It’s great seeing all the ‘Back to School’ photos on social media – new uniforms (often a little too big), shiny happy (tanned) faces and a fresh new feel to the year. This year, we have the sun too to make everything look a little bit brighter.
But how do you harness this as we go forward into the short, chilly days of Autumn?
My approach (because I hate being cold and in the dark), is to focus on all the pretty bits of Autumn. In effect, I practice gratitude. It really helps me not to feel grumpy at the upcoming darkness of winter, something I struggle with. One year, I did a photo journal every day which forced me to find something great to look at and share. In hindsight, it lifted my mood and found 365 things I was thankful and grateful for.
You don’t have to get your phone out and take nerdy photos if you don’t want to 🙂 there’s more subtle ways to give thanks rather than focus on the negative. Here’s an article on how to get teenagers involved.
But why bother focussing on things to be grateful for?
Our brains are trained to look negative things because it needs to keep us safe. It’s easy to overlook the good stuff because that’s not going to harm us. BUT when we do, there are all sorts of health benefits including better sleep, a release of serotonin and dopamine which in turn reduces stress and the list goes on. Here’s an article about the benefits.
This doesn’t need to be a big thing. Sally and I just had a quick exchange about what we are grateful for, we smiled and then went back to our business. Whenever I’m feeling pants, this is the first thing Sally asks me. You can record it of course, but sharing it is just as good. It also gives you an opportunity to stop AND share a lovely moment. Win, win, win 🙂
So let’s get thinking about the good things in life. This could be in the form of questions for your family – what was one thing you were grateful for today? – has an openness that could resonate with everyone, but not too vast a question (think ‘How was your day?’). It cheers everyone up and makes subtle but effective differences to our state of mind.
SUE
Owner of Red Bird Tutoring
Sue launched Red Bird Tutoring in 2018, combining her 20+ years experience as a teacher and school leader with her interest in coaching.
Since its launch, Red Bird has helped hundreds of learners achieve success!