Every spring (second spring if you are from the North East) I love throwing open the windows and letting out the cold stale air that winter has left behind. I love to welcome in the warm, fresh air that smells of new growth and new beginnings. The lack of sunlight and colder temps of winter can leave us feeling down. Once the days are longer and the weather is warmer, we almost immediately start to feel better. We find new energy, fueled by the increase in sunlight, the reappearance of green in our landscapes and the ability to venture outside without 18 layers. Now is a great time to clear out and move past any old beliefs that are no longer serving you and to create some new patterns and habits to move you forward. Check out my top tips for giving your mindset a spring cleaning revamp.
Get Grateful
Why: Gratitude is scientifically proven to increase dopamine (our feel good chemical), improve sleep (which can decrease anxiety), increase motivation, decrease depression and give those who practice it, even once a week, a more positive outlook.
How: Tap into the power of gratitude without having to completely revamp your morning routine. Ideally, when you first wake up, think of 3 to 5 things that your are grateful for. If you can write these in a journal, that is ideal, however simply getting into the habit of practicing gratitude is key. Do you struggle to find even a few minutes to focus on gratitude after being woken up by kids, dogs, cats, etc? Try getting up 5 minutes earlier OR practice gratitude as you get ready in the morning (giving thanks to those that harvested and produced your coffee, for your dishwasher, hot water, a good night’s rest, etc.). You can also take a minute or two in the shower or on your commute to think of those 3 to 5 things that you are grateful for. Just before your doze off for the night, think back through your day and identify the best thing that happened all day, and offer thanks.
Talk A Little Nicer to Yourself
Why: This is all about putting the glorious science of neuroplasticity to work. In simpler terms, we can rewire our brain and trump limiting beliefs with repeated thoughts, statements and visions. Positive statements like affirmations can shut down negative thoughts, improve confidence, motivation, mood and your overall outlook on yourself and life. At first you may not believe what you are saying to yourself, but over time, with consistent daily repetition, you will. You will be laying the foundation for creating life long change.
How: “I am” statements are the most powerful for rewiring the brain and changing limiting beliefs. Many of us struggle with feelings of unworthiness, being incapable or simply just not good enough. Over the next day, observe what the most common negative thoughts are that pop into your head. For example, it might be “I don’t deserve this” or “I can’t do anything right” or “I am ugly”. Use your current negative thoughts to create your affirmations.
Start small, with 1-3 statements that challenge your most common negative thoughts. For example, “I am worthy of love and happiness”, “I am more than good enough”, “I am a beautiful person”. Write these statements out on sticky notes, index cards, or put them on your phone so that you can see and access them often. Each morning read them to yourself, repeating each one a few times. Repeat this at night before you go to sleep, and work up to repeating them throughout the day. Each time a negative thought pops in, counter it with your affirmation. This takes practice and will require conscious effort at first. Over time, the affirmations will start to come without much effort and eventually, you will believe what you have been telling yourself.
Daydream More – practice visualization
Why: Once again we are tapping into brain science. Our subconscious cannot tell the difference between something that is real or that has been imagined . “Brain studies now reveal that thoughts produce the same mental instructions as actions. Mental imagery impacts many cognitive processes in the brain: motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory…… It’s been found that mental practices can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success” – Psychologytoday.com
How: I have found people are most successful with incorporating visualization when they start small and work their way up to bigger, more grand visions. Before you go to sleep tonight, visualize how you want your day tomorrow to go. Create a movie in your mind and go thru the biggest parts of your day. What is happening? How do you feel? What do you see? Who is there? You are creating this movie, so be sure to take control and create the outcome you most desire. In the morning, repeat this process when you wake up or as you get ready. During the day, take a moment to visualize before any big events that you had visualized that morning (before a meeting, phone call, etc.). Didn’t visualize last night or in the morning? That’s ok – take a moment to do it before that meeting, appointment, phone call, etc. Repeat this daily and as this becomes more comfortable, you can expand your visualization practice to your long term goals and dreams.
Enjoy the Sounds of Silence
Why: We are bombarded with stimulus all day long, much of it self imposed with our attachment to our mobile devices. Over stimulation and excessive noise increase our stress and blood pressure, can lead to mental fatigue, reduced productivity and burnout. Sitting in silence for even a few minutes has been proven to reduce stress and blood pressure, improve our mood, increase productivity and creativity and even grow new brain matter.
How: Carve out a few minutes (as little as 3-10) during your day to sit still and in silence. Get comfortable, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. You can breathe normally or take some deep breaths and focus on how it feels as the air enters your nose and lungs. During this time try not to move your body, try to sit in true stillness and silence. Thoughts may come and go, and that’s ok. You may find that you gain a new perspective on a current issue or have a fresh, new idea that you were too busy to hear previously. I love my silent time in the mornings before anyone else is up (in reality the four legged kids have gotten up, been fed and are now taking a snooze). If mornings are hard, maybe before bed or while sitting in your car before work or on your lunch break might be good times to catch some silence.
Give to Others
Why: Doing something for others can boost your mood, your overall happiness and can even make you live longer. Various studies have shown that giving to others can lower blood pressure and strengthen our connection to others, both of which lead to a healthier and happier life.
How: If your financial and/or time resources already feel taxed, it can be challenging to think of giving even more to others. What kinds of things do you enjoy doing? Are you a walker, a hiker, a runner, a baker, a fixer, a knitter? Are there any causes or issues that you are passionate about? Is your house like mine, with lots of gently used items laying around that may be put to better use by someone else?
Find a way to give back that also supports your goals and incorporates something you love to do. Any contribution counts, so don’t think that you have to make some grand gesture or sign up for a marathon (unless you want to of course). You can donate items you are no longer using, bake some treats for colleagues or a local fundraiser, or knit something for folks at a local shelter. Giving is easier than ever with apps like Share the Meal, Budge and Charity Miles – in some cases all you do is get your daily walk/run/bike in and a corporation donates for you! Check out more on these apps here.
Inch by inch, anything is a cinch. Start tomorrow by incorporating one of these five tips to clean up your mindset and your mood. Add another tip each week or two until you have incorporated all five into your normal routine. Before you know it, you will have a more positive outlook and will possibly have removed some old thought patterns that were no longer serving you.
Until next time, remember, you can do anything inch by inch.
Such great advice! I definitely need to do better about a few of these!
Thank you for your comment! We can always do better, and be sure to give yourself credit for what you ARE doing already. Small, bite sized chunks, inch by inch, we can do anything!