Having a positive mindset, no matter where you are, is like an emotional vaccine; you can use it to inoculate yourself against negative thoughts, beliefs and events. Your positive mindset can mean the difference between enjoying the day or getting sucked into the vacuum of pessimism. If you’ve worked consistently to change your mindset and maintain your positivity habit but still find yourself in situations challenging your will, you’re not alone. Fortuatnltey, there are strategies you can put in place to keep your positivity habit no matter where you are!
- Recognise that your environment matters
- Identify key mood boosters to help you stay positive
- Use prompts you can take anywhere
- Accept and welcome your negative thoughts
A Trip Away
Our beautiful family had decided to take a trip somewhere remote and in nature. We headed to a secluded resort with no internet to get some peace and tranquillity. We desperately needed rest and relaxation to recover from our daily hectic schedules. Our cabin was nestled in a clearing of gum trees and was warmed by a log fire.
Within minutes of plonking our suitcases down: I was hit by a wall of frustration.
Why weren’t the kids being more helpful? Why didn’t we have firewood? What if we needed more supplies? What about those emails? Would I be able to relax? What if I couldn’t relax?
I was shocked at how quickly all the work I’d done on creating the habit of positivity disappeared! I slipped right back into my old thought patterns of frustration, perfectionism and negativity.
Fortunately, I could recognise my indulgence in useless negativity and decided to take a deep breath to centre myself. Then it hit me, it was one thing to keep up my new way of thinking at home, but now I needed to learn to maintain my positivity habit in any environment! This experience made me realise how important our environment is in supporting new habits. Here’s what I learned and how to keep your positivity habit no matter where you are!
Recognise that Your Environment Matters
We’re all busy living and doing what we must do, and we find ourselves frustrated and anxious. Many of us neglect to assess our environment’s impact on our state of mind and well-being. Here are some environmental factors to help you keep a positive mindset.
Green Spaces
There is something instinctual about our desire to be in nature; we know it’s good for us. That’s what motivated us to take the trip. Even urban-loving city dwellers crave a patch of greenery on their lunch breaks. There’s a reason for that, and studies have proven the links between natural, green spaces, our stress reduction and increased well-being. Even short glimpses of nature through a window can benefit your well-being and happiness.
Natural Light
Getting outdoors is only part of the picture; your home and work environment also affects your emotional state. You probably notice the difference in your energy when you walk into an open, light-filled workspace vs a cramped, fluorescent-lit cubicle! There are numerous benefits to natural light and your well-being. If you find yourself in an environment that drains your energy, make sure you take regular short breaks and go for walks.
Clutter Free Spaces
Our culture of consumerism drives us to mindlessly purchase more and more items, making it harder to keep our living spaces tidy. According to the LA Times, the average American home has 300,000 items! Maintaining mountains of stuff requires mental energy, and when things start to pile up in the form of clutter, we experience increased stress hormones. So you are not crazy if you feel like you can’t relax until things are tidy! When you look around your space, do you feel a sense of peace and joy, or do you think about that stack of papers you need to go through or that pile of laundry that needs to be folded?
Awareness of your environment’s role in your stress levels and creating a daily ritual to improve it can reduce stress and make it easier for you to maintain a positive thinking habit! Pick a set time each day to dedicate to tidying. Even 15 minutes per day will keep that clutter under control and boost your mood!
Identify key mood boosters to help you stay positive
Keeping up that newly formed positivity habit is much easier when we wake each day in our comfy bed, grab our special mediation cushion and our journal, make tea in our favourite cup, and prepare our healthy breakfast in our tidy kitchen. If you’ve taken the time to create the ultimate positive environment, congratulations! You have decided to put yourself first. BUT what happens when things are shifted or changed, and you find yourself in a hotel, travelling or even on holiday? When your environment changes, how can you take that positivity with you?
Make a list of your mood boosters, things that make it MUCH easier to maintain your positivity habit. For example, are you much happier if you start your day with exercise or do you prefer meditation or journaling? Is it important for you to connect with friends and family daily, or do you need solitude? Make a list of all the things you do that fill up your cup with positive resources, and decide which of those items you will continue to do no matter WHERE you are!
Use Prompts You can take them anywhere.
Now that you’ve identified what you need to fill your cup, it’s important to create rituals that include prompts to remind you to do these actions and be particularly mindful of these when you are in a new environment.
A prompt is something that gives you a nudge to perform the behaviour. A prompt could be your journal next to your bed, an alarm to go to for a run, or something on your body like a positivity charm, bracelet or ring to remind you to appreciate what’s good in your life.
Accept and welcome your negative thoughts
Our focus naturally goes to the things we want to improve; we can slip into judgement and negativity when we make a mistake and beat ourselves up for thinking negative thoughts. This becomes a cycle, and we end up battling with ourselves to break our positivity habit. When we resist our negative thoughts, they become more dominant; what we resist persists.
Don’t try to change them; just recognise them, let them be there, take a deep breath, and ground yourself. Practising mindfulness, mantra recitation, etc., can help bring you back to the moment and remind you of where you are.
Instead of beating yourself up for negative thinking, celebrate that fact that you noticed! This can be as simple as you say to yourself, good job, you’re getting better every day or way to go! These little mini-celebrations are more critical to success than the huge celebrations of outstanding achievements. Pat yourself on the back for noticing your thoughts and recognising your thinking and negativity’s impact on your life.
To Sum it up
Even after years of practising mindfulness and learning to form positive habits, I can still get overwhelmed. Life isn’t always easy, and feeling lost or unsure is normal. However, if you can learn to harness your power and positivity, you can help yourself thrive in any experience.
