Think Positive, Be Positive - Small steps towards a positive lifestyle

Think Positive, Be Positive - Small steps towards a positive lifestyle

Think Positive. Be Positive.

Practicing self-care isn’t always easy. Most of us are on the go with children, stressful jobs and busy lifestyles that mean self-care falls very low on the list of things to do. Sometimes we can feel guilty about taking time to care for ourselves however it’s so important to make sure you take good care of your body, mind & soul everyday not just when you start to feel run down. Eating right, regular exercise and taking time out for you are the basics to self-care that can help you stay happy and healthy. The mind is so powerful and surrounding yourself with positivity and making small changes can have a big impact.  

“You live the words you tell yourself in your mind.” – Dr Magdalina Battles  

muswellbrook-beauty-blog

Self-talk is a big part of self-care.

Self-Talk is either internal or externally speaking to yourself day in day out and so many of us are so unkind to ourselves. Imagine if your partner said to you; “You Look awful today, I can see your stomach hanging over your pants & you haven’t even put any makeup on, you’ve really let yourself go” or your kids saying to you “You never play with us or take us to the park, you are always on your phone or doing work, you are the worst mum ever”. How would you feel? These aren’t things that we would like to hear from those important people in our lives so why do we say them to ourselves?  Become aware of the negative self-talk & replace it with positive self- talk. Starting your day by looking in the mirror and saying one kind thing to yourself each morning; don’t just say “You are a nice person” say things like “You are a caring, kind person and I love you”. When you get specific it allows your brain to break down the thoughts and process them easier.  By making this a part of your daily routine you will start to focus on these wonderful things about yourself and be able to use them as a reminder when negative thoughts creep in.

This brings me to self-compassion, be kind to yourself.

The best way to practice self-compassion is to ask yourself what you would say to a friend who was in a similar situation. This will give you a whole new perspective & enable you to meet your needs in a far kinder way.  Another way to find positivity in your life and create positive self-talk to yourself is to recognize the things in life that you are grateful for. One way to practice gratitude is by starting a gratitude journal, it can be as simple as a notebook you keep on the bench and you can write down one of a few things you are grateful for each day. Big or small these things will help you remember the good in your life even if it’s only something as simple as “the sun was shining today” on a day where there is dark clouds and life is feeling a bit heavy you can look back on these things you feel grateful for and remember the emotions attached to these positive things in your life.

Daily Positive Mind-set Actions

Meditation: Start a meditation practice. There are some excellent guided meditations available online or you could download an app like Calm, Headspace or Smiling Mind.  

Reading Positive Books: In today’s fast paced world we tend to turn to our phones for entertainment, scrolling aimlessly, comparing ourselves to others we see online. Remember, comparison is the thief of all joy. By comparing ourselves to what we see online we are only seeing someone’s highlight real, unfollow pages that don’t bring you joy. Even better pick up a book about self-care or a book with positive affirmations. Learn more about taking care of you. Not only will reading these books help improve your mood it will also help you stay more present and mindful.  

Getting a good night’s sleep: Making sure you have a good 8-10 hours per night sleep has a huge impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. Babes, Children and Shift Work all play factors in interrupting our sleep however we can put in place a few simple tips to try get a good night’s sleep which include reducing caffeine, removing technology from the bedroom and implementing a regular bed time.    

Taking time for ourselves: Taking time do things that align with our values can be as simple as taking a quick walk outside in the sunshine, sitting down to a cup of tea or taking 5 minutes to yourself through to booking yourself in for some “me time” in the form of a massage or facial, spending time with family and friends away from the busy grind of life whatever you choose to do ensure you do things that fill up your cup with happiness.

muswellbrook-beauty-salon-blog

Just Say No

This is a big one, learning to say no can be really hard, (speaking from experience) so many of us feel obliged to say yes when someone is asking for our time or energy when really, we would love to say no. Saying yes can lead to a variety of different feelings and emotions from anxiety and irritability through to burnout from over commitment. Through Covid we had the opportunity to say no to things we would normally say yes to out of obligation. I’d love for you to comment below with what you were able to say no to or cut from your routine without feeling guilty. Why not take the time now to write down 5 positive changes you are going to take away from this and implement into your daily life, starting today. The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine. Finally take time to breathe.... really breathe, feel your stomach expand as you breathe in and contract as you breathe out. Breathing is so underrated yet, so important! It takes you out of that fight or flight mode and into a peaceful state of rest.


Leave a comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.