Moms Getting More Done With Positive Thinking
March 4th, 2009 | by Deanna Collins |There are few people found doing more juggling and multi-tasking than most mothers do on a daily basis. Routines and multi-tasting is hard enough on the best of days, but having children always leaves the possibility of that extra complication with the unexpected. Fatigued and worn out moms may take a look at the mountain of laundry and the extra-long to-do this on the fridge and ask themselves what the whole point is.
All busy moms can develop the attitude of positive thinking. We don’t want to look at this as just getting through the day, but to come home knowing your work was done productively and with pleasure. Psychologists and physiologists will be the first to tell you how negative thoughts impact not only on the body, but the mind as well. If you have been working on overload, the simple thought of the pile of laundry still needing to be done can easily make you feel exhausted.
Substitution of Positive Thoughts
A positive attitude concerns your reaction to everything in the midst of your busy days. You have the option of sinking into the sofa and feeling helpless or you can motivate yourself to get going and reap the benefits that action produces. Cultivating a ‘can-do’ attitude can initially be a bit of effort but with practice can become part of your outlook.
Although people may be predisposed to optimism or pessimism, negative thinking is largely a learned phenomenon that can be unlearned. Begin by identifying your patterns of negative and positive thinking. If any of the following examples ring a bell, then that may be something to start working on.
Overlooking the positive: It’s the end of the day and you still haven’t finished that laundry. It’s easy to magnify this out of all proportion, forgetting all the things you have managed to complete during the day.
The blame game: Although you may be at fault for not completing all of your tasks for the day, playing the blame game or berating yourself is not going to help. It will only amplify the negative feelings of failure or inadequacy.
Black and white thinking: If you’re prone to ‘all or nothing’ ways of assessing situations, then you are setting yourself up for negative thoughts. Perfection is rarely attainable.
Cataclysmic thinking: When a person is constantly expecting the worst, or considers a minor setback to be the ‘end-all’ to the entire task or project.
You can obtain positive thinking by taking a step back in order to make realistic assessments of any situation. Keep in mind the most mundane of tasks can be turned into a positive action if you work at it. Think of the pleasure you and your family will get when you have clean clothes to wear, and warmth in your home when it is cold. Replace the thoughts about how boring it is to clean the house with thoughts of less stress and the satisfaction received from having a tidy home. Remember at the same to be grateful to have a home to clean! For so many, that isn’t even an option
Once you partake in positive thinking on a regular basis, not only will you find peace of mind and contentment, but you will be endowed with motivation, energy and efficiency