The Power of Positivity

I’m not going to lie-I am a very positive person. I am often described as optimistic and upbeat, always full of energy. So when I saw the book “Positivity” by Barbara Fredrickson PhD in the public library I knew I wanted to read it-as it claimed to provide a scientific explanation of why positive emotions are so important and how they can be used to overcome negativity and flourish in life. Fredrickson has the neat job of being a professor and “principal investigator of positive emotion and psychophysiology laboratory of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill”

She does not adapt the “Pollyanna view” of 100% positivity 100% of the time. Rather she acknowledges the entire spectrum of human emotions and says life is sweetest when your positivity to negativity ratio is 3 to 1. So for every negative emotion you have you have at least 3 positive emotions. This ratio does not have to be achieved at all moments, or even once a day, but rather when looking at the larger scheme of things.

Positivity is a renewable resource. You can seed more of it in your life, and as those seeds grow you flourish.

There are 10 main forms of positivity: Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe and Love. Everyone experiences them slightly differently, and different actions/events/items can lead to these emotions, but they are universal.

When you think about these emotions, ask yourself: “When was the last time you felt one of these emotions? Where was I? What was I doing? What gives me this feeling?” recognizing these things can help to bring awareness to what fills you with positivity.

I agree with her tips to increase positivity, including:

Count Your Blessings-What do you appreciate, and feel truly grateful for? Expressing that graditude in words or actions will help boost both your mood and their giver of such blessings.

Follow Your Passions: If you are living a passionate life, where you follow activities that you find fun and enjoyable you are more likely to have more positive thoughts.

Dream about your Future: Think of the best possible outcome of the next couple years. Where would you like to be in 5 years? Visualizing this wonderful future can help you bring these dreams into reality

Connect with Others: You don’t have to do this alone. Building trusting, warm relationships with others will help you grow as a person. I know if I’m having a bad day, even if all I want to do is crawl back to my room, seeing someone I care about and who supports me always makes things better.

Connect with Nature: There’s nothing like fresh air, trees, even just plain green grass to ground you back to the present. Stop to smell the flowers. Take a walk around the block, even if it’s snowing.

Make Gratitude a Ritual- Notice the gifts that you are given daily by taking the time to record them, in a gratitude journal, or even just creating a word document of things to be grateful for.

Practice Loving-Kindness meditation: Taking 10 minutes a day to project positive aspirations and thoughts out into the world is way to increase mindfulness and positivity. Read the post I wrote for the Me Movement on Meditation.

If you want to know what your positivity ratio is right now, head over to www.positivityratio.com and take a few moments to reflect over your day. I also recommend the website www.authentichappiness.com which helps to identify your top strengths and how you can help them grow.

I challenge you to this week notice more positive things about your life. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of your body or your relationship with food, accentuate the positive. Now is the time to flourish! Remember this quote by Diane Ackerman:

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.”

What fills you with Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe and Love today?

Your flaws are flawless.

Thank you, Caitlin Crosby for creating this beautiful song and video.

We couldn't agree more!

Be Good to your Temple

"Our body is a vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” - Buddha

by: Stephanie Horton

Body Image is powerful thought processes that can either bring you joy or present you with struggle. Negative body image has the potential to result in life-threatening conditions such as eating disorders, and today, millions of Americans are unhappy with their bodies. In fact, 80% of American women are dissatisfied with their appearance, and even scarier, 80% of children who are ten years old are afraid of being fat. 80%!!!! That is an incredibly large and disheartening number. We are living in a time when poor body image is eating us alive as it causes many to live without eating.

It’s time we start a body image revolution.

As many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life or death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Even though eating disorders are the leading killers among the mental illnesses, they receive the least amount of funding compared to other psychological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Schizophrenia. If you'd like to get involved and help in the fight against eating disorders, visit The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) website for more information.

The path to self-love is no well-traveled road with signs and lane dividers. It can be dark at times, bright at others, but it’s always easy to get lost. We all encounter obstacles during the ride, but the destination remains the same: The point at which we treat ourselves with respect and gratitude.
Here are a few tips for celebrating yourself and your body:

1. Be committed to yourself - Everything starts at home, so work on loving yourself first.
2. View popular media with a critical eye, and remember that media is a story - not reality.
3. Write a letter to a company you think is doing a great job with advertising by providing inspiring messages that encourage the natural diversity of human beings. One of my favorites is Dove!
   
4. List 5 things about yourself that make you smile.
5. Look in the mirror and say, “I love my -fill in the blank-.”

The Secrets of Attractiveness

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day, For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.”-Audrey Hepburn

I love this quote by the lovely Miss Hepburn, because as much as I believe in treating yourself well, I believe it is equally important to share that love with others. Service, to those you love, or total strangers, helps to build your strength, and appreciation for what you have even more. It takes you out of any current obsession you might have with your body or food, and brings you back to the bigger picture. It’s hard to worry about the shape of your thighs when they are helping you carry huge crates of donated food in a soup kitchen. Worries about jiggling arms disappear when you are hugging a crying friend. So while we make 2011 a year of self-care, let’s also think about those who made need our help a little. If you need some jumping off points start here:

· Donate a few hours a week to a local children’s hospital

· Bag donations at a food shelter

· Volunteer on a suicide or eating disorder hotline

· Play with abandoned animals at your local shelter

· Offer to listen to a friend who may be struggling right now

By caring for others I hope that you will also learn how to care for yourself. Here’s to self-discovery through service.

Have you ever found that volunteering helps to boost your self-esteem and self-confidence?

I love my sore legs!

"I love my sore legs" - Missy Giordiano

Fall Seven Times - Stand up Eight

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! -H.D. Thoreau

By: Stephanie Horton

I never used to make New Year's resolutions. Not because I thought I had nothing to improve upon, absolutely not. But because I was extremely afraid of failing, which would undoubtedly cause even more pain than the characteristic I was initially trying to resolve.

What is it about failure that causes such fear and angst? Is it the the way we feel failure portrays us to others? Or is it the reflection we encounter each morning? Why is failure so scary when in fact it can be so incredibly educational?

For every single achievement, I have made at least one mistake. And with that thought in mind, I am going to allow myself to set a few goals for the New Year without fear of failing. My first and foremost goal is to remain positive about myself and my life through whatever may come my way whether it be luck or struggle. If we let fear of failure take the reigns of our lives, surely only destruction will follow. Failure is inevitable, but defeat is optional.

Be guiltless this year. Make these 365 days ones of risk & triumph, trial & error, and of course, enjoy the days and be well!

What will you do today that scares you a little?

Celebrate Achievements

While I may not be a fan of New Years resolutions, I do believe one thing we can all bring into 2011 is the ability to celebrate and acknowledge our achievements. Acknowledging achievement on a daily basis is a fantastic way to develop self esteem. You are great, and it's time to let the world know

• Reflect Take a moment to relax and write down your achievements of the day. Can be small like getting to work on time, walking the dog.

• Shout it! Tell your friends, tell the twitterverse, post it on facebook, write a blog post, write a letter to an old friend and supporter!
• Take a compliment-instead of shrugging away a compliment, say thank you.
• Celebrate the little things: Change happens one step at a time, you won’t reach your goals within a matter of days. Appreciate and celebrate every step you take no matter how small it may be.
• Don't forget to take care of you. Give yourself rest and take time for yourself.

Now's your time to shine! What are you proud of today?