Positivity
How do we stay positive in a world that seems to be in turmoil?
We all have moments of feeling happy and positive as well as feeling low and negative. We’re human after all. In fact we can’t have one feeling and not the other. Life is made up of opposites, dualities. There is light and dark, day and night, hot and cold, happy and sad, positive and negative, they all co exist.
So why can’t we just choose the emotion we want to focus on? Often we can, as we know.
However it’s not always easy and possible. There are many factors that effect our mind and therefore our choices.
How stressed and busy we are, how tired we are, plus even the food we eat effects out mood. These days we have far more things that are out of our control, contributing to our state of mind.
Plus we’ve all had programming, experiences and influences from a young age. These shape and continue to shape who we are today and play a big part in the choices we make, whether we like it or not, either consciously or unconsciously.
We have to look for the sources of our pain, negativity, sadness fear and or anxiety. We have to understand it, is it just circumstantial, or and if it’s deep, find out why it’s there, then heal from block. This is our journey, and how we go about healing is different for everyone. Some people need more assistance than others in this lifetime depending on what has been experienced and the level of pain being felt. It is never a negative thing to get help from someone to heal. In fact quite the opposite it is a smart and admirable thing to do. Getting assistance for our mental health is just as important as getting assistance for our physical health.
We have to learn to control our “monkey mind” . According to Buddhists principles, the “monkey mind” is a term that refers to the mind being restless, unsettled and confused. It is also a part of the brain that becomes distracted, so if you want to get anything done in life, your challenge will be to shut down the monkey mind.
It is easy to be negative things and life. It’s much harder to choose to stay positive. We have to learn how to keep our mind clear of fear, anxiety, judgement, jealousy… Find what tools and or techniques work for us to foster this. We all have our own favourite forms of meditation. It doesn’t have to be standard meditation. For some it can be cooking, horse riding, relaxation, there are many different ways to calm the mind and leave it clear for good thoughts.
Mindful exercise always helps. Like Pilates & Yoga, It helps us to stay connected to our body, and be less in our mind. When doing normal exercise, like walking. riding a bike or running, we can still be somewhere else with out mind. When practising mindful exercise, we are more present and in the moment, and it then becomes more like a form mediation.
There are so many things we can do, and stop doing, in order to help keep a positive mindset..
Start or keep doing…
- Meditation
- Exercise
- Mindful exercise
- Breathing techniques
- Affirmations
- Connecting with friends and loved ones
- Playing music
- Being grateful
- Being creative
- Getting out in nature
- Visualisation
- Eating healthy food
- Having fun
- Turn failures into lessons
- Focus on the present
- Find humour in bad situations
- Adjust your posture
- Break habits and try something new
- Learn something new every day
- Be the observer of your own thoughts
Things to stop doing…
- Listening to to negative options
- Avoid watching too much news & TV
- Limit time on social media
- Beating yourself up with negative self talk
- Being hard on yourself
- Thinking you are not good enough
- Eating too much sugar
These are all things that will help us stay more positive, keep a clear mind and live a more contented life.
We all often know these things, but putting them into practice is another thing…it’s not always easy.
That’s why this months theme is positivity off the mat and it will be part of the 14 Day challenge as well.
Now more than ever we need to keep positive and keep a healthy mindset. Not only through physical training but also mental training.
The challenge will give you daily fun activities to help remind you to stay positive.
Sending you lots of love and please let me know in the comments below how you’re staying positive during these times.
Lots love love
Em xx
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