It starts with gratitude. Gratitude is the feeling of thankfulness towards a person, place, thing, or experience. It opens the door to sincere joy and contentment. It can also give us the desire to pay it forward and show the object of our gratitude just how thankful we are for it. Being grateful for even the tough times, the trauma and tragedy of life, can help us grieve and cope. Gratitude is the greatest tool you have for keeping a positive mindset. (For more on how to cope with the challenges of life, click on my blog post titled “A reflection on why “life happens for you, not to you.”)
Take action: Start or end your day by thinking of at least one thing you are grateful for. Write it down in a journal or share with a friend. The more often you do this, the more aware you will be throughout your day-to-day routines of the little and big things you have to be grateful for.
Stay connected. I know it is harder to do now as we navigate the Covid-19 crisis, but I encourage you to find creative ways to stay connected to family, friends, and colleagues. A 10-minute phone call, 20-minute zoom call, or 45-minute walk outdoors can do wonders for your mental and emotional well-being! Brené Brown, a best-selling author and researcher, studied the importance of human connection. She found that “happiness” was directly related to people’s relationships and ability to stay connected with loved ones. The more connected people were, the happier they felt.
Take action: Call/text a family member, friend, or colleague after you’re finished reading this article. Ask them to take a walk with you around their neighborhood or at a local park to catch up and chat about anything and everything.
Play. Yes, play. It’s not just for children! Research shows that play, even for adults, can release endorphins (the feel-good hormones) and stimulate creativity. Not to mention it often leads to laughter, which also releases hormones that lead to better overall feelings. Want a good belly-laugh? Play a game of Pictionary or Apples to Apples! Try anything that will take you out of your comfort zone, out of a daily routine, and/or get you to use your imagination.
Take action: Play the “whisper challenge” on your next zoom call – choose a person to “whisper” song lyrics, words, or popular phrases (choose a category first to make things easier!). The person “whispering” should mute their mic so that others can’t hear them, but can see them mouth the words. Everyone else on call has to guess what they are saying!
Above all, remember that staying positive about life or circumstances takes effort. Your mindset will vary from day to day, but if we can find time within every day to do at least one of these things, I believe we have a better chance of kicking negativity’s butt.