By Dr Shivannie Persaud

Characteristic is character, resilience, an attitude that sets the tone for our outlook in life. This is the most valuable trait we have as humans in response to the nature of high and low sequence life and although we know that our lives have not been smooth, especially with the pandemic, adopting a positive attitude helps us to building character, to cope, to give us strength and motivate us to keep going; to survive the storms and maintain enthusiasm, hope and light during our struggles.
Positive people are more energetic, motivated, remain focused on their goals, have resilience and are able to manage stress more effectively.
We will not have complete control over what happens in our life, however, the attitude we choose when confronted with the ups and downs of life is beyond our control and as Charles Brown sings, I was vowed, gonna ride above the stars. I’ll bring in a brand new year ”.
Let us enter 2021 with, smiling, a desire to help others without expectation, contentment and above all, a positive mindset.
Here are a few ways we can learn to unleash negative attitudes and embrace a positive one this year:
Filter: evaluate your thinking about how you feel about yourself, someone else, work, illness or any situation, identify the negatives and put them in a positive spin. For example; I may be hypertensive but with adjusting my lifestyle through diet, exercise and some medication to keep it under control, I will be able to live a full normal life, doing all the things I love doing and avoiding life-threatening complications.
Don’t automatically blame yourself when something bad happens, don’t anticipate the worse and try not to see things as good or bad.
Practice self-care and mindfulness: be kind and encouraging to yourself. When you experience negative thoughts, evaluate them reasonably and respond in a positive way. Think about all your good qualities, what makes you a good person and be grateful for your life.
Surround yourself with supportive people you can rely on to provide reassurance and positive advice.
Breathe: exercise for about 3 minutes every day; take long slow deep breaths, always stretching your exhales longer than your inhales. This helps you relax and can reset your outlook in a different direction, especially in times of high stress and anxiety.
Be open to humor: smile, laugh and find humor in everyday events.
Practice positive thinking daily through self-talk, less self-criticism and self-acceptance.
Dr Shivannie Vanada Persaud is a bilingual, Cuban-trained Medical Practitioner who recently started her own clinical practice.

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