Today I want to talk about something really big. Positivity. Ugh! Seriously?? Yes!!! And, it’s especially hard when you are feeling like you are in a rut or that everything is going wrong. I think it’s so big that there will be more on the subject in the very near future. Today it’s about positivity itself and what will it do for us!
Hi there – my name is Sandra and welcome to the first installment of my blog Solve My Life! If you are here for the very first time, I hope you will stick around until the end. And please hit the follow button and share some comments below so I can get to know you a little bit too!
If you found me through my fashion website, CurvyGirlKnits.com – welcome to my blog! If you found me through a search engine you may find times when you are first directed to my fashion website. Just scroll to the bottom of the site and you can click on the link of my latest blog.
Oh and get out that journal…time for more writing!
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Why should I want more positivity in my life?
It can improve your mental and physical well-being. It helps you cope better with stress, improves your immunity system and can actually lower your risk of pre-mature death.
Did this thought just go through your head?
“I am more of a realist, so I am not disappointed.”
Really? Why?
Ok ok that’s still me sometimes but not nearly as often as it used to be. I have worked hard at being aware of my own negativity and I have learned that if I keep positive thoughts more often then more positive things come my way!
So am I about to tell you to say to yourself …
“I just choose to be happy” Bleccchhh!
I wish it was that simple….but really BAAAARRFFFFFF!
STOP!
Are you a realistic person or a positive person? Why do you think this?
Why are we talking about this? Well having positive thoughts will help you find more motivation to accomplish your goals and dreams. After all aren’t we here to reinvent ourselves?
Your attitude, and the way you think, have a greater affect on how you think about yourself. More positivity will bring you more confidence and self-esteem.
Need a more scientific explanation
Serotonin is a chemical (and also acts as a hormone) that carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout your body. Serotonin plays a key role in such body functions as mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health, and blood clotting.
Cortisol is a hormone that creates a more fight or flight feeling. Stress releases this hormone among other things. Cortisol isn’t a bad hormone…I am just explaining what it can do and have as a negative effect in daily normal life.
Both of these actually need to be in balance, but for our purposes today we are simply talking about how positivity can affect our physical being. Having a good balance of both of these hormones are imperative to a healthy body.
(Remember I am NOT a medical professional, and you should NOT use this information to self-diagnose yourself for depression etc. Talk to a medical health professional if you experience levels of high and/or low emotions and reactions during your day.)
I did that and they did help! (That’s another blog.)
In a nutshell, serotonin can raise and lower emotional responses. It can make the brain feel calm, lessen anxiety, and it creates a feeling of being ok. If your levels of serotonin are too low, you can find yourself in a depressed state. Positive thoughts produce more serotonin, therefore creating that more happy and motivated person we want to be.
I am simply trying to point out that by thinking positive thoughts you can create more serotonin in your daily life which can make your mental well-being feel more positive, light, and possible.
SO – what was your answer to being either a realist or a positive person? Keep that answer in mind as we move on here.
Often, people don’t realize how negative they really are throughout the day. OR, how often they are around negative people and personalities throughout the day.
I have been feeling more negative these past couple of weeks than usual. I’ve been struggling with my work, people in my life, people not in my life and needing to find some positivity. I am not seeing enough forward movement and I get frustrated. I also am finding more people around me being negative and I am going to consciously shift all of that this week.
STOP! (don’t put that journal away yet)
Is there negativity around you? Where or who does it come from? And be honest if you are part of it… You are the only one reading your journal and it’s important that you recognize this about yourself.
What does negativity mean to you? What does it mean to be positive? Which do you think you are more often?
If I find myself in a conversation about someone’s day, including mine, full of negative comments you will often hear me say to someone – so tell me something positive. And I always want to end a conversation on a positive note. I have a hard time ending with the negative. I almost feel as though I will jinx myself if I don’t end a conversation with a positive thought. It’s very important that we balance out those negative thoughts.
Do you ever notice that about yourself or others?
You can invite positivity into your life by actually asking for it from others. Next time someone around you is on a negativity binge…ask them to tell you something positive. Smile.
I am not asking you not to be empathetic or sympathetic. I am asking you to be aware of the negativity around you that serves no purpose except to create drama or more negative thoughts for you!
Here’s a scary thought…we have on average 6700 negative thoughts a day. These thoughts are several thoughts linked together. These thoughts make up to 80% of our thoughts every day! 80%! That’s just not ok! Check out this interesting article here https://thebestbrainpossible.com/thinking-depression-anxiety-brain-dementia/
We are surrounded by bad news. Have you ever noticed that a news programs starts out with the worst and slowly make their way to maybe something happy. It’s always the last segment, and it’s like the tag, filler or 30 second spot. WHY?!?! What if they started out with something wonderful? I wonder what would happen.
I have always wished for an all-good news program. There is so much more good going on in the world than we realize. Where is our balance in our day?
(BTW every Tuesday I post a positive piece of news called Good News Tuesdays on my social media sites. I LOVE finding them and I love the positive comments I get from others about them! Go here to see some!)
