Here’s a few That’s Handy tips on how to keep a positive mental attitude during negative times. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant hard, strange and uncertain times for all of us. We never thought we’d see people queueing up to buy milk, or all the kids sent home from school.
Thanks to vaccines, and a lot of personal sacrifices by a lot of people, things are getting better. But the virus will never go away, and things will never ne the same again. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one way to protect your mental health, and to help you care for those around you. Here are some tips:
- Learn to love change
- Seek the positive
- Be mindful
- Exercise your mind and body
- Practise gratitude
The one unchanging rule of life is that nothing is unchanging. Do you see change as a threat, an opportunity, or an adventure? If change is a threat to you, then remind yourself that you are fully capable of coping with whatever comes next, and adapting to make the most of it. You’ve come though a pandemic: you can cope with anything. When the next wave of change comes you are going to surf it, not sink under it!
We all chose who we listen to, whether it’s friends and family, influencers, or news outlets. Do you chose the ones who accentuate the positive, or the ones who are habitually negative? If you are listening to people who see all change as a threat, all strangers and foreigners as a danger, and talk more about failures than successes, it’s time to retune.
Be mindful. Know your own mind. Be aware of the automatic negative thoughts that can grind you down. You can’t stop the little voice that says “oh no, it’s all going wrong again”. But you can take a breath, and get back to reality. “Actually, I can cope with this no problem.”
Both your body and your mind need to be used to stay healthy. Find the form of exercise that you like, and do lots of it. Set yourself goals. Don’t worry if other people are better or faster. Your 5km run is just as long as theirs, even if they run it quicker.
Then find the form of mental exercise you like. Are you better at University Challenge than the students? Can you do crosswords? Are sudokos easy for you? Great! Enjoy!
In your life, like everybody else, there have been good times and bad times, good things and bad things. Which are more important to you? It is sad that your lovely cat died, but just think back to all the fun your had together. Remember when she was a kitten and climbed the Christmas tree?