There are lots of things we underestimate in this world, the biggest is probably ourselves - our own abilities, our worthiness, our attractiveness, our place in the world.
If your life isn’t quite what you thought it would be and you want to make changes here are 7 things that are readily available to us all at little or no cost that have more power than most of us realise.
It can feel like making changes in your life is too difficult and overwhelming but here are 7 simple, easy to do things that we should never underestimate the power of..
Some of them seem so simple that they are easy to dismiss as simplistic and airy-fairy. But that’s the beauty of them, they are simplistic and yet they can have a huge impact on you, and the life you are living, in such a positive way, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing them all along.
Discover Why We Should Never Underestimate the Power of…
1. Positive Thinking – Undeniably my number 1.
Positive thinking can get a bad rap, as people often mistake it for ‘putting on a happy face’ when everything is going wrong. But that is not at all what positive thinking is. Adopting a positive attitude not only makes you a happier person in general, but the positive thinker is more likely to notice the positive things that happen each day, the more positive things we see happening the happier we become and so begins the cycle. Positive thinking also helps when life throws us a curve ball, as people with this attitude are more likely to look for solutions rather than getting caught up with, and over thinking the problem. Click here to order Positive Thinking for Beginners
2. Meditation
It has been well documented that mediation has all sorts of benefits, both for the mind and the body, yet so many of us fail to incorporate it in our daily routine. If you think you don’t have time to meditate or that it’s too difficult, then think again. There is an old Zen Adage that states “You should sit in meditation for 10 minutes a day. Unless you are too busy then you should sit for one hour.” The more we don’t think we have time for it is when we need it most. It doesn’t have to take much time - just 5 minutes each day is enough for you to start seeing and feeling the benefits. If you struggle to mediate, try an app or a YouTube video guided meditation.
3. Gratitude
I missed this one completely the last time I did a blog like this, which is crazy, it’s so powerful, yet is it so simple it gets forgotten about and we start to take things for granted. When we wake ourselves up to all the things we have in life to be grateful for, we start to feel good inside, we gain a new outlook, a new perspective that makes us see even more things to be grateful for. And before we know it our life is overflowing with beautiful things and wonderful people that want the best for us and help and support is to follow our dreams and passions. Start by keeping a gratitude journal, write down 3-5 things each morning or evening (or both) that you are grateful for.
4. Yoga
Yoga is like a one stop shop for mind and body. It will help you lose weight, tone muscles, improve flexibility, help posture, ease backpain, aid your digestive system, boost heart health, reduce inflammation, the list of physical benefits goes on and on. But Yoga doesn’t just help you physically, its mental health benefits are just as plentiful… Yoga is known to reduce anxiety, act as a natural anti-depressant, have a calming effect, be a mood lifter, provide stress relief, increase self-confidence, improve sleep. (please check with your doctor before starting any new exercise, whilst yoga may be gentle I wouldn’t want you to injure yourself.)
Here are a couple of links to my favorite YouTube yoga videos
5. Living in the moment
Also known as mindfulness, often mistaken for Mediation. Have you ever noticed how often we are thinking about what we have got to do or what we plan to do instead of what we are actually doing at that moment? We have so much to fit in to our days that we are always thinking one, two or three steps ahead. What if we planned our day in such a way that it allowed us to be 100% present in all that we do? Spending ten minutes in the morning planning what we need to do means we can be present and enjoy life, it means we don’t have to miss any of the little things that can turn out to be wonderful moments and live in our memories forever.
6. Doing something kind for someone.
They say there is no such thing as a selfless act of kindness, every time we try to do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return, we automatically feel good. Making someone else happy, taking away their stress, making them smile has just as big an effect on the person giving as the person receiving. So if you ever want an instant pick-me-up, go do something nice for someone else and reap the benefits. It’s a win-win!
6.1. Doing something kind for yourself.
When was the last time you did something kind for yourself (without feeling guilty)? You spend your time ensuring the rest of the family have everything they need, physically, mentally, emotionally. How often do you stop and check to see if you have everything you need? Do something just for you… whatever makes you happy. It doesn’t need to be expensive; it could just be to read a book uninterrupted, or to go for a walk along the beach or in the park, take a bubble bath. Whatever you decide to do, do it well and enjoy it and you’ll come back re-energised.
7. Keeping a Journal
Writing things down has a powerful effect on our ability to see things as they really are and understanding what is going on in our lives. It sounds quite bizarre to someone who has never tried it, but it works. Writing down what happened and/or how we feel about it somehow frees the emotions that are attached with it. When I was at my lowest I wrote every single day, I wrote about current things and even about past events that I needed to make sense of. Things started to become clear, once they were clear in my mind I was able to let go of them and move on. Writing in a journal is also a great way to document how far you have come on your journey, when you can see how far you’ve come, it will inspire you to keep going.
WARNING: if you try any of the above, you may start to feel better in yourself - side effects include: feeling more relaxed, boosted self-confidence, enjoying the little things, feeling fitter and more toned, better focus on what’s important, happier people around you, a sunny outlook on life.
Any one of these will help get you on track again, you could try a combination of them or go for all seven. Whichever one/ones you decided to do, do them with intention, do them like you mean it and if you don’t see instant results, try not to give up, stick with it a little while longer, the results will come.
I hope you enjoyed reading 7 Things We Should Never Underestimate the Power of… Let me know which ones you are going to try out :)
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Have a fantastic day! Remember, you are better than you think you are xx Never underestimate the power of you!
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