9-day plan to positive thinking

Every culture in India has their own way of celebrating each festival. The different flavors of Navratri can be seen in Garbha-Dandiya, Ramlila, Golu, Durga Pooja, and more. All of these differ from region to region and have different stories behind them – but with an underlying theme of good triumphing over evil. So, this Navratri why not do the same for ourselves – try to let our strengths and positives overpower our weaknesses.

Here’s a 9-day plan for positive thinking to enhance our positives to have a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life. The plan is a very simple one, something that I get back to whenever I feel the need of some motivation. Sometimes you have this nagging feeling that some thing is pulling you down or you need to put in a lot of effort to get on to everyday activities or chores, or you have stopped enjoying things that you earlier loved to – that’s when you use this 9-day plan to positivity. And you will feel like a new leaf, new energy at the end of the 9 days.

So here it goes. Keep a diary or book ready since this activity is recommended using paper and pen and not on the phone/ any other device

Day 1 – Write down your schedule

The first step is to write down your current schedule in your diary. You will need to write both, your weekday as well as weekend schedule. Roughly with the amount of time spent on each activity in sequence. Some examples in the image below

Day 2 – Write down 5 things that you are thankful for

Move to a fresh page and write down at least 5 things in your life that you are thankful for. This list can go beyond 5 to as many as you can think of. Then rank them in order of importance according to how you feel. This need not be done in one sitting. What I normally do is write the different things that I can think off throughout the day and then rank them at the end of the day. For those of you who are doing this 9-day activity for the second time, you need to add at least 3 new things that were not on your list last time.

Day 3  – Remove 1 or 2 things from your schedule

Day 3 is when you will go back to your schedule and try to think of 1 or 2 activities that you would like to remove from the list. It need not be something that you must remove completely, but it could also be something that needs a change in the way you are doing it. What I try and do is look at one such activity during the week and one weekend activity. This is one of the very important steps, this step might need a couple iterations to decide what needs to change.

Day 4 – Say thank you to at least one important person in your life

Today, you will need to call up or met someone who is important to you and thank them for their presence in your life. You might feel a bit awkward here since expressing gratitude when it’s not just for a specific thing is something that we don’t normally do. But trust me, this feels really nice and you won’t believe how easily the conversations flow and how much comes out of it.

Day 5 – spend time on at least one hobby that you’ve not spent on in a while

This one is easy and fun. Take some time from your day, even if it means staying awake a little past your bedtime and spend time on a hobby you loved in your earlier days. Something that you’ve forgotten about and not been able to due to other commitments. It could just be going through your old stamp or coin collection or making a small sketch or holding your guitar and playing along. Whatever makes you happy that you’ve not done in a while is the key.

Day 6 – Spend 30 minutes on some physical activity

Today you are going to take care of yourself and indulge in some physical activity, preferably outdoors. It could be as simple as a 30 min walk or jog, yoga, some game or sport, swimming – anything physical. Now, if you are someone who hits the gym daily and already a very sporty person and have some physical activity as a part of your daily schedule, you will try and meditate/ breathe and relax for 30 minutes. There are some great 30 min meditation videos available like the one below and you could follow any of them

Day 7– Fill in the space in your schedule that you created on day 2

On day 7, you get back to your diary. Look at those activities in your schedule that you had wanted to change or remove. Here’s where you add something new or make the changes that you think might be a better way for you to go about them. This again might take a couple of iterations. So look at it 2-3 times in the day till you are able to come up with something that satisfies you. You are still making the changes to the schedule on paper but will implement them only after day 9.

Day 8 – Do not crib or complain about anything the whole day

By now you will be experiencing some positive changes within yourself. A want to try out the changes you have thought about, some reduction in stress. Today you are going to try to go through the entire day without complaining or cribbing about anything. Not even within your mind. If you’re stuck in traffic, enjoy that time listening to music. If your boss is unhappy, say “it’s ok” in your mind – after all, spoiling your mood or complaining is not going to change anything. This is going to need some conscious effort at times but try your best

Day 9 – Smile at everyone you meet all day

Here’s when you have tried to overcome all the negatives and ready to take on the new changes from the next day. Today is a happy day and you are going to smile at everyone. People you see on the road, in the elevator, in the canteen. Whenever you make eye contact with anyone give them a smile.

You are now ready to implement the new changes to your schedule from day 10. Full of energy and positivity you are ready to take on a new day.

So, this is my 9-day plan to positivity. Do try this and let me know how it worked for you.

This post is written for #MyFriendAlexa Campaign by @blogchatter!

Banner image courtesy: https://www.flickr.com/photos/dafnecholet/5374200948/. Other images: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsdkrebs/8263498096/,  https://www.flickr.com/photos/ricardomoraleida/3375475993/, Photo by The Digital Marketing Collaboration on Unsplash, Photo by paolo candelo on Unsplash, Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash