Is your glass half full, or half empty?

Thinking Positive, Being Positive

Life, it’s fair to say, can be hard at times and whilst there may be some truth in the old adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”, this is little consolation when we are going through difficult times.

Family and friends, usually well meaning, sometimes don’t help too much either with comments such as ‘cheer up’ or ‘pull yourself together’; those are often things that we really don’t want to hear at times like those.

Depression or just Feeling Down?

I’d like here, to clarify a little about the state of mind that is often referred to as depression. Depression can be caused by a number of factors and some depression is often transitional such as in the event of the death of a loved one. At times like that, it is only natural that we feel depressed and this usually passes with time.

Other forms of depression though are much deeper and longer lasting and should be taken very seriously and medical advice should be sought as, if left untreated, depression can be very serious indeed.

In a great many cases though, when people say they are depressed, in reality they are often just feeling a bit down in dumps and a little negative, where everything feels like too much of an effort.

This type of ‘depression’ can be prevented or at least eased by a different approach to life and one that leads to a more positive outlook on life. If you suffered from a workplace injury, a Nevada work back injury attorney will deal with the insurance company and make sure you get all the benefits you are entitled to receive.

Diet and Exercise

It is all very well simply to say ‘think positive’ and there are many buzzwords and catch phrases that are sometimes bandied about but if you are not naturally a positive person, what can you actually do to change your approach on a daily basis?

Two key factors in changing your approach are diet and exercise. None of us would think about trying to run our cars on cigarette lighter fuel for example; why? Simply because it is the wrong fuel for a car. However, we seem less concerned when it comes to our bodies with many of us eating highly refined foods and a diet high in saturated fats and sugars. Whilst these can loosely be defined as ‘foods’, they are certainly not foods that are suitable for our bodies and consequently will eventually cause problems.

High sugar and fatty foods too can leave us feeling ‘sluggish’ both in our physicality and mentally too. This will inevitably have the knock on effect of leaving us feeling a little down, especially after the initial sugar ‘hit’ has worn off.

Exercise too is important as it helps to increase the blood flow and therefore the amount of oxygen that flows through our system. Some people also find that exercise provides an energy ‘high’ too, one that is both legal and healthy!

It should be noted that if you are starting exercising, if you have any concerns, you should see your doctor before you start.

Some Tips to Boost Your Positivity

Whilst a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables and taking more exercise are extremely important and provide the foundation for a positive attitude, there are many other tips which might help and we suggest that you might like to try at least some of the following:

1. A cold or cool shower in the morning is an invigorating start to the day
2. When and where possible, walk or cycle to places instead of sitting in your car
3. Allow yourself some time to listen to some uplifting music.
4. Smile; even if you don’t really feel like it, smiling is infectious and you will find that it soon feels a very natural thing to do.
5. Help someone else. Rosa Parks, the woman who fought for equal rights for black citizens in the US stated that when she felt low, she looked around to see who she could help. Taking action as well as communication with others helps you to look outside of your own problems.
6. Try and surround yourself with positive people, whose attitude to life is the glass half full, not half empty. You can also look into products like True Pheromones to improve your sexual and mental health.

These are just a few tips and all can be incorporated into your daily life quite easily. For just a little effort and a little time, you will find that your whole approach to life takes on a more positive feel and allows you to live the type of life that you wish for.

Linda Booth

Naturopath & Colonic Hydrotherapist

Nottingham Health & Wellbeing Clinic, Plains View Surgery, Mapperley, Nottingham.