Mental Health Diet

The power of positive thinking – is your glass half full or half empty?  You can choose your mood, and control your state of mind to improve outcomes for yourself and those around you. Is this just so much mumbo-jumbo, or is there something in it?

Our team had our annual awayday last week. We took time out to review the last twelve months, and to plan for a challenging year ahead.  One of the most important things on my shopping list was a request for tools to help the team cope with the uncertain times ahead:  we are facing internal restructuring, commissioner/provider separation, and of course the financial pressures facing the NHS.

I’m pleased to say our facilitator, Steve Hender, came up trumps.  We are now all on a diet!  None of us is likely to lose any weight, though.  (Well, we might – but that’s another story entirely) 

Steve introduced us to the Mental Health Diet, which is about developing a positive mental attitude.  Here it is:

For 10 days, you should only have positive thoughts.

If you have a negative thought, you can save yourself by having an immediate positive thought. If you can’t think of a positive thought, or can’t be bothered, you go back to day one and start again!

The objective is that by the end of 10 days, you will have built a habit of thinking positively – and you will tend to see more positive things around you.  Most people don’t do the whole 10 days first time – but we are all giving it a go!

Abraham Lincoln said: “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be”  

We are making up our minds to be positive about the future, whatever it holds!