Did you know that positive emotions have significant health benefits?
For example, positive emotions can lead to increased immunity, lower cortisol levels, and reduced inflammation caused by high stress levels.
Positive emotions can also support your ability to bounce back more quickly, offer greater resilience to adversity and greater creativity, and even improve your scope of attention*.
Life feels more comfortable when we’re living on the optimistic side of life
Things just seem to flow better.
Being tired doesn’t impact your mood as much. And you even have more patience when your kids push your buttons.
Of course, this is nothing we haven’t heard of before.
But what happens when the switch is flipped?
And we’re suddenly on the other side?
Speaking as someone who tends to run away from negative emotions, scared that my optimism will catch ‘cooties’, I’ve always struggled when this so-called switch is flipped.
If you knew my behavioural style, you’d understand why this is such a struggle for me.
But through much self-awareness and reflection, I’ve now learnt to identify when this is happening.
When you understand your triggers, natural preferences, and likely thought cycles, you’re better equipped to take proactive steps BEFORE your emotions avalanche out of control.
And if you want to know more about your behavioural style and your level of emotional awareness and control, let’s find out!
Tips that I’ve found helpful
- Find a quiet spot outside, stare at the sky and make shapes out of the clouds. It might seem a bit childish, but the distraction from your immediate thoughts (along with a few deep breaths) helps to break the cycle.
- Go for a walk and smile at a stranger on the street. Perhaps even say hello.
- Understand that negative emotions don’t have ‘cooties’! They will be ‘coyote’ to your ‘roadrunner’ if you don’t name them up! (And they’ll keep chasing you until you do.)
- Try to do something for someone else, without wanting anything from them in return.
- Smash that energy out constructively: some high impact training or swimming, etc.
- If you can’t shake it, don’t beat yourself up. But do seek clinical support.
The takeaway message for business owners
Remember that positivity must be authentic and called for.
You can easily go over the top, and this will have the reverse effect on your team.
*REFERENCE: ‘Positive Psychology: The Science at the Heart of Coaching’ by Carol Kauffman
