By Terri Cole on March 3, 2009

Don’t Drink The Armageddon Kool-Aid

Good Mornin’ Positive Posse of Proactive Beauties!!

Have you noticed the onslaught of bad news in the media recently? The climate of fear and doom has reached epic proportions. We are inundated with bad news about our crumbling economy, the rising unemployment rate, executive greed, lack of affordable healthcare etc. So the question is how can YOU stay positive and productive in a relentlessly negative climate and NOT drink the Armageddon Kool-Aid???

Well, as you may have guessed, I have a few ideas.

1. Less is More. When it comes to the all news all the time onslaught from CNN, Fox etc. You can stay informed without being saturated with bad news. Limit your daily news intake. Choose to read your news online so YOU can control what and how much goes into your consciousness. Also, frequent sites that are expressly positive in what they report like ODE magazine. The online community for Intelligent Optimists (www.odemagazine.com)

2. Avoid Negative People. Otherwise known as the Misery Loves Company crowd. While trying to keep a positive attitude you must avoid people who thrive on negativity. You know who they are and how they love to tell you ALL about their horrible marriage, job, in-laws, boss or whatever. Politely excuse yourself but be firm about not being a dumping ground for their unhappiness. Surround yourself with people who are uplifting, feed you emotionally and are good listeners.

3. Pay it Forward. When you feel negative or overwhelmed, reach out and do something nice for someone else. Being generous in words and actions creates positive feelings for the doer. I have a life coaching client, who was buying fruit at a fruit stand in NYC and spontaneously paid for an older woman’s apple, who was also waiting. The gratitude, shock and appreciation that the older woman expressed over such a small gesture of kindness, not only lifted my client’s mood, it inspired her to create a website so other’s could do the same. Check out Youhavebeenlatte-d.com. Generosity towards others gets your endorphins flowing.

4. Extreme Self Care. Taking extremely good care of your self during a stressful time is crucial. This includes what you eat, drink and think. How much you move your body and rest. Decide to walk, stretch, do yoga or rebound. If you really want to let go of some anger, try kickboxing or my new love Zumba, an international dance workout. Choose what ever you will ACTUALLY do on a daily basis. Also, be mindful of what you are eating and drinking. We know that consuming lots of caffeine, sugar, animal fat and alcohol equals feeling like crap. We also know that consuming lots of organic veggies, fruits, whole grains, green juice and alkaline H2O equals feeling good. So choose feeling good. Make sleep and rest a priority. If you have a meditation practice, do it. If not, practice deep breathing with some calming Lavender essential oil for a few minutes 3 or 4 times a day to relax your mind and find your gratitude.

5. Look for Your Silver Lining. Part of your job on planet earth is to figure out what you are here to learn. Every challenging situation is an opportunity to learn something valuable about your self. When times are stressful instead of reacting, panicking or catasrophising, try to take Deepak Chopra’s advice to, ”Become the observer.” This keeps you in a calm, slightly detached place, which may help you be more solution oriented. A client of mine recently became injured at work and was initially panicking about loss of income, job security etc. After we debriefed, she agreed to commit to daily meditation as a way of calming her mind and perhaps gaining clarity on what opportunities her situation may present. She came back this week and went on to tell me about all of the wonderful things that she will now be able to do (like being able to attend her best friends wedding in Vegas and participate in a 5 day workshop with Deepak Chopra) in the 6 weeks that she will be out of work. She conveyed her gratitude for the opportunity to give her body and mind permission to finally rest and play, which she would never have done without the injury. She just changed her perspective on her situation freeing her to take advantage of her opportunity.

6. Affirm What You Want in Your Life. Take responsibility for what you hold in your mind. As my favorite manifesting guru, Mike Dooley from The Secret and his own inspiring website www.tut.com would say, “Thoughts become things…choose the good ones!” Keeping a positive attitude and seeing the glass as half full is a habit. It takes 21 days for a behavior to become a habit. So, are you willing to police your mind for negative or catastrophic thoughts for 21 days? Here is all you need for the experiment. Get a rubber band and place it on your wrist. Whenever you recognize a negative thought or fear, snap the rubber band hard enough to smart but not hard enough to bruise. This moment of discomfort will yank you back to the present. Now you have the choice to reject what you fear MAY happen and immediately replace it with an affirmation of what you WANT to happen, while conjuring the feelings of already having it. If you commit to 21 days of changing what you hold in your mind, I have no doubt that your stress will decrease and your joy will increase. What do you have to lose?

I hope some of these ideas resonate with you enough to try them. You all know where to find me on the forum if you have any questions. I would love to hear stories of your success or help with your struggles. Remember that positive thoughts create positive feelings, which in turn generate positive action. So get moving!

Love Love Love
Your Crazy Sexy Life Coach,
Terri

 

 

   
 

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