Positivity

Positivity is always an optionDid you happen to notice around the end of 2016 how many people were looking forward to saying goodbye to the year? 2016 was a rough one for many folks. It was a divisive political environment, we said goodbye to many sports and entertainment personalities and there were too many tragedies broadcast over the air waves.

But turning the calendar page from one year to the next does little to change our overall emotional well-being. There are lots of things we can all do to improve our mood and general outlook. I like this article from Fast Company on 10 Science-Backed Ways to Be More Positive in 2017. There are some simple ideas here, such as breathing deeply, scheduling our own self-care sessions, volunteering time and meditation. Everyone can practice some of these methods to help improve your outlook.

For me, part of being positive comes from recognizing the things that I should be grateful for. A gentle reminder to ourselves makes us realize our good fortune. Things that I’ve stressed about become less annoying when I remember how lucky I am.

I also search out positive people. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel after you’ve been around a person who inspires you? A happy, positive person generally spreads happy thoughts around the office.

Even when you adopt a few habits to increase your positivity, there are times in our lives, especially in today’s uber-connected world, when things can overwhelm us. When that happens, it may be time to change the way we live and work. We are constantly connected with our work, our home and our national and global news sources. It’s easy to feel bogged down. Maintaining positivity might mean disconnecting with the world around is – even if it’s only for a short time.

Try opening your email just twice a day. Constantly communicating with co-workers may not be the ideal situation. Think about putting your phone down when you get home in the evening, and try not to look at it until after dinner. Short breaks from the constant clutter that comes our way can be quite effective in relieving our stress and shifting our outlook from gloomy to glad!

And one more tip. So often, we measure our value by productivity. But when we try to battle three things at once, we can end up even more frustrated. Instead, focus on getting one thing done at a time. As you arrive at work each day, say to yourself – “What is the most important thing for me to do today?” Make that one action your priority and get it done. Even if it’s the ONLY thing you accomplish that day, you can positively remember that you did accomplish your most important task. And then put the rest aside, there’s another day to tackle the next project on your list!