WoW! Reset 2024: How to reset your mindset

I LOVE January – there is a freshness about it that I find is much needed after the cosiness of the months leading up to Christmas.

I generally don’t make any drastic new year’s resolutions but each year I like to focus on something about my mindset that I could reset and improve. That said, I must make some physical resolutions because I do need to lower my cholesterol slightly which is a sure sign I am hitting towards middle age when that comes on the health agenda! 

Creating a positive mindset is something that I consciously work on all the time, and I think as a parent you are constantly reminded of what it is to have a good, happy mindset as you help guide your children through growing up. I’m not always positive of course, that would be virtually impossible, but I can hit the reset button and try to live an overall positive life which has so many benefits both mentally and physically.

I’ve written about gratitude before, but it is an emotion worthy of a second mention. I think it is probably one of the most important human emotions that we can work on and be conscious of. Some people enjoy writing gratitude journals, I’m not into writing lists so for me it works well to make a conscious decision to think about all that I am grateful for on my walk with the dog every day.

Being grateful for what you have has so many positive effects on how we think about our own lives and in turn how we behave towards others. If you are grateful for what you have then you feel less need to be jealous of others. You may feel envy at times and that is ok, but it is jealousy that can seep into our bones and our mindset and in turn has such a negative effect on our outlook and how we treat others that we perceive to be doing better than ourselves. I think by being grateful for what you have is one of the most positive things you can work on for yourself.

I am the first to it I am not the most patient person but over the last number of years, probably since becoming a parent, I have learned that patience is a virtue that you can work towards. There are two important reasons why patience is so important. Being patient with children gives them the space to become independent people – sometimes if we are rushing out the door, I feel like I don’t have the patience to wait for them to tie their shoes or do up their zips, but by me stepping in and doing it for them no one learns anything – I don’t learn to be patient and the girls don’t learn to be independent.

Learning patience begins at home but it is something that the world needs more of. We don’t know what’s going on in other people’s lives. People carry worries and burdens that we don’t know about so being patient with others when we are going about our daily business is so important – be patient with the person working behind the counter, the person ahead of you in the queue, the parent with the child throwing a tantrum, the person driving in front of you. You don’t know what’s going on with anyone so being patient and not snapping at them might be all they need to keep their day on track.

Serenity is the emotion I have worked on a lot over the last few months. Again, when I am out walking the dog, I take a few moments to stop, close my eyes and just be present in the moment. I can assure you that is not always easy when you have a red setter who can’t resist other people, so I usually veer off deep into the trees to find my moment of peacefulness. My mind often races at a million miles a minute so taking those few moments in the day really helps to ease a lot of emotions for me, especially the feeling of being overwhelmed. I listen to the wind in the trees or the water rushing over rocks, when I’m in Sligo I crave the sound of the waves breaking. When you find some tranquility in your life you are less likely to feel aggressive and in turn you can form stronger relationships with people because you are less likely to be in conflict with others.

Sometimes we must dig deep to find peace, positivity and patience in our lives but it’s usually there and what’s even better is that all those emotions are contagious, so surround yourself with people who are positive and contented and it will help put you in the right mindset.

Recognising triggers for negative thoughts (I’m looking at you, Facebook and Instagram!) is an important practise too.

If I am tired the last place, I will let myself go is online because I find the constant bombardment of picture perfection is too much for me. So, I steer clear until I’m in a more resilient mood.

Do you think there are any emotions you could reset the year?