Tag: Work

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Stuck in a Mental Rut? 3 Reasons to Stay Positive

Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you ever feel like every step you take feels harder than the last? Sometimes we think that the world is against us and wonder ‘why me?’ as we forget an important deadline at work or lock the keys in the car.

With the growth of social media, I see countless numbers of people complain about how difficult things are and how they wish things were better.

Well, do something about it. You are the only person that you can control and staying as positive as possible during those tough times can seem like the only thing that can keep you sane.

Here are a few reasons why you should choose to be a Positive Pam instead of a Negative Nancy.

1. According to Mayo Clinic, there are several different health reasons why you should try to stay positive. You can live longer, resist the common cold better, lower rates of depression and you will be less stressed.

In an article by American Psychological Association, they state that “44 percent report that their stress levels have increased over the past five years.”

2. When you are a positive thinker, you will naturally attract other positive people and situations.

If you have a lot of negative things happening to you, or a lot of negative people around you, then it is probably a good time for a change.

Drama attracts drama.

Negativity attracts negativity. But the good thing is positivity attracts positivity. Guess what? Being a positive person is an attractive quality that everybody should want to be around.

3. You will be more productive and perform at a higher optimal rate if you are positive.

This links to the other reasons above.

If you are less stressed, physically healthy and have people to support you in a positive manner when you need it the most, you will most likely be more successful in your endeavors.

Don’t get me wrong, you can still check off things on your to-do list when you have strep throat, knots in your shoulders and while fighting with your spouse.

But we all can agree that we aren’t able to give our 110 percent. Being positive can help you achieve higher levels in your career and reach your aspirations

So, the next time that you are struggling and choose to post on Facebook about it, or make the mistake of gossiping next to the water cooler, I challenge you to think about it.

Think about the potential ramifications of attracting the drama, the increase of stress and the potential of getting sick, which will only make things worse.

Know that you are a strong person and things will be OK.

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Unoccupied and Unplugged

Imagine you are sitting in a room. It is a plain room; there is not much to look at. Your phone is dead, your computer is in the other room and you cannot seem to figure out what to do with your time. You could leave, but you really don’t feel like getting up and walking around the room.

Pacing is ill-advised.

But you get fidgety, you can’t seem to keep your leg still. Your knee bounces under your palm, and your pesky laundry list of to-do items starts to lean heavily against the back of your eyes.

Photo credit: Micky Aldridge, Creative Commons, Original Photo
Photo credit: Micky Aldridge, Creative Commons, Original Photo

 

The list only grows: grocery shopping, homework, cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, going to the gym, etc. The list runs further down your throat until it nearly suffocates you.

The anxiety kicks in and you can’t help but wonder how many minutes have gone by. Three minutes. You groan in boredom before kicking to your feet and leaving the room.

No one is safe from the desire to avoid boredom. We are raised to believe that boredom is high up on the list when it comes to failure. Even learning how to lucid dream has become so popular, we are no longer allowed to merely sleep. We have to be doing things at all times.

Flappy Bird, Candy Crush and, well, any Facebook game, seem to only fuel our restlessness. Today, we can no longer sit in a room and merely be bored, wasting time.

Even simple tasks are being sung as wasteful. As if time itself is this finite resource that we must suck dry like all other pleasures this planet gives us.

We are wasting time walking from one college building to the next, we must be on our smartphones- Tweeting, texting or Vining.

We have been conditioned with the gut reaction to occupy ourselves. We cannot even watch television anymore without computers on our laps or iPhones with Instagram and Snapchat.

But what if we reject that idea? In the age of computers and flat screen televisions, I urge you to join me in an experiment.

Imagine and consider taking a single chunk of 10 minutes out of your day and simply be bored. Be brave with me, defiantly shut your computer and turn your phone on silent in the next room.

Face the intimidating silence of your mind.