TL;DR: National Positive Thinking Day is an annual holiday that celebrates positivity. It’s also our launch day! To celebrate here’s some techniques to up your positivity levels:
- Reframing
- Be Aware of Automatic Reactions
- Visualisation
Down at the Positive House, we’ve been specially marking the date Monday September 13th, 2021 on our collective calendars. Not only is it our launch day, (link to launch article) it also happens to be National Positive Thinking Day.
What is National Positive Thinking Day?
Positive Thinking Day is all about encouraging Positive Thinking (who would’ve guessed!) There are a lot of stresses, anxieties and generally negative thoughts we all internalise and process in our everyday lives. Thoughts and feelings that inflate tincy, tiny grievances into behemoth balloon-sized worries. You might know what it’s like. Little things pile up and go wrong, and the more we think of them in a negative light, the more they build into genuine tension.
What’s so great about Positive Thinking Day is that it’s just a little lesson in turning our negatives into positives. A glass smashes? Hey, more room in the cupboard! You can’t find your phone charger? Well, what a great opportunity to get away from your screen for a bit. Of course, these are all small things. But if little negatives tend to build up and go from worthless irritations to genuine frustrations, then why can’t we do the same with little positives? Instead of sweating the little stuff, let’s celebrate them!
Positive Thinking in the Fight Against Lockdown Blues
The last year-and-a-half hasn’t been helpful for positivity. We’ve found ourselves often isolated, locked away and fragmented, with reports of high anxiety induced both by lockdown and the prospect of re-socialising. But as the sun begins to shine once more, as we leave our homes to savour in its glow, we can take Positive Thinking Day as an important reminder to shed our anxieties. Especially when considering the health reasons for doing so.
A wide range of studies show that positive thinking and the relief of stress can be massively beneficial in lowering the risk of heart disease. Studies also indicate that positive thinking can increase your life expectancy and lower depression. Another important study to consider, especially as we enter back into the world again, is the link between positive think and the increase in resistance to the common cold. When stress is the killer, positive thinking is the cure.
How Can We Be More Positive?
So, we’ve established that Positive Thinking Day is about trying to turn those negative thoughts into positive ones. But how exactly do we do that? How do we prevent becoming overwhelmed by negativity? Well, one that we’ve already touched upon is the idea of “reframing”. Reframing is a key practice within the therapeutic field known as cognitive behavioural therapy (or CPT to make things easier). According to clinical psychologist Regine Galanti, Ph.D, “The idea of reframing your thoughts starts with accepting that not all your thoughts are true just because you have them […] A thought is like a pair of sunglasses. If you look at the world through sunglasses, things look a little different. Reframing your thoughts is like taking off your sunglasses or putting on another pair with a different lens. You’re asking, ‘How can I look at this a different way?’ It’s all about changing that perspective.
Another technique for positive thinking is to be aware of your automatic reactions. This is not unlike the act of reframing. In fact, awareness is a key component of reframing. If you take a moment to notice when you’re thinking negatively, then you might be able to take a step back and look for the positive in the situation, rather than getting bogged down in all the little nuisances we’re bound to face through the day. It’s a bit like observing your situation from outside yourself. For instance, how would you talk your friend or loved one through a negative thought? Surely you would look for the positives to help them better understand that the situation often isn’t so bad. By bringing that level of awareness to our own life, we can start to enact positivity into our everyday experiences, and eventually begin to shift our automatic reactions from glass half-empty to glass half-full.
The last technique is maybe the most difficult, but it doesn’t mean we can’t all try it. It’s sort of like meditating. Fear is generally thought of as one of the key emotions feeding into negative thoughts. If you want to fight away fear, then the meditative practice of simply closing your eyes and visualising your stress and fear as real things, before watching them fade away (one neat trick is to imagine them as dirt on a window, made bright clear and clear as you wash the fear away). If you find that this simpler meditation works for you, then that could lead you down the path to even more engaging meditative exercises and progressive mindfulness.
Why We Should Be Optimistic About the Future
The last year-and-a-half has served up plenty of reasons to feel down and generally negative in our outlook. It’s seemed impossible to get away from bad news at home and abroad. But we can celebrate the fact that things are, in many ways, getting better and brighter. As vaccinations roll out and businesses open back up, the world seems to be finding its feet again. And maybe, with all that staying at home, we’ve collectively learned to appreciate those little freedoms even more, contributing to a more positive everyday outlook. Simple acts like grabbing a drink with friends, a good meal out, and being close to your loved ones again. It’s felt not unlike the world having been shut down for an infinite-feeling amount of time. But now, as we awaken to a new day, people are again beginning to connect.
Positive’s Mission to Connect People
Here at Positive we especially like that idea of connection. I mean, we connect you to the internet. But it’s more than that. Good internet connection is more important than ever, as people begin to awaken to a new appreciation for how quick life can come to an abrupt and unexpected stop. Connecting to the internet is just the medium through which we can most easily connect to each other. That’s why we celebrate the everyday connections people make. The uninterrupted moments that form the foundations of our communities. Positive’s commitment is to the people. Our goal has always been to assure that, no matter where your community is based, you have access to quality internet, so that you never miss out on an opportunity to connect. This is our mission because we know that we can’t create those magical connections, only you can do that. What we can do is make sure that you have the most reliable and fastest internet for your area, so that you can access the unforgettable.
How to Celebrate National Positive Thinking Day
So, now you’re probably wondering how do people even celebrate Positive Thinking Day? Well, besides just thinking positively. But there are methods, like the ones above, that we can use to enact positivity in our daily lives. You can practice positive affirmations, by reminding yourself of how great the little everyday things that bring you a smile are. You can show gratitude for those simple things. Try not to be so hard on yourself. And most importantly, make sure to connect with a loved one! By all of these things on September 13th, maybe we can all learn to inject a bit of positivity into every day, for ourselves and those around us.
Oh, and don’t forget to check out Positive’s new website and social media pages; Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin, for more guides to positivity and generally uplifting content!
You can also sign up to our newsletter here for more positive affirmations, awesome deals and informative guides.
