Today, I am going ask you to set a reminder to yourself to take one positive action a day and give yourself permission to check in on yourself each day – take just a few moments maybe whilst the kettle is boiling or whilst you clean your teeth…

There’s no doubt these last few months have been very strange, stressful, heartbreaking, unsettling and so much more.. I was delighted to have been asked by Nicky at InsideOut recently to share some thoughts about bringing a little positivity your way as part of her blog series, and so I thought I would share them with you too.

Firstly, how are you? Really?

We ask this question all the time but do we listen, truly and wholeheartedly to the answer? Both when we ask ourselves and when we ask others?

Do you ask yourself how you are and have regular checkins with yourself?

I can almost hear you say, “I barely have time to catch my breath, let alone ask myself how I am and act on it!” It’s only natural to feel overwhelm, anxiety and utter distress, when we are faced with difficult situations; illness, job loss, financial difficulties – it’s exhausting, becomes your every thought and it’s possible to feel like you’re going to be stuck feeling like this forever..

What you are feeling, it WILL get better.

With some self nurturing and support from others, we can gradually change our thought patterns and in turn, slowly but surely, start to feel a little better..

“Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.”

Beatrix Potter

How can we start to shift that mindset? Lockdown, working from home, home schooling (or emergency schooling as I heard someone call it last week!) isn’t easy – we all know that – it’s busy! So I’m going to suggest focusing on achieving just ONE positive action a day.. just one.

Why?

By doing this, in turn, you’ll feel brighter, have more energy, sleep better and more importantly, feel better about yourself and the situation we are all in.. I’m not promising that by tomorrow morning, you’ll feel on top of the world, but day by day, step by step, small but intentional, positive actions will shift those patterns of thinking and overwhelm.

When you’re thinking about which positive actions to do, break it down into little areas and ask;

What one positive action can I take for my health today?

What one positive action can I take for my family, partner, children, work colleague or neighbour today?

What one positive action can I do for my garden today?

What one positive action can I do for my home today?

What one positive action can do I for ME today?

Mark Twain that said, “Dance like nobody’s watching; love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody’s listening; live like it’s heaven on earth.

Mark Twain

Some ideas:

Put on your favourite track and turn it up loud! Sounds crazy I know, but music, can lift the mood and make us feel uplifted.

Plant some bulbs in a pot and enjoy watching them grow on your window sill. My snowdrops started peaking through a week or so ago and it really does make me feel that spring and lighter, warmer days are on the horizon.

Find a new walk where you live that you haven’t done before and commit to doing it at least once a week, rain or shine.

Do you have a room in your house that needs attention and despite Lockdown, you close the door and put off doing anything about it? (or is that just me!) Why not try a #powerofanhour or half an hour and get started? It’s not always fun to start, but often getting started is the hardest right? Read more about how beneficial the #powerofanhour is here.

When our bodies are stressed, the last thing it needs sometimes is additional stress, yet exercise can really help those feel good endorphins rise and that “YES! I did it!” factor of a workout (afterwards!) is great.. However, it’s not all about getting a “sweat on”, yoga, pilates or simply stretching for 10 minutes can also have great benefits too.

Journal – there are days that are fabulous and there are days that aren’t so, but try documenting down three things each day that you are grateful for. No matter how bad things are, there will always be something within your day that you can be grateful for (I don’t mean that patronisingly at all) Trust me I’ve had some pretty low days in my time and sometimes it’s only too easy to get stuck in a rut of negativity. Try this for a week, you’ll shift your state of mind and refocus your purpose.

There are hundreds of apps out there that can help you too including Headspace, Mind Detox and Gaia are all favourites of mine. 

“Your now is not your forever”

I love this quote, its a reminder that the rubbish times and also the good times won’t last forever and that the way you are feeling right now shall also pass too.

I really hope these tips for bringing a little positivity to the situation we find ourselves in help you.

I’ve created some planners which I find really useful in keeping me focused and organised which you can find right here.

I hope they will give you a little inspiration so that you can create a feeling of being more in control and less overwhelmed so that you can concentrate on the things that are most important to you. I’d love to know which one is your favourite and which ones you’ll be trying out.

Feel free to share in the comments your thoughts and also what has helped you during the last 12 months.

What makes you feel less blue?

I would love to hear from you.

Stay healthy and well,