Mindset
Your outlook, attitudes, and beliefs shape your perception of yourself and the world around you. Your mindset can have a significant impact on your motivation, behaviour, and overall success.
Your mind is your most powerful tool, if you work on it! You can achieve anything you set your mind on. You may need to ask for help, follow various techniques, be patient and believe, BUT you will get there.
A growth mindset, is a belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, effort, and perseverance. This can help you overcome challenges and achieve any goals you set yourself. On the other hand, a fixed mindset, or the belief that abilities and intelligence cannot be changed, can limit your potential for growth and success. It’s your choice!
Why is your mindset important?
Techniques for a growth mindset
Reframe it
One technique for developing a growth mindset is to challenge your negative thoughts and reframe them in a positive light. For example, instead of thinking, "I can't do this," you can reframe the thought to, "I haven't learned how to do this yet, but I can learn."
Be grateful
Practicing gratitude and focusing on the positive aspects of your life can help shift your perspective and cultivate a growth mindset.
Seek feedback
Seeking feedback from others and incorporating it into personal development plans can help individuals grow and develop a growth mindset.
Don’t fear failure
Don’t be afraid to fail, as failure doesn’t exist. See everything as a learning opportunity where you will either learn or succeed.
Celebrate the little wins
If you make a successful change, start something new, respond better, celebrate them!
Challenge yourself
Taking on challenges and pursuing activities outside of one's comfort zone can help build resilience and a growth mindset.
Work with your emotions
All emotions are good and are there to protect us, however they can take over and get us in trouble at times. The more you recognise how you are feeling, and the emotions you are experiencing, the better you will be responding in different situations.
Useful tools
Journaling
Writing down thoughts and feelings in a journal can help individuals reflect on their experiences and cultivate a growth mindset.
Positive Affirmations
Using positive affirmations and repeating them regularly can help shift an individual's mindset and improve self-confidence.
Read about different Mindset techniques
There are many techniques around to help, you need to find what works for you.
A game changer for us was the book ‘My Hidden Chimp,’ by professor Steve Peters.
Professor Steve has set up a free platform, called The Troop, to learn and develop these skills. You can join The Troop for free, teaching skills based on the Chimp model by clicking below:
Exercise
Exercise plays an important role when it comes to your mindset. 30 minutes a day, can increase fitness, strengthen bones and reduce excess body fat. Exercise also releases feel good hormones, so when you are active, this will have a positive impact on your mental health and mindset. Les Mills have created a platform exclusively for young children to access to encourage them to get moving. Click here:
Visualisation
Visualising goals and outcomes can help you focus your efforts and develop a growth mindset. When you visualise yourself achieving your dreams, your brain is tricked into thinking it has happened.
Breathing and Meditation
Breathing techniques are great for the mind, reducing stress and anxiety.
Meditation can also help reduce stress, anxiety, worry and improve brain function.
The plunge of positivity
What is it?
New job, new school, new college, new university, new home, new hobby, new relationship or any new opportunity, did you experience the POP? The Plunge of Positivity!
Taken from the valley of death model in change management within business, I changed it to the Plunge of Positivity (The POP Model)
When you realise it is normal to feel these emotions, it allows you to put steps in place to stop the plunge or reduce the severity of the plunge!
Steps you can put in place include:
Get a mentor: Someone you respect, so you can learn from them, share ideas with & allow them to be your sounding board when your confidence is starting to fall.
Read: Read about the topics connected to what you are worrying about e.g If it is a new job, read more about the new role, as well as books on mindset for when times like this arise. It will help with personal growth & when times like this happen again.
Ask for feedback: Feedback allows us to grow, see it as a positive that someone is wanting to help you excel. Don’t fear it!
Sign up to a short/long course: Knowledge is power, so learn more about the area you are struggling with.
Reflect: Reflecting each day on what you’ve done, how it’s gone, who you’ve impacted and using a journal capturing the reflections will help clear your mind and see things, you otherwise may have missed. You may also reflect that you have had a better day than you thought. Put a figure out of 10 with regards to how the overall day went!
Exercise: Do some form of exercise that you like to release feel good hormones.
Stillness: Spend at least 10 minutes each day in silence, allowing thoughts to pass without judgement. Be still.
Plunge of Positivity!
The CARR Model
(Calm, Assess, Respond, Reflect)
What is it?
When situations and challenges arise in life think of the CARR model!
CALM- use breathing techniques to help stay calm.
ASSESS- look for feedback, tone, the environment to assess what’s going on in a relaxed way. Can you reframe the situation!
RESPOND- Choose how to react, move forward in a positive way or avoid, move backwards and feel negative emotions.
REFLECT- How did you react? Could you have reacted differently? Can you put more tools in place to help you next time the same situation arises!
7 areas of wellbeing for a healthy mind
Activities to try
Reframe negative self-talk
Whenever you start thinking negatively and having negative self-talk, challenge that thought. Work hard on reframing it, in a positive light.
Write down daily gratitudes
Every day, write down three things you are grateful for today. This can help shift the focus to the positive and help you feel happier.
Embrace challenges
Seek out challenges and opportunities for growth, and approach them with excitement. Embrace the learning opportunity, don’t think about what others may say.
Surround yourself with positivity
Seek out individuals that make you feel happy. Be aware of what you read, watch and listen to as we are a product of our environment.
Resources
Books
Podcasts
Big Life Kids Podcast
Ted Talks Kids and Family
Mo Gawdat Podcast - One Billion Happy
Bridge the Gap Children’s Mental Health