It’s too easy to be a negative thinker these days. The headlines of the newspapers often focus on controversy and conflict in the United States and overseas. Page after page of troubling stories can make you think, “There’s nothing happy in the world anymore.” Unfortunately, turning on the news programs shows much of the same. So, what can we do?

In honor of Positive Attitude Month this October, I want to share some tips (one article referred to them as “secret weapons,” a term I love). Because being positive can improve our health and relationships with others, among other things, it certainly seems like a worthy endeavor!

• Take time to help other people, whether it is volunteering at a community organization or simply helping your neighbor. Helping others enables you to see how you personally are able to have a positive impact on the world. I can promise you that you’ll feel good after!
• Positive Thinking. Thinking positively can actually change what is possible for you …really! Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations, for example: “I hate getting up in the morning” with “I am grateful for a new day.” Eventually changing our self-talk can lead to changes in our behavior and attitude.
• Surround yourself with positive people. You read everywhere that whom you surround yourself with will directly impact your attitude… and it’s true!

At ELBS, we’ve been embracing the Positive Attitude month as more of a year-long theme. Emotional well-being of our faculty and students is our first priority. We brought in a guest speaker to help us begin this journey. Our next step is to develop a school-wide Positive Behavior Supports plan. I’ve also begun emailing staff bi-weekly with a short note that shares a resource, quote, a book, etc., that has inspired me to work on positivity and kindness.

As we continue to dig deeper into this idea, it’s refreshing to see how many resources such as books, blogs, etc. exist to help you look on the bright side more often and more automatically. Yes, we face many challenges in our world today, but one person, one positive action, can make a difference!

Here are some great resources for Positive Attitude Month:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/10/prweb302342.htm

https://www.verywell.com/make-the-most-of-positive-attitude-month-3144434