The power of optimism & positivity....

After watch a documentary a few nights ago on how the brain responds to different situations, I found it quite interesting to learn that when human are presented with a somewhat negative situation, they tend to 'put on their rose coloured glasses' and our subconscious does not think that things are as bad as they seem. This way of thinking could be seen to work two ways:
- That we don't take all warnings seriously (For example, a health warning such as smoking, drinking or eating poor foods; in the belief that nothing will happen to us, we are invincible from lifestyle diseases and illness'!),
- That perhaps this could be further expanded and 'worked on' to bring forward into our everyday conscious thoughts to overcome stress, anxiety and times of negativity.

Obviously the later has a greater outcome for all of us, considering that stress and mental health have such a marked impact in Australia's health and wellbeing.

So how can we 'train' our brains to learn to think more optimistically to cope with day to day events, or arising issues? Here are a few exercises to practice weekly.....

- Challenge your thoughts. Many of us tend to say things such as 'I have to work", or 'I have to go to the gym", as if it is a chore. Change your thoughts to "I get to go to the gym to feel fit and strong", "Off to work today, bring on this holiday over summer!", even simple things such as "Ah, I hate getting out of bed, this sucks!", to "Today is going to be a good day", or taking a compliment from a friend, rather than instantly replying with "Oh, no, this outfit looks pretty average on me!". It may sound corny, but I guarantee if you try it (particularly saying it aloud to yourself), it actually makes you feel more energised and as if a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
*You can write down a situation that happened to you today. Write down 3 thoughts that came to your straight away, then write 3 more thoughts that are a more positive and realistic way of reacting to the situation (the more you practice this, the more automatic it will become).

- The old glass half full or half empty trick! Again instead of thinking; "I can't even run for 20 minutes", think "I'm almost able to run 20 minutes". Motivating and much more positive!

- Take a step back from things other people say or do. More often than not, if a friend or family member is being angry or cranky, or hasn't called you like they said they would it is just as likely that something is wrong with them, not everything is related to you specifically. Your friend may have been caught up at work, has something going on in their own lives or quite simply didn't even see you when they walked past you at the shops and 'didn't say hi'!!

- Make a list of things that you have already achieved in your lifetime, as opposed to just making lists about things that you aim to achieve all the time. Sometimes we work so hard to achieve something at the 'next level', that we forget about all the awesome things we've already done! Remind yourself!

- When you have a tough day, remind yourself that tomorrow is only a few hours away. Making mistakes is the way we humans learn, so learn from it and move on - as a much wiser young lady!

-Make light of a situation. A little bit of humour makes everything so much more bearable!

- Write down 5 things that you did well, or that happened to you this year. Now, write down two reasons for each of those in terms of your own skills and attributes that lead to these happening in the first place. Believe it!

Remember - it is ok to have a bad day and feel a bit down, but it's times like these when you can use some of these exercises to help bring back you positive self and 'attack life' again!

Lots of love, laughs and positive times ahead Gorgeous Girls Xxx