Is it time for your mid year rev up?

We have past the middle of the year, the winter solstice has come and gone, and we anticipate warmer days ahead. While you might not be quite ready for your annual spring clean, perhaps it’s time to give yourself a bit of a lift, to reenergise and reinvigorate yourself so you are at your best for the days, weeks and months ahead.

Often, in the busyness of the everyday, taking time out for the things that bring us alive are moved to the bottom of our ‘to do’ list, or taken off completely. This can be especially so in the cooler winter months, where many of us go into hibernation, and just getting out from under the doona takes all of the energy we can muster.

Barbara Frederickson is a world-renowned psychologist, positive psychology expert and author of the book, Positivity. She argues that while we can all name a number of things that bring us joy, many of us rarely give ourselves permission to do these things.

As part of your mid year rev up, why not generate a list of the things that energise you or bring you joy, and slot them in to your daily schedule just as you would brushing your teeth or attending an important meeting. To get you started, here are some of Fredrickson’s (2009) ideas for boosting positivity:

• - Be open in the present moment
• - Create high quality connections with others
• - Cultivate kindness
• - Develop healthy distractions
• - Dispute negative thinking
• - Find and connect with nature
• - Learn and apply your strengths
• - Mediate mindfully
• - Dream about your best possible future
• - Practice gratitude
• - Savour positivity – in the past, present and/or future
• - Follow your passions.To watch Fredrickson’s talk on positivity and positive emotions