Coping With Your Day: An Unusual Life Hack.

‘Why are you always smiling?’

That’s a question I hear often. People tend to assume that I have an easy life with no worries. Of course, that’s not the case. Who has an easy life, right?

The reason for my happiness is simple: I’m always looking for it, and when you’re looking for something, you’ll find it in anything and everything.

Let me give you an example.

My husband and I are becoming more environmentally conscious, and we have recently decided to try and survive with just one car. This usually works out well for us. School is only a 20-minute walk away, so we manage. However, last week, I needed something urgently from the shopping centre.

We’re still in the middle of a pandemic, so I’m avoiding people like the plague (pun intended), which means that public transport is not an option.

The only thing I could do was walk. 

Had this happened a few years ago, I would have probably complained about not having a car, pandemics, and aching feet. The foul mood would then have affected me for the rest of the day.

However, I’m no longer that person.

It was a beautiful day, so I was happy to walk in the sunshine, get some exercise and vitamin D. Living in England, I don’t take the sun for granted like I did in Malta. I wandered about and found a shortcut, which I never would have found had I used the car. As my feet got sore from all the walking, I was grateful that at least I could walk, and I managed to get everything done. I also discovered a few more shops which would come in handy in the future. 

Change your attitude and you change your life.

A shift in perspective changes your attitude, and a positive attitude impacts your mental health. 

Sometimes it’s hard to see the beauty of things. I understand that this won’t come easily or naturally to people who are struggling with life at the moment. When I first started doing this, I couldn’t find anything to be grateful about other than the usual health and family, but now, I find reasons to be happy in everything, as you just saw.

I’m even thankful for bad experiences because I then use them in discussions with my children. I tell them how I felt at the time, how I dealt with things, and we discuss whether or not I did the right thing. I want them to realise that they will face adversity, and I want them to be able to come to me when they do. Such episodes are just another instance that brings us closer together.

I don’t believe that things happen for a reason, but I do believe that you can find reasons for what happened and turn them into something positive.

Four easy ways to develop an attitude of gratitude.

Here are four common ways which people use to change their attitude. You can implement them all, or you can choose the ones which best suit your style and personality:

1. Start a gratitude journal. This works for a lot of people. It doesn’t work for me because, ironically, I don’t like to write in journals. However, instead of writing, I find a peaceful spot every morning and find reasons to be grateful.
2. Celebrate the small wins. Instead of solely focusing on achieving one large goal, set smaller goals to help you along the way, and celebrate every time you overcome another hurdle. This will keep your motivation charged, and it will help you remain positive along the way.
3. Expressing your gratitude to others. Show your loved ones why and how much you are grateful for what they do for you. This has the added benefit of having a positive impact on others and not just yourself.
4. Meditate. Because, why would you not want to start the day with a bit of peace, quiet, and introspection?

Ok, I’m realistic. My main readers are mums, and I can already imagine you saying ‘try meditating when you haven’t slept all night and the baby is shrieking already.’

I get it. You might not be able to do all four of these every day. But, you’ll be able to do at least one. Start from that one and work your way up.

Conclusion.

Being positive makes it harder for negative thoughts to take hold. This doesn’t mean you will not have bad days, or that you won’t be allowed the occasional pity party. Bad days will happen. Sometimes you will need to lick your wounds. But, when you’re grateful, positive and optimistic, you’ll find it easier to bounce back, and because of this, you’ll end up making huge progress in your journey.

I wish you all a pleasant weekend, and for those of you celebrating Mother’s Day tomorrow: Happy Mother’s Day! x