If you are looking for patchouli and crystals and incense, keep Googling. If you are looking for practical, logical ideas about how to bring positive energy into your day, keep reading.
There is nothing wrong with being a hippie, but some of us just don’t swing that way. You do you! Many of us occasionally find ourselves feeling down, depressed, and lacking positive energy, and need solutions without making a trip to the new age store.
Start Your Morning Right
You know that you get cranky if you skip breakfast. You know if you wear the itchy sweater you are going to be irritated. Set yourself up for a positive day by taking a little care to be kind to yourself. Take an extra minute with your makeup, wear your favorite bracelet, your favourite tie, do whatever makes you feel awesome when you are walking out the door to face the day. This is also a concrete way to set the intention that you are going to have a day filled with positive energy. The power of the mind is truly strong.
Filter Your Input
There’s a lot of negativity in the news, and all social media. If you are already feeling low, do not read any of that stuff today. Check the weather, perhaps the traffic, then let it go. You really don’t need to know every detail of political evil around the world today.
Filter Your Inner Monologue
If you find yourself replaying conversations and situations that did not go your way, or talking negatively to yourself, stop it. Just say, “that is not productive.” Derail the negative train of thought and switch it to some new, positive tracks.
Natural and Visual
Put something beautiful and green in your line of sight. Place some fresh flowers or a plant in your workspace, or go for a walk in the park. It seems like such a tiny thing, but staring at nature triggers a slew of positive energy in your brain. Certainly you can spare ten minutes to go for a walk, or a few dollars for a little grocery store plant. At the very least, stare at a video of the rainforest for a few moments.
Crack Yourself Up
We all have a favorite website, comic, video series that is guaranteed to make us bust a gut laughing. Make a point of going there every day. Set your phone as a 10:30 a.m. coffee break reminder if you have to. Laughing shakes everything loose and redirects us towards positivity.
Compliment Somebody
Tell the cashier you love her nail polish, or tell your co-worker his tie is the most fabulous pattern you’ve ever seen. Random compliments can really brighten someone’s day, and it only takes a second – plus you will feel wonderful from the smile you will receive. Or send an encouraging message to someone you know who might be having a rough week. Send several.
Do Something Creative
It does not have to be fancy, or good, or anything you would ever show another human. Take five minutes to write a poem, doodle in a notebook, scribble in a journal. Anything that causes you to zone out and get into the creative headspace for a few moments is incredibly healthy. If writing makes you nervous, write something intentionally horrible. Write the world’s worst haiku about shoes, or an ode to your cat. Or doodle something as if your cat drew it. Anything and everything goes.
Work with Your Hands
Scrub the floor, wipe the kitchen counter, bake a pie, fold the laundry. Working with your hands is grounding and real and puts us back into the actual physical world. Plus, everyone feels a little more positive when the kitchen is clean.
Be Inspired
Read a great book, research something interesting online, or watch a TED Talk. Expanding your mind can inspire new ideas, and can lead you to a more positive outlook on everything.
You are Made of Stardust
Seriously – that is not hippie hokum, that is straight up science. We are all made up of elements of exploding stars. You can meditate on that regarding our fragility and momentary place in the universe, or you can just acknowledge it’s super cool. We are made of star guts. We are made of exploding rocks and fire. We are power. We are energy. How freakishly positive is that?
What do you do to bring positive energy into your day, and your life?
