Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Five Ways to Boost Your Positivity in 2021
Reading Time: 5 minutesIt’s easy to get down at the moment with lockdowns, cold weather and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But, it is possible to boost your positivity.
Here are five simple ways to boost your positivity in 2021.
- Why A Positive Mindset Can Help Your Finances
- Make Small Attainable Changes
- Therapy Can Help Including Couples Therapy
- Make a Ta-Dah List
- Boost Your Positivity By Reducing Your Screen Time
- Keep Active to Boost Your Positivity
.Why A Positive Mindset Can Help Your Finances
A positive mindset can benefit all aspect of your life, not least your finances!
Planning ahead and being well organised are both key to maintaining a healthy financial status. You are far more likely to do this if you feel positive about your present situation and excited about the future.
It’s difficult to be strict with your savings or thrifty with your shopping if you’re feeling negative. You may find yourself asking, ‘what’s the point?’. Or “I need a treat to cheer myself up”.
Being positive will also help you celebrate the small wins, which will help motivate you to keep going to meet your bigger targets, rather than just feeling disappointed about how far you still have to go.
These five tips to boost your productivity will not only have you feeling better about the current lockdown, but may have a transformative effect on your finances too.
Make Small Attainable Changes
Don’t wake up one morning deciding to change every aspect of your life and set yourself multiple challenges to complete. You’ll just be setting yourself up to fail!
Instead, look at small and realistic changes you can make that will make a real difference to your mindset.
Can you wake up 5 minutes earlier to give yourself time to eat breakfast before work? Or could you aim for 30 minutes of exercise twice a week? Try and think of one or two small things that could make a positive change to your mindset and make a plan to achieve these changes. If you want to start getting an hour of reading, writing, or exercise time in the morning – use 5-minute increments. Set your alarm 5 minutes earlier every couple of days and within a fortnight, you’re waking up an hour earlier without a struggle!
Whatever target you set yourself, you’ll feel much more positive when you manage it. Small changes can make a big difference to your lifestyle and your day to day outlook.
Therapy Can Help Including Couples Therapy
Sometimes an external perspective can help. Talking through your problems with someone else might make you see things from a different angle.
Additionally, therapists can give you specific coping strategies and techniques to help boost your positivity and get you through difficult situations. They’ll help you identify triggers that cause you to make reckless financial decisions – such as splurging on online shopping when you’ve had too much wine, or spending on branded items because you’re keeping up with the Joneses.
Being stuck at home all the time could well put pressure on your relationship. This is normal – you never expect to spend so much time with your partner, particularly under such stressful circumstances. However, this stress is now compounded with added financial difficulties – especially if one (or both) of you now work reduced hours or have been made redundant due to the pandemic. Arguing over who spends what, and when, is a common cause of couples strife.
Speaking about your concerns and problems with a neutral person present (or via video call) can help keep things non-confrontational and focused on finding positive solutions.
Many companies, like BetterHelp, offer couples therapy sessions and retreats.
Make a Ta-Dah List
Try to list 5 things you’ve managed to do each day. These can be as small as making your bed or going to the shop – the idea is simply to focus on the small victories. That’s why it’s a Ta-Dah list! You’ve managed to achieve them – so celebrate!
Scrolling through social media, it may seem like everyone else is managing to run 5 miles, work 8 hours, run a side business, home school their children and still find time to take perfect pictures.
Rationally, we all know this isn’t the case. But, you can get caught up in comparisons and overlook all the things you’ve managed to do. Listing 5 things you’ve accomplished each day will remind you of how much you’re actually doing.
There’s also no such thing as a small task at the moment. Even going to the shop can seem like a mission; you need to remember a face mask and hand sanitiser, and while you’re there stay on constant alert to keep 2 meters from other shoppers. Certainly not a task to be overlooked!
Some people also benefit from a daily gratitude practice. This is a similar principle, but rather than writing things you’ve accomplished, you note down three things you’re grateful for each day.
Your gratitudes can range from a beautiful sunset, to your friends or family, or even some positive feedback at work. This way you make sure to appreciate the little things.
Boost Your Positivity By Reducing Your Screen Time
Who else dreads the Monday morning screen time notification? With little else going on, it’s easy to spend hours glued to our screens. From smart phones to tablets and laptops, often we’re spending a lot of the day darting from one screen to the next.
This isn’t good for your mood. We’ve already discussed the dangers of social media comparisons, but this can’t be overstated.
A lot of people are unhappy in their current situation for a range of reasons, but you’re unlikely to see that on social media.
If you’re separated from your partner right now or going through a break up, is scrolling through Instagram and seeing pictures of happy couples going to boost your positivity or make you feel worse?
Reducing your screen time will also help you take a break from the news. Staying informed of current affairs and the latest guidance is very important. However, you can do this without being glued to the news 24 hours a day.
Taking time away will help remove you from all the negative stories and give you a much needed break to allow positive thoughts in instead.
Keep Active to Boost Your Positivity
Yes, going for a walk won’t magically make all your problems disappear. But it might make the world seem a little better!
If you’re looking for an extra boost, why not try smiling and saying hello to the people you pass. Cheery hellos from strangers can remind you that the world isn’t all bad. Smiling also naturally triggers a better mood – so if you want a joyful workout, watch a comedy film you love and laugh out loud!
You could always try a run or cycle if you prefer to get your heart rate up a bit more. Endorphins are proven to boost your mood and will help put a spring in your step for the rest of the day.
If you’re self-isolating or shielding, it’s still possible to keep active without leaving the house. There is a range of workouts available for free online to suit all abilities and forms of activity.
Yoga is particularly good if you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. The calming movements, combined with focusing on your breathing, can help to relax you and help you feel more positive.
Want to work out without feeling like you’re working out? Stick on your favourite music while you’re hoovering, doing the dishes, or tidying the house – and dance around! It makes chores more fun, raises your heart rate, and puts you in a great mood, too.
You can find more tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle from home here.
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- Mental Health and Money: Why Freelancers Need the Great Outdoors
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- 5 Steps to Curb Your Impulsive Spending Habits
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