Self awareness has been called “arguably the most fundamental issue in psychology, from both a developmental and an evolutionary perspective”. It is pivotal in managing how we balance our decisions and feelings with knowing who we really are. This act of monitoring our thoughts, being at peace, being less reactive and non-judgmental is also key to positivity.

Am I out of balance?

On the way to health improvement, we may find ourselves on the negative side of our emotions.  Negativity can look like many things:  not wanting to make plans, isolating ourselves, not looking at the bigger picture, seeing the glass as half empty versus half full. If we see our symptoms and what is wrong, and focus only on that, the symptoms can become more pronounced.  The negativity easily affects our mood.  We can have trouble getting out of our own way to reach the health we want.

Other signs of negativity

• Are you serious and have trouble seeing the humour in life or a situation?
• Feeling depressed
• A spiral of negativity –  in this place, we crave excessive alcohol, smoking, bad choices in eating.  It feels “good” to continue the bad choices.  We are the only ones that can bring ourselves out of this.  A loving friend or family member can be a great help, but they cannot enforce a decision that we have not made ourselves.

The key to positivity is being aware and knowing yourself. I’ve found that most people who are proactive with their health are optimists. If you are naturally an optimist, but find yourself unable to think of anything positive, then you can realize early on that you are ‘not yourself.’ Once you realize that, healing is sure to follow.

Suggestions for overcoming negativity

If you realize you need to change your outlook, you need to have a list of ways to combat this feeling so that it does not dominate.

• Call a friend who is positive and understands so that they can help you move that mood in conversation together.
• Be active physically – go for a walk in nature, get to an exercise class.
• Do something for yourself that you enjoy:  read for pleasure, go to a positive movie, listen to music that is calming.
• Make a healthy meal.
• Let go of stress.
• Work towards being neutral about those people whose actions affect us.
• Have sufficient sleep, good water, balanced vegetables and protein in your diet

If you allow the negativity to continue, it can greatly slow your healing. Forgiveness and gratitude are very important at these times.  Loving yourself is a practice that needs continual practice. All this is wrapped in self awareness.

The amazing power of positivity

When people heal from major issues like liver disease, chronic viruses, even cancer – they have found a reason to survive and even thrive forward in their life.  They have activated their will to survive. This is such an important expression of positivity at a critical and difficult time.

Once we have made the commitment to positivity, we can change within a day.  We can see the positive improvements, as small as they might be, and focus on that to create more positive health effects.  I know it is hard to change habits. Start somewhere and make the commitment. Pave the road to health with behaviour that will always serve you.  There are many rewards for enjoying our life now.

Treat yourself

I go to the health show in Toronto every 6 months.  One main reason I go is to find new treats that are both healthy and tasty.  My latest find is a powdered mixture called Turmeric Latte made by Organic Traditions.  The health benefits are the anti-inflammatory effect of tumeric and ginger, plus the probiotics in it. Sweetened with natural coconut palm sugar and coconut milk powder, it is quite enjoyable.  I have found this at health food stores:  Healthy Planet and Nature’s Emporium.  It is pricey, but I find the package will last for about 10 servings.

Here’s to you!