January is here, 2020 has passed, and the world is busy dreaming up new year resolutions to fulfill in the months ahead. For people all around the world, 2020 was, to put it mildly, a difficult year. The global coronavirus pandemic completely derailed normal life as many of us found ourselves confined to our residence or closed spaces with restricted socialization. As we enter  2021, I think the number one resolution on everyone’s list should be to embrace a more positive mindset. If there’s anything last year taught us, it’s that  the right mindset can create resilience and have a  positive  impact on our overall mood.

As the saying goes, “life is what you make of it”. In the majority of cases, our mindset matters more to our overall happiness than our actual circumstances. So, forget about losing those extra pounds, training for a marathon or starting a juice detox. Change starts from within, and with these three unique and unusual tips for embracing positive thinking, you’re sure to see a difference in your overall happiness in 2021.

1. Is the glass half full or half empty? Realign your thinking!

We all know the classic test used to gage outlook; if you fill a glass up halfway, optimists will say it’s half full while pessimists will insist that it’s half empty (and perhaps realists will regard it as being at 50% capacity!). It’s a simple way of indicating a much deeper truth; the way we view things personally impacts the way the world seems to us. In both the previous scenarios, the amount of water in the glass doesn’t change – the only thing that’s altered is the perspective. That’s why readjusting your thinking to a more positive stance can have such a massive impact on your overall life, even if nothing else has changed in the physical, material world.

Of course, realigning your thinking doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re the kind of person who steps in a puddle and thinks “just my luck” – it’s going to take time to retrain your brain to a place where you can step in a puddle and think “oh well, accidents happen”. The good news, however, is that it is possible. And the number one way to do it is much simpler than you think. It doesn’t require smiling all the time, singing cheerily in the mornings or pretending you’re happy when you’re not. Instead, the simple and easy trick for being more positive is to practice gratitude.

At the start and end of every day, try listing three different things you are grateful for. These could be big and important things like your loved ones or your job or your health, but over time you’ll likely find that you’ll start feeling thankful for smaller, more everyday things – whether it’s a beautiful sunny day, a delicious, healthy lunch or a warm comfy bed. When we practice gratitude, we start to change our perspective where we begin to  notice the good rather than the bad. You stop dwelling on the niggly things that went wrong in your day, and instead feel happy and grateful for all the precious moments that make life special. Try it for two weeks and see if you don’t feel more positive!

2. Live in the moment! Let go of your worries and be present

Worry and stress must be the number one causes of discontent in the whole world. Our modern environment has only exacerbated this fact; with everyone we know contactable 24/7 through the internet, the never-ending news cycle always running and emails landing in our inbox at all hours of the night, is it any surprise we feel ill at ease?

Worry generally relates to matters of the past or the future; we stress about something we said that was wrong or embarrassing a few days ago – we worry about how we’ll handle an upcoming problem and how things might play out afterwards. The irony, of course, is that whatever the problem, it’s rarely playing out in our present moment.

Learning to stay in the present is no  easy feat, but it’s one worth mastering. We cannot revise our past and we cannot predict or control the future – so what’s the point adding more pain to your life by stressing about the things that you can’t control? Of course, while this is easy to accept rationally, in practice it becomes a little more difficult.

To learn to become more present, I recommend regular mediation – this will help you to take back control of your mind. Learn to observe what you’re doing, be in the moment – not in your head. Naturally you will slip up and fall back into worrying, but when this happens try to stop, take stock and reset. Over time, you’ll find that you’re living your life more fully, positively and with less stress. than 

3. Do what you love – be kind to yourself!

Last, but certainly not least, on the list is to make time for things you enjoy and be kind to yourself. As they say, do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. Of course,  getting a job you love can be a challenge and sometimes financial situations necessitate working in a field you wouldn’t necessarily chose. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t still make time for indulging the things that make you happy.

Self-care is a greatly overlooked asset when it comes to being positive. Very often, we’re unkind to ourselves without really knowing it. We berate ourselves when we make mistakes and forget to pay attention when we’re doing good or kind things. When it comes to what others think of us, we focus on the negative and forget the positive. That’s why taking time regularly, every week, to do something you love that makes you happy is such a powerful thing; whether it’s cooking, creating, getting out for a run or staying in to curl up with your favorite book, it’s essential that you make time for  yourself.

Another great way to be kind to yourself is to reward yourself. Mark all achievements in your life, both big and small – did you send a friend a kind message today? Get all your work done ahead of schedule? Manage to complete a chore you’ve been putting off? Great work – now celebrate it!

You could treat yourself to candy, a glass of wine, or a day off. Whatever works for you.  And don’t forget to consider positivity-enhancing gifts for an extra boost too! You could try gemstone jewelry associated with positive thinking (such as amethyst, quartz or peridot), essential oils and candles known for their soothing benefits (we like uplifting scents like orange or calming ones like lavender), or maybe you could even splash out on a massage to help relieve some of the tension you hold in your body.

Following these three steps requires time and concentration, but learning to be grateful, present and kind to yourself will transform your life and overall thinking if practiced consistently. For a beginning boost, why not treat yourself to some good vibes by browsing our gemstone jewelry here.