Taking positive steps to manage our mindsets in this current environment is crucial to our wellbeing.  Now more than ever, we need tools, tips and techniques to help us navigate from being powerless to being powerful.  So, this month, I’d like to talk about how to recharge your mindset.  Recharging being similar to what we do when our phones run low on battery.

Here are three, easy to ways to recharge your mindset:

1.  Kindness.  Not only is our wellbeing enhanced by being kind to someone but when we observe kindness in action on a regular basis, our wellbeing increases.  So, think about what small acts of kindness you can do on a daily basis – how about bringing in the bins for your neighbour, picking up food and supplies for a friend, baking some cakes for friends and family.  I call these ‘planned acts of kindness’ but what about ‘spur of the moment acts of kindness’ like giving someone a hand with some shopping bags but of course asking their permission first in light of the Coronavirus?  What about letting someone go ahead of you in the Supermarket queue if they only have a few items to buy?  Be on the lookout for where you think people might need help and then offer assistance.

The other way to benefit from kindness is to actually recognise kindness in action.  By that I mean, watch when people do small kind things for others.  My son decided to make a vegetarian curry the other night for his dinner but also made an extra portion for my daughter, his sister, to bring to work with her the following day.  By observing this kindness, my positivity and wellbeing increased.

2.  Social Connections.  Social Connections are vital to our wellbeing and without connecting with people on a daily basis, studies state that our wellbeing decreases.  Even though a lot of our work may be conducted over the phone or on virtual platforms, it’s still important to make an effort to speak to people on a daily basis.  Not only do these interactions positively impact our mindset and wellbeing, they also positively impact the person you are connecting with. Try to connect with people throughout your day.  It will feel strange at first saying hello to someone as you pass them by on the street but think about the good it may possibly do for them too.  During lockdown, I struck up almost daily conversations with my postman Will.  The fact that he was immensely busy never stopped him taking a few minutes to chat with me so we both benefited from the social connection.

3.  Savouring.  Savouring is the act of taking time out to appreciate positive experiences and emotions.   So, for instance, when I’m out running in St Anne’s Park, I concentrate on some of the pathways I take that are aligned with trees and shrubs.  I’m fortunate that I can run in such a beautiful park but there are other places and ways to savour moments throughout your day.  My morning coffee is a blissful savouring moment in time.  No matter how early I’m up, I take my coffee back to bed or out to the garden and just sit and enjoy the taste and the smell of it.  To mentally slow down and savour something will help increase your self-esteem as well as help you cope with stress.

What is really interesting about the three ways to recharge your mindset above is that even just thinking back and recalling the situations you were involved in; recalling an act of kindness, a social connection you made or something you savoured – will actually recharge your mindset and enhance your wellbeing.

So, give one or all of them a try when you feel your mindset is running on low battery.