Rochelle Hanson

By Rochelle Hanson

You turn on the TV and watch the news. It’s bad news, but you watch it anyway. You go to work and they have a company meeting. They’re cutting back again. More bad news. You look at your bank account. Time to balance the budget. There’s not enough money for organic food shopping. Great. That’s super fabulous. Everything around you seems to be bad. Bad, bad, bad. Is there anything left to be positive about?

Today our American friends are celebrating Thanksgiving. As Canadians, we celebrated in October. Of all holidays, Thanksgiving is a great one to celebrate twice. Is Thanksgiving the only time we should be positive? Of course not. Especially when it comes to your health. Positive thinking is an excellent tool to propel you forward in your journey to total wellness. Let me share a few tricks of the trade that I use in my everyday life with you. If you use these tips in your own personal life, you will be well on your way to a happy, healthy journey.

Break the habit. It’s your first time making a green smoothie. It tastes awful. You hate it, so you decide you’re never doing it again. Ever. Now what kind of attitude is that?!?!? Whether you realize it or not, negative thinking is nothing more than a really bad habit. Ever been around someone who never has anything good to say? They’re always complaining and whining to the tune of woe is me? I’m sure you’re nothing like that, but if you know someone who is, be patient with them. They may not be aware of their habit of negative thinking. As with any other bad habit, in order to quit, it’s going to take some work. Read this article on breaking bad habits for more practical tips on how to get started.

Change your Focus. At The Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I am currently enrolled in the Health Coach Training Program, we have a little phrase that we like to use a lot. We ask each other, “What’s new and good?” This tiny little question can change your focus from the negative to the positive right away. It’s not always easy to answer this question if you’re not used to positive thinking, but try it out. Ask yourself, “What’s new and good?” and see what you can come up with. Try asking other people the same little question and see where the conversation goes. You might have a lot more positivity in your life than you realized. Go ahead, try it!

Practice. Practice. Practice. Anyone who’s taken music lessons knows that practice makes perfect. The same applies to your health and positive thinking. So you try the green smoothie again. You realize you didn’t get the recipe right the first time. It’s a lot better now. Maybe not fantastic, but it’s better. You try it again the next day, and for some reason it tastes even better. You think, “Hey, this isn’t half bad. So what if it’s green and goopey, I’m feeling pretty fabulous!”

It’s often difficult to go against the grain when it comes to your health and wellness. You want to fit in with what you friends and family are doing. You want to comfortable. Positive thinking will help you to realize that although you may be doing something different, you are doing something good! It might feel awkward at first, like you’re trying too hard or something. And that’s totally OK. Practice positive thinking until it becomes completely natural. Before you know it, you’ll be totally unashamed of your positivity and you’ll be doing it without thinking.

So the next time you get some bad news at work, or your family tells you that your healthy recipes are strange, try not to let it ruin your day. Break the bad habit of being so negative. Change your focus to something positive, and practice positive thinking. If you’re looking for some positive thinkers to hang out with online, join my wellness group on Facebook. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.

Rochelle Hanson is the author of the free ebook, Breaking Cravings. She is currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is studying to become a Health Coach. Rochelle offers practical tips on natural health and wellness both in this column and on her blog Simply Natural Ideas. Write to [email protected] for a free health consultation or connect with her on Facebook.

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