5 Tips for a Practically Positive Christmas

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and it can also bring stresses, trials and tribulations, so we thought it might be useful to share with you our 5 Tips for a Practically Positive Christmas to keep you smiling through the festive season.

Capture the memory
Use your camera or smart phone to snap and record the happiest moments of your Christmas – the smiles, the laughs, the surprise and the joy.

Look back and look forward
How about this for a family game? Ask each person to answer the following questions:

*What's the best thing that happened to you in 2013? Your proudest moment, your biggest achievement. However big or small, get everyone to share.
*What are you most looking forward to in 2014? What are your goals? What do you hope to say your highlight is when you come to this time next year?

Be Grateful
Noticing and appreciating the positives in our lives offers a great mood boost. Remembering all the things you're grateful for is a fantastic way to change negative thoughts into positive ones. You may have presents to wrap and a turkey to cook, but thinking of the faces of your loved ones as they open those presents and tuck into their Christmas lunch should remind you that that's what it's all for.

Try these ways to help you get there:
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down anything large or small that makes you smile, including terrific achievements, touching moments and great relationships. You can do this online via Happy Rambles and Happier.

Savour the Moments
Stop and smell the roses (or yummy Christmas pudding), look, taste, touch. Do whatever you can to really soak up and wallow in the lovelier aspects of your life. It doesn't matter how much you have, if you stop to appreciate it you'll feel like you have everything.

Be Optimistic
Trying to be optimistic doesn't mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible - and it gets easier with practice.
Practice searching for the silver lining. Looking for the positive in a negative situation may sound naff - and isn't always as easy as it sounds - but it can give you strength to keep going. To find your silver lining, ask yourself:

*How have I grown from this situation?
*How are my relationships stronger now?
*How have I developed new skills?
*What am I proud of?

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to sharing a Practically Positive New Year with you too.

Well being