Quick! Change Your Mood!

If you’re feeling negative and grumpy today, here are some ways to turn on positivity:

1) use deep-breathing exercises to reduce stress. The slow, rhythmic breathing will calm you down and the extra oxygen raises alertness;

2) get moving. Even a quick 15-to 20-minute workout is enough to produce mood-elevating endorphins;

3) push away and tune out negative influences. Read or engage in something that uplifts and inspires you instead;

4) “Fake it ’til you make it.” Enthusiastically engage a friend or coworker and put your focus on brightening his or her day. You’ll find that cheering others up cheers YOU up as well; and, 5) make a quick “gratitude list.” Nothing shrinks upsetting events to a manageable size like focusing on what you are thankful for in your life.

 

Work-Life Balance: Define Your Targets

Achieving better work-life balance doesn’t have to be as difficult as it appears. Focusing on too big a picture of what you want rather than on specific, targeted goals - one small goal at a time - will get you to your bigger goal faster. Set aside the next 90 days to work on balance. Identify specific activities in the most valued parts of your life. Target the “want” - fun time, relationships, personal, exercise, family, etc. Write down what and when specific things will happen. Balance is not about divvying up time and allotting percentages. It’s about doing things to match your values - those things you hold dear, the things that really matter to you.

 

How to Be More Optimistic

Humans are naturally optimistic, so don’t be fooled into thinking that this positivity trait can’t be learned. Plenty of research indicates optimists tend to enjoy better physical and mental health, so it’s worth giving it a try. Begin by committing to becoming aware of negative self-talk in the face of disappointments or how you play down anticipated rewards from personal efforts you undertake. For example, “I knew we would lose the contract” or “We won the contract, but now we’re in trouble with all this hard work.” Many opportunities exist to exercise your negative self-talk reflexes, but paying attention to your habit of anticipating negative outcomes or minimizing the value of positive events will give you the opportunity to create significant change. Next, keep a journal of negative utterances for a couple of days. Make a note every two to three hours. An alarm on your smart phone or computer, or even a string on your finger will keep you on task. Notice the lack of value in this defeatism, and how you become quickly motivated to conquer this limiting pattern. Now try the reverse. Catch yourself turning on your optimism. It will feel awkward at first, but fight this natural resistance until you discover the new you. Whether you hit a red traffic light or drop mustard on your blouse, learn to see optimism as a counterforce to the everyday disappointments that we all experience.

 

 

 

馬上行動！改善你的情緒！

如果你今天心情低落，感到暴躁，不妨試試以下幾個方法來提升情緒：

1)   運用深呼吸來舒緩壓力：

緩慢、有節奏的呼吸能讓你靜下心來，而多吸入的氧氣能提升你的靈敏度。

2)   動起來：

即使短短十五至二十分鐘的運動就足以讓身體產生提升情緒的腦內啡。

3)   拋開且忽略負面的影響：

從事閱讀或能提升與鼓舞情緒的活動。

4)   「演久便能成真」：

熱心地找個朋友或同事，將你的心力投注在讓他或她有美好的一天上。你會發現，讓別人快樂的同時，你也快樂了起來。

5)   寫下你的「感謝清單」：

想將令人沮喪的局面轉化可掌控處理的狀態，沒有什麼比專注思考你生命中該感謝的人事物更好的辦法。

 

工作與生活的平衡：認清你的目標

達到工作與生活的平衡並不如看起來那麼困難。與其聚焦在過大的遠景，不如專心於特定的目標，一次完成一個小目標，你就能更快實現你的遠大目標。在未來的九十天，以工作與生活達到平衡為目標，找出你生活中最具價值的特定活動，定位「想要達到的」娛樂活動、人際關係、個人目標、運動、家庭關係等等。寫下要達成這些目標的方法並訂下時間點。達成平衡並非意味著分配時間或比例，而是要完成符合你價值觀的事情─照顧到那些你珍視、在乎的人事物。

 

積極樂觀之道

人生而積極樂觀，因此不要有無法學會這種積極特質的誤解。眾多研究顯示。積極向上者的身心健康狀況通常都較為良好，所以此法絕對值得你一試。就從察覺面對失望情況的負面自我談話，或在你努力過後結局卻不如預期的情況開始。舉例來說，「我知道我們會失去這份合約」或「我們拿到合約了，但現在我們得面對龐大的工作量」。許多機會就存在於對練習負面自我談話的反應，然而透過觀察自己預測事情的負面結果或小覷積極活動價值的習慣，就能讓你有創造重大改變的機會。下一步，花幾天的時間記錄下負面的言論，每兩三個小時就做一次筆記。利用智慧型手機或電腦上的鬧鐘提醒，或是在手指上綁條繩子都有助於持續記錄工作。請注意到此種失敗主義論無任何價值可言，並且發現你能多快速地激勵自己克服這種侷限自我的狀態。現在，請反之而行，記錄下讓自己積極正面的自我談話。一開始會覺得彆扭，但務必克服這種本能抵抗，直到你發掘新的自己。無論是遇到紅燈或是把芥末滴到襯衫上，要學會正向思考以對抗每天都會經歷的失望感受。