In a world full of twists and turns, anything can come your way on any given day. In order for us allow ourselves to go with the flow and not fight each twist and turn, we need to clean up our negative outlook on things and switch over to a more positive mindset. Remember the little train that said, “I think I can, I think I can”, and help your inner voice to say the same thing.
A positive mindset means that you are optimistic about the world around you and that you expect good things to happen to you. You choose to focus on the positive in any given situation, you appreciate life and welcome challenges so that you can overcome them. 
Your mindset is how you choose to see the world around you and your attitude is how you interact with that world. So, here are some thoughts on how you can clean up some of the negativity in your mind and start to see the glass as half full.
Get your ZZZZ’s
I’m sure your parents told you time and time again to go to bed earlier or simply to go to sleep! Well, they were right. Sleep is hugely important for our mental health and our overall well being. Sleep allows us to cope and process the stressors in our everyday life. Getting enough sleep helps us to manage our emotions and reactions to many different situations. More sleep will help you to reduce stress and even improve your mood. We all know how cranky we are when we aren’t getting enough sleep! Our brains are very active while we are sleeping, they are carrying out many important functions. Sleep is essential to every function and process in our bodies, it affects how we will function both mentally and physically the next day, our metabolism, and our ability to develop immunity and even fight disease.
Here’s some food for thought, people with a positive mindset tend to sleep better and people who sleep better tend to have a more positive mindset!
– Make sleep a priority. This goes for you and your kiddos, too!
– Get to sleep early and try for at least 8 hours.
– Make your bedroom a relaxing and comfortable space by cleaning up clutter and maybe even placing an essential oil diffuser near the bed.
– No screen time before bed. I know this is a challenge, but screen time right before bed messes with your brain. You want your brain to recognize the dark as a time to rest. Here’s a challenge, try keeping your phone out of your bedroom at night. Maybe charge it in the bathroom or kitchen. Get yourself an old fashioned alarm clock!
– Pray or meditate as you get comfortable in bed. This will help you relax and allow your brain and body to fall into a restful sleep.
-Try incorporating clean, healthy supplements that promote better sleep and work with your body’s natural processes. I would recommend a clean, safe CBD regimen, and it’s cousin, CBN. Both of these cannabinoids work with your body’s ECS to regulate your nervous system and support sleep and relaxation.
Wake and Thank
When you wake in the morning, don’t rush to get on your phone or even rush into your daily routine. Take a few moments to say thank you. Thank God for blessing you with another day and ask for His grace and blessings for the day ahead. If you believe in something different, then go ahead and send your thanks in that direction. All I am saying here is to open your mind and heart to positivity. Being grateful and reflecting on what you are truly thankful for allows you to focus on more than just yourself. As you start your day, maybe even ask yourself how can you be a blessing to others or how can you brighten someone’s day? By opening up your mind this way, you are already inviting positive thoughts into your mind. This will set the tone for the rest of your day.
Next, get moving! Even if it is just a light walk or some stretching to get your day going, any type of exercise will release those positive chemicals in your body. Here’s a thought…you can walk, stretch, and do a complete workout while giving thanks!
Be Intentional
Here’s the thing, each of us has a choice. We have to intentionally choose to have a positive mindset and sometimes this is a choice we have to make over and over again in the same day. We are human beings and we will absolutely have difficult days, but we can overcome negativity if we choose to. On those difficult days, force yourself to confront those negative thoughts and have some internal dialogue to figure out what the root cause of those thoughts may be. Once you figure it out, confront the issue and be intent on resolving it so that you can regain your positive mindset. This means that you need to be flexible and forgive yourself or others who might be part of the problem.
Make up your mind and be intentional about…
– Forgiving yourself
– Forgiving others
– Letting go of your pride – “we” is more important than “me”
– Letting go of the past
– Looking forward to the future
Momma Said there’d be Days Like This
As I sit here writing this today, it is a dark, cloudy day outside, the sun isn’t shining brightly and it’s not exactly warm out either, but I think that’s a good thing. You see, if we can all understand the importance of both sunny days and cloudy days then we can learn to appreciate them both. Each have their own qualities which make them special. When your day is feeling dark and cloudy and you think there is no sunshine in sight,
think again. This time try to re-frame your thoughts…
– What has got you down?
– Is this situation within your control?
– If it is within your control, what actions can you take to make it better? If it is out of your control, allow yourself to let it go. This is often the part that is most difficult, but show yourself some grace and take small steps toward a more positive outcome.
It’s Your Circus and Yes, those are Your Monkeys!
Remember, it’s not the situation that will get the best of you, it is how you react to it. When you are facing some negative thoughts or challenging times, don’t run from them. Instead, confront those challenges head on, it might hurt, but accept those feelings, take some deep breaths and think about how to move forward. By re-framing your thoughts to welcome challenges, you can grab a hold of your mindset and be intentional about cleaning up those negative thoughts. Remember, this is the life you have been blessed with, how you choose to view it is completely up to you.
