5 Easy Steps to Foster Positivity for Speech Pathologists
Speech-language pathology is a rewarding career path offering an abundance of opportunities. Still, we are all humans, and we all have some rainy days where we can use some "pick me ups".
Learning how to cultivate a more positive mindset and foster gratitude is a great way to help you go through tough times and bounce back quickly. To help you do that, our team has gathered five easy and effective strategies for cultivating more positivity and improving your well-being. Not only did we want to provide simple tips for you, but we also wanted to include fun ways to teach gratitude to your students.
Let's dive in...
Are Positive Thinking and Gratitude Different?
Although positive thinking and gratitude are interconnected and perfectly complement each other, the two are different.
Positive thinking is approaching tough times and transitions (all those “yikes" moments) in a more productive and “glass is half full” way; it's when you are approaching every situation (no matter the circumstances) with a "the best is yet to come" attitude.
And when something unpleasant happens, instead of panicking or beating yourself up, you can switch your brain on to a solution-finding mode and quickly resolve the situation, learn from the situation and move on.
Gratitude is more of a feeling. It's about appreciating what you already have vs. what you wish you had. We are so focused on chasing goals and crossing off to-do lists that we sometimes forget to stop and appreciate what is already fulfilling and wonder if our lives or what we have already achieved.
Cultivate a Positive Mindset and Gratitude
Below are some simple ways to cultivate both a positive mindset and more gratitude in your life:
1) Monitor your inner dialogue. Positive thinking starts with inner self-talk. And that's why it's of great importance to monitor your inner dialogue closely so that we can catch when we are not planting seeds of positivity into our minds and change it to more self-compassion and positive self-talk.
"Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality." -- Earl Nightingale
2) Find a positive partner. Find someone who can help you think positively and give your perspective. A positive partner will hold you accountable and will pick you up in those moments when you feel tired or discouraged.
3) Start and end the day by thinking about the one thing you are really grateful for. Having a gratitude journal is a great way to start and finish your day, boost your confidence, and foster positive thinking. Think of all the things you are grateful for - the dear friends you have in your life, the food you have on the table, the special profession you practice, etc. Keep a journal about all of the things you are grateful for and just see how the positive energy flows in your life.
4) Try to sew a silver lining. In other words, try to find the positive in any situation. Don't spend your focus and attention on negativity; it's not worth your energy. Remember, every coin has two sides, and so does every situation.
5) Focus on your wins. Sometimes we are so focused on achieving our goals, and once we do, we quickly move on to the next goal. No matter how small or big your win seems, just write it down on a piece of paper and put it inside your gratitude jar. Oh, and by the way, even having time for a mindful lunch on a hectic day is a win.
Teaching a Positive Mindset and Gratitude
Now that you know how to boost your positive thinking and gratitude, here are three fun and easy ways to teach them to our students:
Gratitude Jar - We already talked about the gratitude jar, and this is a great and fun technique that you can also teach your students. This can be done as a full class, small group, or one on one but doing a “check-in” on a weekly or daily basis and asking the students to write one thing or person who they are grateful for and put it into the jar. Schedule out times during the week or month to read what people have written.
Circle of Gratitude - Gather your students in a circle and ask them to take turns sharing what they are grateful for. Consider having them come up and write what they are grateful for on a large piece of paper to make a collage to display and remind them.
Model and Share Your Gratitude - Talk with your students about gratitude and sprinkle it into daily conversation with how it makes you feel. Modeling this type of language and thinking can show them that adults benefit as well.
Just like every other skill, positive thinking is a muscle that requires practice. Focusing on gratitude can be a huge part of building a positive mindset and overall well-being. The more you train yourself, the better you will become and the more confident you will feel.