During the winter months, it’s normal to feel depressed or stressed and anxious about what to do out there. Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) when the daylight hours are shorter and the weather is colder. SAD can make people depressed and anxious.
There are many things we can all do to be more positive and upbeat. Here are some steps you can take to bring more positivity and peace into your life and spread these qualities around.
- Create a positive environment for yourself
You have to start with yourself to create an uplifting environment for people. After all, if you’re blue and unhappy, spreading positive energy won’t be easy—or indeed possible.
First, practice good self-care. Get enough sleep. Eat well. Wear clothes that make you feel good and comfortable.
Secondly, create something in your life it will bring you joy. In our busy lives, this can take some effort. List the five happiest times in your life. Consider those times. Is there a common denominator? Did you learn something? Do you meet new people? Whatever it is, you need more in your life right now.
Perhaps your happiest moments are related to travel or music. If they did, you should add more travel or music to your life.
- Develop strategies to help people
People who are positively affects other people considered useful. Help can be something as simple as providing useful information that someone else doesn’t have. For example, explaining how to make spreadsheets at work or sharing your grandmother’s recipe for raspberry jam. You make it clear that you enjoy sharing information and seeing a positive impact in the lives of others.
You can help people by connecting with them emotionally. You can throw a party to introduce your friends to someone new to the area. You can relate to the love of off-road cycling. Emotional connection is an important part of connecting with another.
How about a holiday karaoke party to add more fun to the lives of everyone invited? Normally, we don’t think of parties as part of the “helping people” category. But in reality, you bring joy to the lives of others.
- Build mutually beneficial relationships
People like to have good things happen to them. You like good things to happen to you, right? Having this seemingly simple understanding can help you in one of the steps that will increase your positive impact on the lives of others and on your own – building mutually beneficial relationships.
Let’s say you and your colleague are both working late to catch up on emails and backorders. You can never go out with your friends these evenings, which is annoying for both of you.
What if you made a strategic plan to give both of you a break from time to time? Maybe you both decide that Tuesday and Wednesday will be just one of you and you’ll both do your own thing. In other words, on Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week, A stays longer and does all the work. B rests those nights and does what he wants. Get more sleep. Singing karaoke. Watch golf. Then during the second week, B stays longer and does all the work on those days. This time A’s chance to go home and do whatever he wants to do.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own self-centered bubbles and forget the needs of others. We may think our relationships are healthy, but in reality they are stale and average. There can be a lot of things out there.
As humans, we have innate tendencies that make maintaining mutually beneficial relationships more difficult than we realize. Active listening is difficult for us. We have wants to control situations and always be right. It takes serious introspection to step back and examine how you could be a better friend, colleague, or acquaintance. However, if you do, your relationship will be richer and more rewarding.
4. Influence
There’s an old saying, “Be the change you want to see.” It’s also a great idea to be positive about what you want to see. Create a more positive environment for yourself and others. It is 100% worth the time and care.
