Welcoming In 2024

As 2023 was drawing to a close,

I noticed more and more postings on social media about how terrible the year had been for people,

And that they could not wait for 2024 to begin.

It felt like déjà vu,

Because every time a year comes to the end,

I see these kind of remarks.

People don't seem happy with the year they are leaving behind,

And moving forward into the new year with a negative mindset just seems to bring the same ending for them.

But why does this happen year after year for some people,

And not for others?

Hello,

My name is Jacqueline,

And welcome to my Tranquil Spirits podcast.

Now don't get me wrong,

2023 has its ups and downs for me too.

Far too many family members and friends gained their angel wings,

And certain things in my life did not go as planned.

I had my share of sickness and relationships broke down.

But for all of us,

There are three hundred and sixty-five days in each year,

Three hundred and sixty-six in leap years,

And I'm sure not every one of them was bad for everybody.

As I reflect over 2023,

I had many more good days than bad.

I travelled and enjoyed some adventures.

I played sports,

Learnt new skills,

And made many new friends.

I created everlasting memories with family,

And experienced the wonders of nature.

And I laughed often.

But why do many people focus on the negatives of the year gone by,

Rather than focusing on the positives?

Our tendency to pay more attention to the negative things,

And overlook the positive things,

Is likely a result of evolution.

Earlier in human history,

Paying attention to bad,

Dangerous and negative threats in the world was literally a matter of life and death.

Even today,

Many of us unconsciously use negativity as a defence mechanism,

A way to protect us from things not working out.

Our mind uses negative thoughts so we are not blindsided when we are disappointed.

Unfortunately,

The thought of anticipated failure,

Or assuming bad luck,

Prevents us from looking forward with excitement of how great things could be.

So is it human nature to focus solely on the negative?

Human nature varies from person to person.

Some people have more of a tendency towards negativity,

Whilst others prefer to focus on the positives of life.

This can be the result from many things,

Such as genetics,

Upbringing and even life experiences.

But while it's natural for us to feel pessimistic when things aren't going quite so well for us,

Constantly thinking or being negative can be a sign of anxiety,

Stress or low self-esteem.

And yes,

Negativity can be contagious.

Ignoring negative thoughts or feelings is not a good idea.

They won't just go away,

And suppressing these emotions can lead to increased stress.

But by paying attention to ourself and recognising the amount of negativity in our life is a positive step to changing how and what we think about.

Positive self-talk can be a very powerful tool to use.

By simply acknowledging our negativity out loud and asking ourself why,

Can make us stop and think for a moment.

Learning to replace negative thoughts with positive ones are also a way of moving negative thinking from our mind.

For instance,

Instead of saying,

Why is this happening to me?

Take out the two and replace it with four and ask,

Why is this happening for me?

This takes us from a place of pity to a place of learning.

When we recognise the negativity within us and are ready to do something about it,

We can train our brain to think positively by choosing to focus on the good things around us.

This may be as simple as the food we have in our fridge or the water which comes out of our taps.

Being grateful for the good things in our life,

Such as that beating heart we have in our chest,

Increases positivity and spending more time around positive people can really lift our spirits.

When we identify areas of our negativity,

We can help ourselves even more to bring positivity into our minds.

If listening to the news turns us into negative beings,

We should reduce the amount of time we listen to it each day or have something positive to focus on when it has finished,

Such as a comedy programme.

If a certain person riles us,

Whenever we are around them,

We should try and avoid contact with them.

When we compare being with a negative person to being with a positive person,

We find we come away feeling far happier when time has been spent laughing or simply smiling with someone,

Even if it was just for a few moments.

By taking ownership of our own negativity rather than blaming it on other people,

We are more likely to do something about it and in turn change to become a calmer,

More positive person all round.

Negativity can stay with us far longer than positivity because of nature's complicated and hard-wired design of our nervous system.

Scientists have discovered it takes three positive experiences to offset one negative experience.

This could be treating ourselves to something nice,

Spending time in nature,

Meeting with a positive person,

Doing something kind for someone else,

Thinking of what we are grateful for,

Reminiscing about happy times with family or friends,

Laughing out loud,

Hugging a pet or simply enjoying a calming meditation.

So when we have decided to do something about negativity and move towards improving the positivity in our life,

Here are some daily habits which may help bring us more happiness.

Smile.

We tend to smile when we are happy,

So by putting a smile upon our face we can trick the mind into thinking we are happy and eventually the feeling becomes natural.

Exercise.

Now I'm not talking about lifting heavy weights every day,

But by going for a walk or dancing to our favorite tunes really can help lift our mood no end.

Practice gratitude.

The more we look for things we are grateful for,

The more things we see and appreciate.

Breathe deeply.

When we focus our mind on our breath,

By practicing intentional breathing we bring calmness and stillness into our body which squeezes out the negativity.

There are no doubt many more ways which I could share with you,

But the one I really enjoy is giving a compliment to someone.

Not only does it make me feel good,

But the positive response from that person doubles the happiness feeling for me and for them.

So the next time you reflect over 2023,

Acknowledge the bad times and then take your focus to the good times and you may discover the year wasn't as bad as you made it out to be.

2024 is a leap year,

So make the most of the 366 days you have and if you think you may need some help at the end of the year to remember the good times,

Here's a great tip for you.

Take an empty jar and once a week write on a piece of paper at least one positive thing that's happened in that week,

Then pop the paper into the jar.

When the year comes to the end,

Open the jar and read out the positives which have happened throughout that year.

If you do this you would definitely end this year on a high,

The best way to enter a new year.

So I leave you with an exciting year ahead of you,

Making positive memories and enjoying fun adventures.

Happy New Year,

Make it the best one yet.

I hope you have found this helpful in some way.

Please feel free to message me,

I enjoy hearing your thoughts and I thank you for taking time to do that.

Have a beautiful day,

You deserve it and remember,

Always follow that dream.

Thanks so much for listening and I'll speak to you again soon on my next Tranquil Spirits podcast.

Bye for now.