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What is Positivity?

By Michelle Hall, Director Pathways Health and Research Centre

Good things happen and bad things happen. How we choose to respond to these events can make a huge impact on our mental health and well being and the success we experience personally and professionally.

Consciously identifying ways to increase the positive influences in our lives and limiting the impact of negatives will establish a healthy positivity ratio.

When your positivity ratio is in excess of 3:1 you set yourself up to flourish rather than just survive at home and at work.

Success in life does not necessarily bring happiness but several studies have shown that happiness will promote success. Positive emotions lead to greater creativity and better problem solving capacity so what are you waiting for.

There are a number of ways to increase your positivity ratio. Reduce Negativity:

• Limit/manage time spent with negative people

• Manage the amount of negative information you take in via media

• Seek professional help if anxiety or depression has taken hold

Increase Positivity:

Positivity boosters – things you enjoy doing that make you happy

• read a book or listen to music

• spend time with a friend or family (fill someone’s bucket!)

• watch a funny movie

Positivity enablers – actions that enable you to be happy (they are not necessarily fun)

• exercise (for some this is a booster and enabler – lucky you!)

• eating healthy

• getting enough sleep, relaxing and being mindful

• time management, routines, regular habits – work life balance

Make your own lists – How can you limit negativity and increase positivity?

Getting that magic 3:1 positivity ratio will help you but will impact those around you.

As educators, being conscious of the power of positivity allows us to support our students to manage their journey more effectively and efficiently.

We need to teach our students to accept and acknowledge failures as learning opportunities and support our students to view their journey in this way as well. If nothing is learned then a failure becomes negative.

Failure to comply with school expectations is a negative if the student does not acknowledge the failure and learn from this. Reflection and appropriate consequences that encourage reflection discourage a recurrence will always be the best outcome.

Positive Behaviour will be our vehicle to achieve positive outcomes if we get the mind set right for all staff and students.

Positivity Tip:

For fun you can test your own positivity ratio: http://www.positivityratio.com/single.php

Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder. Let the challenges make you strong.

Michelle Hall – BTeach, Dip Ed(Early Years), MEd., Grad Dip Couns.

Director, Pathways Health and Research Centre

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1 Response
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