise and whine’ or moan or worry then know that with a few simple changes to your mornings you can bring the shine back.”

Toby studied English literature at the University of Sheffield before embarking on a career in marketing and communications for the arts and local government sectors.

He worked for Sheffield Theatres as a media manager before joining the council.

He later retrained as a therapist and grief counsellor.

Toby, who lives at Hunters Bar, specialises in helping those affected by loss and bereavement. He works for Cavendish Cancer Care, St Luke’s Hospice Clifford House and in private practice.

Rise and Shine is Toby’s first book and the motivation in writing it was to help as many people as possible.

He added: “The reason Kate and I decided to write Rise and Shine was to share the tools and techniques that had helped us and many of our clients to change our lives for the better by taking charge of our mornings.

"The benefits can be remarkable – greater satisfaction, increased productivity and less anxiety to name just a few.

"Working one on one or in small groups is really important but obviously limits how many people can benefit. We hope that through Rise and Shine we can reach many thousands more. Because now more than ever, given the current challenges we’re facing, we need ways to help us feel calmer, clearer and better able to cope.”

Rise and Shine - How to transform your life, morning by morning is published by Piatkus and costs £9.99 from all good book retailers.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​