Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Today, I wanted to chat a bit about positivity hacks to help us tackle this week (hashtag we got this). Admittedly, I often fall victim to the Sunday scaries. I work in the digital marketing industry, and at any given time am managing up between 15-20 clients - all with varying budgets, campaign goals, and communication needs - so needless to say my days can get pretty hectic. This often leaves me with serious anxiety thinking of all of the things I have to do in the upcoming week, and also full on panic trying to rack my brain to make sure I didn't forget anything important that needed to be completed. Last week was definitely a doozy for me so I'll be taking extra care to get myself in the most positive mindset as I possibly can while tackling this week. Who's with me!?
First things first, the week ahead is much better if you plan out your priorities and to do list for it the Friday before you turn off your work brain (if there is such a thing) for the weekend. I know it sucks, and I know how hard it is to stay focused on Friday afternoons when you're ready to run out of the door and play all weekend, but trust me it's worth it. Try taking fifteen minutes to look at your calendar for the next week, and prioritize the things that you'll need to work on and prep for. Not to mention that these few minutes of prep really help out with the Sunday scaries.
START YOUR MONDAY OFF RIGHTDon't let your prepping on Friday go to waste by starting your Monday off on the wrong foot. I notice that if I'm running late on a Monday morning and scrambling around trying to get out of the door, that just sets me up for major frustration (and road rage) during my morning commute. So - wake up a few minutes early (or on time at the least!), and save yourself the stress of starting the week off on the wrong foot. What also helps me out on a Monday morning is literally planning and laying out my outfit the night before like a child. I feel way more confident when I look as pulled together as possible, and who couldn't use a confidence boost to kick start the week? I also try to listen to some type of positive or uplifting podcast while doing my hair and makeup on Monday mornings. My podcast of choice for years has been the Joel Osteen one, but anything that gets you in a good mood for the week will work.
I'm pretty sure most of us check in on our local and national news during our screen downtime at work. It's nice to stay informed, but sometimes the news can just be SO depressing. I have several news apps on my phone, and wound up turning the notifications off for each simply because it was super depressing to wake up to, or be distracted by notifications throughout the day with news alerts that aren't often positive. I check in on the news now on my own time, which helps so much with unwanted distractions throughout the day. I also subscribe to both The Skimm (a daily newsletter with all of the news you need to know for the day), and Prsuit (another daily newsletter that curates positive articles along with a quick 2-3 minute motivational read in each). I will say that I absolutely LOVE the Prsuit newsletter, and think the founder, Case Kenny, is a bad ass for creating it. Fun fact - I turned several of my friends at work onto it after we had to have a department chat about the increasing negativity on our team (lol). This was one of my positive solutions to contribute to that conversation, and I was happy that several of my teammates saw the value in it and subscribed too!
MAKE TECHNOLOGY WORK FOR YOUI keep a variety of "positivity" apps on my phone to help me get through the day. Some, like the Bible app help me start off my day, while others help me end the day on a grateful note. I do a couple of daily devotionals each morning after my alarm goes off for the day. The first is Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life, and the second is Parenting by Design. I also read the verse of the day every morning, and take a few minutes to reflect on it while I'm in the app. A couple of other apps I use throughout the week are an affirmations app, and also a gratitude journal app (which I really, really recommend!) Keeping a running journal/list of the things I'm grateful for on a daily basis really uplift my mood, and help me to keep stress in perspective every day.
I for one am a chronic over-thinker, which often leads to sometimes hours of unwarranted stress and anxiety. Over the years I've gotten better, but at times I still can, and do, get sucked into an emotional downward spiral because of my over-thinking. While much of what I've already mentioned helps me out a ton in the over thinking department, tackling the inner mean girl in my mind often requires me to put in a bit more effort on a day to day basis. Consider this scary tidbit from Psych Alive - "when we are overthinking, we are engaging in a destructive thought process that leads to unfavorable outcomes. We are listening to a "critical inner voice" in our heads that hones in on the negative aspects of a situation. This "voice" is like a sadistic coach that feeds us a ceaseless stream of criticism and undermines our goals." YIKES.
I read a couple of tips about combating the little devil on your shoulder aka inner mean girl voice awhile back that I've been practicing for the majority of this year. First, instead of thinking about the negative and what could go wrong, make a conscious effort to envision a positive outcome, while also focusing on changing over negative thoughts to positive ones.
For example, you may think "Oh my god, I'm going to bomb my work presentation today." Instead, switch that negative thought around to envision your MOST positive outcome of your presentation - "The presentation is going to go great! I've taken the time to prepare, and my peers will be engaged and open to my recommendations and suggestions." See the difference!? Major, major game changer if you actually make the concerted effort to turnaround your thoughts when you realize you're mindlessly over-thinking and being critical of yourself.
Ok, so besides a bit of yoga here and there meditation of any kind isn't something I personally practice, but I've heard great things and am open to trying it out someday. I know several people who meditate daily and swear by the calming, and positive effects. I've heard nothing but great things about the Headspace app, and would probably be inclined to try it out when I decide to dip my toes into the pool of daily meditation. I have another friend who swears by daily morning yoga, which is also a great meditation and positivity technique. I think it's all about finding the best meditation avenue that works well for you, and stick with it!
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What tips, apps and hacks do you use to inspire positivity? We could all, always use more of it. :)
