5 ways to be more positive

It’s the thing that I hear more often than anything else from those who have worked with me and that they appreciate. After some consideration I was able to come up with advice for those who might have a hard time getting themselves “unstuck” and feeling more upbeat and simply more hopeful and buoyant.

While I was born to two incredibly positive parents, I am quick to point out that while my predisposition is to be how I am, there is a lot of work that goes on “behind the scenes.” Like a musician who practises scales every day before going on stage, or an athlete who hones the fundamentals of her game alone for hours every day, there are things that I do consistently daily to help me stay uplifted even as things try to drag me down. These “things” are part of a back-to-basics approach that requires no special skills or equipment and are available to you too if you choose to make use of them.

Here are my “Big Five Positivity Practices” that I use every day to “keep my mind right,” regardless of what is happening around me.

1. Your physical body directly affects your psychology and mental state. This means you have to move, and you have to exercise. Nothing changes your state faster and more positively than movement. Your posture changes when you work out and posture has a massive effect on how you feel. Secondly, exercising moves oxygen around your body while it influences the release of chemicals in the brain that just make you feel more happiness and less pain. It all starts here.

2. The idea of “garbage in, garbage out” is never more meaningful than when it comes to nutrition and how you are eating. Feeling “good” and being positive can be directly related to the food that you consume and your pattern of eating. If you are eating mostly processed, refined food that is causing blood sugar spikes and crashes, it is almost impossible to feel good about anything while running low on fuel like that. If you are consistently putting “garbage” into your body, what comes out in terms of energy and mindset will be “garbage.”

3. Spend a minimum of five minutes every day expressing gratitude. I like to do this by journaling for a few minutes daily, but it can easily be a simple thought activity or a few words that you communicate to someone else.

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• Dec 31, 1969
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• Dec 31, 1969
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4. If you’ve read my column for any amount of time, you’ve read about mindfulness and meditation. An important element of being “positive” is the ability to quiet your mind and be able to sit in stillness. When you can do this, you’ll get better at creating “space” from all of the daily “emergencies,” demands and intrusions on you and your life. It doesn’t have to be a formal meditation practice; sitting and watching the clouds, daydreaming or being fully present when washing dishes, or pulling weeds, can provide you with many of the same benefits.

5. We are really fortunate in Hamilton to live right next to the Niagara escarpment. This natural wonder allows us to get out into nature for walks, rides or runs in just minutes. It is always available to us and waiting for us to enjoy it and make use of it. A few minutes immersed in nature a few times per week has documented benefits for our mental health and overall level of happiness.

There you have it: My Big Five for building and maintaining a more positive mindset and a more fulfilling life. Exercise, eat (mostly) clean, express gratitude, meditate and get into nature frequently.

I’d like to offer one more “bonus” strategy; helping others.

One of my clients is 80 years old and has completely transformed her life by working out this past year. She has gone from sedentary and sad to an exercise evangelist who is bursting with positive energy. Aside from our workouts, she is almost perfect at sticking to her exercise homework. When she does (occasionally) miss a homework session, she puts a $20 bill into a jar and when the jar is full, she gives the bills to me to hand out to homeless Hamiltonians who I might encounter on my travels since she doesn’t get out much. After I hand out a 20, I text her to let her know. It makes me feel great and makes her feel fantastic.