As we keep being reminded, we are living in unprecedented times and no doubt there will be tough challenges ahead. But hasn’t that always been the case throughout history in one way or another? Regardless of who we are and our life circumstances, we all have our ups and downs.
According to research conducted by the mental health charity Mind:
- 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year
- 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week
- The number of people with common mental health problems went up by 20% between 1993 to 2014
In June 2020, The Health Foundation reported that 69% of adults are worried about the impact of Covid-19 on their lives leading to stress and anxiety.
“We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitude."
Charles R. Swindoll
We’re probably all familiar with the uplifting story of Captain Tom Moore who said “All I did was go for a walk”. But this simple act of walking 100 laps of his garden before his hundredth birthday to raise money for the NHS caught the public imagination at a time when the world was in dire need of positive news and he raised nearly £33 million.
Talking about his recently released book ‘Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day’, Moore said: "I've always been an optimist throughout my life and I've had ups and downs, but I've always managed to get through. I mean at the present time, we're in rather a difficult position, but we shall get through it. We will get to the end of the day and things will get better. "
There is no shortage of bad news in our media, on our TV, on social media and in everyday conversation. If that’s what you want, you can find it in abundance.
So, here’s a ‘thought for the day’. Why not spend some time moving away from negativity and adopt the power of positive thinking.
Mind produced what they called the ‘5 ways to wellbeing’, which are:
- Connect
- Be active
- Take notice
- Learn
- Give
So, phone someone rather than sending an e-mail; have a chat to the person in the supermarket queue; go for a walk at lunchtime and listen to the birds singing; notice something about someone and pay them a compliment; learn something new; write a nice review about service you’ve received; do a small favour for someone; say hello and spread a little happiness, it makes people smile.
You never know, it may just make you and everyone around you feel good.
And if, as leaders, you can bring the same attitude into your work environment and create a culture of positivity and wellbeing, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll have a happy, motivated productive team.
