Are you enjoying every moment of your day, whether it’s at work, at home, with loved ones or on your own – or do you feel that you could be enjoying each day a little more? If so, it turns out you’re not alone. Please read on for six tips on how to be more confident and positive.
Say goodbye to stress – Now you might be thinking that this is not a solution for you because you are busy. But being busy doesn’t necessarily need to mean you are always stressed – it is all about your way of thinking about your busy-ness.
Most of us are wired so that we don’t have a positive mindset. This ‘negativity bias’ comes from our survival days back in when we were cave dwellers – our brain is wired to always see the negative first and to focus on that to survive. But although our cave-dwelling days are long gone, our brain and mind still operate the same way. The good news is that we can train our mind to be more positive.
Learn mindfulness and meditation – All successful people, from highly successful business people to top athletes practice these. Many studies from top research institutes have found these to be the most effective self-development techniques.
Mindfulness, simply put, is paying attention to the present moment with a positive attitude. Meditation is part of mindfulness, but mindfulness is more than that because we can also use mindfulness in our daily life. Mindfulness will help you to deal with your life in a more positive way. Both will boost your confidence and positivity and I can recommend attending a local course or to find a course online to help you master either or both of these skills. We are lucky that there are many excellent teachers here at the top of the South Island.
Practice Yoga and exercise regularly – Both activate your body to produce the feel-good hormone serotonin. In yoga, you learn to unwind after a stressful day, to stretch those tight muscles that stress creates and to breathe deep. This, in turn, calms your mind and body. It’s best to find a yoga class to get started. Yoga is a form of exercise and, when combined with good regular walking or other calming activities, can help you to be more positive and confident.
Develop a routine – Having a little morning routine after getting up and an evening routine before bedtime is a great stress buster, which will help you to have a better night’s sleep. Irregularity in life creates stress for body and mind, and regularity creates balance and health. Think of a doable routine, and if you can include mindfulness or meditation even better. Making yourself a little schedule that you can follow and doesn’t put more stress on you is essential.
Learn positive thinking – Watch your thoughts and the way you think. Whether you perceive a situation or a circumstance as a positive or a negative one depends on how you look at it. The power is all in our way of thinking. It is our thoughts that create our result and make us feel either positive or negative. If you’d like some help learning how to be more positive, then seeing a life-coach and a mindfulness course could be for you.
Practice gratitude – The more grateful we are for everything we have, the more we invite other positive things into our lives. Try and find three things you are genuinely grateful for every day. Have a little quiet reflection time (maybe with taking a few deep breaths) at the beginning or the end of the day. Writing your gratitude down can be very helpful. Research shows that being grateful for what we have can create a feeling of inner peace and happiness. Consistency is key. Doing this daily will be most effective.
Your life and well-being are in your hands. You can’t control everything around you, but you can take charge of yourself. Ask yourself, what would a more positive life look like? Think in small steps about what you can do and what you can change to achieve this. Start and make your short achievable list now.
Be well,
Best wishes,
Jamila