Be Positive, It's the only way!!

Happy New Year!!

As we enter 2009, it is clear that we are in the midst of a global recession. It is now more important than ever to maintain a positive attitude about aspects of our lives that we may not have any control over. 

Pessimists and Optimists

There's a lot to be said about pessimists and optimists.

G. B. Stern said: "The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute".

While those trusty pessimists have both feet firmly planted in reality, they are so busy looking down at the mud that they fail to notice that it may be a beautiful sunny day. Optimists are thought to live at least 7 and a half years longer! Isn't that great all you pessimists? If only you were more positive, you could be miserable for a lot longer!  

For a lot of us, being positive now is the hardest thing we have to do amidst job losses and price increases. 

Tips on how to stay positive

• Develop a routine: Even if you have nothing planned for that day, wake up at your usual time, brush your teeth, get dressed. Have you meals at the right time of day. Developing and sticking to a routine are key steps in maintaining a positive outlook.
• Get out in the fresh air: Don't stay cooped up in doors. Even on a colder day we can all open a window for a few minutes and breathe in some fresh air. 
• Make sure you see daylight: It is a well-known fact that daylight not only sets our diurnal rhythms, that is, our sleeping and waking cycles, but it acts as a significant mood enhancer. If there is not much daylight to be had and the sun is nowhere to be seen, can you invest in a daylight lamp? Getting enough sunshine throughout the day will also help to get you to sleep on time.
  

• Switch off the TV: Seriously, do you have to check the news every hour? It is the same doom and gloom as yesterday and you will probably benefit from not hearing it again. The same goes for those argument-shows - You know the ones I mean. You don't have to watch some grown-up people twitching and gurning their way through an assumed insult by their next-door neighbour. Switch off the TV for a while and do something absorbing which completely takes your mind off thing for half an hour. The world will still be there.

• Get some exercise: Exercise is also a great mood enhancer as it actually releases endorphins which have a calming and stress-reducing effect on the brain. Exercise can also contribute to a daily routine.
• Eat well: Eat a well balanced diet of three or more light meals a day. The process of preparing and eating a meal can be stress-reducing and there are psychological benefits. You can feel good about yourself in many ways if you are not cramming junk food.
• Music: Put on your favourite tunes. Music has great powers to lift the spirits and make people feel better.

These steps may not end your problems or pay those bills, but a more positive frame of mind can help you cope better with all the little emergencies which crop up.

Stay positive. Its the only way.