STOP!
How can you balance your day? This can be REALLY hard after a bad day or several tough days. This is when you find the smallest things in your day that is positive. I have talked about it before…
Write down 3 things you did for yourself today – got dressed, accomplished a task you have been avoiding, did the dishes. Three things….go!
Do this every day for a few weeks. Increase the number or see if you start to find more positive things happening around you and to you during the day. It takes practice. This is your life – practice.
Need a little more? OK – subscribe to a social media site account whose posts make you smile. Here is one of my absolute favorites on Instagram @Reagandoodle (you must go to the very early ones). When I need a smile I go to sites like this and I am NEVER disappointed.
Stress relief from laughter – true stuff! Go here for an interesting article!
Here’s another example of how positive thoughts can change things around for you in different ways.
I am a big dreamer, and by that I mean my dreams at night. All of my life I have had pretty vivid dreams. However, it is mostly the nightmares that I remember. A few years ago I was going through a stressful time not finding a decent job, short on money in a big way and struggling to find anything good happening to me. And the nightmares got bigger AND worse.
Now I was waking UP stressed too. It was awful. It was hard enough to stay positive during the day now my nights were negative too!
I decided to do something I have heard a few times throughout my life, that we can change our thoughts by practicing new thoughts every day. I also heard that if you repeat something as you are falling asleep you can have more control of what you dream about. Well I was so hating going to sleep knowing what was waiting for me so I was willing to try. I started saying this mantra over and over before falling asleep:
I am going to have beautiful, joyous dreams with happy and positive outcomes.
I am telling you, I said this over and over and truly fell asleep saying it. And it worked! I couldn’t believe it! I did this for days and then weeks and then for about 2 months. I was so happy not to have the nightmares that I kept doing it so they wouldn’t return.
Now it’s been a while since I have said the mantra but it’s not often that I have been having nightmares.
(NOTE: I wrote this blog a while back and lately I have been having the nightmares again so I took my own advice and started the mantra again! And…it worked, AGAIN!)
So why do I share this? I want you to see this tiny part of my life, that I did something I didn’t believe would work for something so deep in my consciousness, where I felt I had absolutely no control. But it did work.
It can work for you too.
STOP!
What part of your life do you feel negative about yourself? What messages are you sending yourself each day? Do you hate your job? Dislike the way you look? Do you put yourself down when you see something you wish you could do? OR are you being critical of others and judging them?
Write them down. Take the next few days and try to listen to your negative thoughts and write them down on a small piece of paper you keep with you. Put the paper in a pocket or someplace you will see it to remind you. That’s important too. Because you are not going to remember to do this throughout the day.
If you work, maybe start doing this on your day off. Give it a few days, get into the habit and write them down.
After two or three days rewrite them on a list. Draw a line down the center of the paper and write a thought to counter the negative thought.
Here’s a quick example and it’s one of my real thoughts:
NEGATIVE THOUGHT POSITIVE THOUGHT
My hair is not as pretty and healthy as it used to be. I still really like my long hair, and I can make it any
color I want! I can take supplements to help.
(BTW – I do now take a hair and nail supplement and my hair is not falling out like it used to!)
Now, look at your list to see if there is a pattern in your negative thoughts, or maybe you say the same few negative things over and over to yourself. OR again, are you saying them about others, where you work, or your relationship? Take NOTE!
Over the next few days or weeks remember to at least try to balance out those negative thoughts with positive thoughts no matter how hard you think that might be. And, even if you don’t believe the positive thought, at least try to find the tiniest positive thing about that person, place, or thing that you can, and write it down opposite the negative thought.
We will tackle more about positivity in the near future.
In the meantime, remember that positive thoughts can change your mental and physical well-being. This is a proven fact!
- Make small changes, even just one that you practice every day, in order to start to balance your day with more positivity.
- Write down at least 3 positive things every day about yourself no matter how small or silly you think they are!
- Start and end your days with a positive thought.
Your current situation is not your final destination
Joseph Campbell
Writing this blog, creating videos and sharing my stories, insights, hopes and dreams is where I also find my strength. I will learn from you, I can empathize with you and I want to share our journeys together. Together we will find success and meet our goals.
That is why I am here. I am here to serve you in a most selfish way. I do it with love and an open mind.
Thanks to YOU, for reading, listening and believing in yourself to read this all the way through and doing something for yourself. Thanks for allowing me to share with you.
If you like today’s topic please FOLLOW ME here. and don’t be shy about writing me a comment. I love to hear from you and your thoughts.
Please feel free to be open and please don’t judge anyone who leaves a comment. Be that strong person who supports and inspires our circle of friends that meet here. Be that person in your comment below for other people reading the comments. Inspire us with your comments!
Thanks to YOU, for reading, listening, and believing in yourself to read this all the way through and doing something for yourself.
Finally, and this will not be the last time that I say this, but I promise you, that in each and every blog I post, you can find answers you are looking for. Only you can find them.
Until next time, with hugs and a smile!
Sandra
ALWAYS LOVE YOUR CURVES!
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