The Year Of Positivity

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have all had a great start to 2026.

Seeing in the bells quietly was perfect and just the way we like it. New Year isn’t for everyone, and for some it’s just another day that leads into the next which just happens to be a new year.

Whether you celebrated or not we have entered the time of new beginnings. Fresh starts are a wonderful way to leave the past or part of it behind if you are looking for a complete new start. For many setting a few goals brings meaning and motivation to the year. So what are your plans for 2026?

This year I have decided to make it the year of positivity. I’m not sure what this will look like as yet but here are six things I’ll be doing to ensure I embrace it:

• Think positively and drown out the negative chatter. I know this will not be easy as negative head chatter can be louder than positive and we also are more likely to believe the negative thoughts that swim around our head. But it’s about not giving the negative thoughts more air time, it’s about noticing the thoughts, and letting it go and moving on. Or if a thought keeps coming up then trying to look as to why that may be the case but to also ask the questions – “is it true” or “what are the facts of the situation”. By doing this it can help you to realise the chatter isn’t valid so you can ignore it.
• Reframe negative thinking, conversations and when things don’t go to plan. Many things happen day to day and we often get stuck in the negative when something doesn’t go our way. But look at it from a different point of view. For example, I spent about 2 hours working on something only to realise I did it wrong and it was going to take time to undo it all. But had I not made that mistake, I wouldn’t have come across another mistake which I could fix. So I took the positive from it.
• Write down three positive things that happen each day. Whilst writing a gratitude journal is what we are mostly guided to do, the positive journal will make you think about your day in a similar way, but perhaps get you looking at things differently. Whilst a gratitude journal you are writing what you are thankful for, the positivity journal allows you to see all the positives in your life day to day. You don’t have to look or think hard to find any. For example, you might dislike snow as it is an inconvenience, however, look at what it does – it make you slow down, and focus if you are driving or walking in it or you can have fun and build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels. Reframe your thinking and you will be surprised at all the positives in your day.
• Reduce stress through positive action and asking for help. This last year, my stress levels have been high, too high. This year I am committing to positive action to reducing it. Whether this is asking for help when I need it, rather than waiting until crisis mode or finding new ways to work. Reducing stress at work is difficult when you are not in control of what comes your way. However, taking steps to help such as scheduling time to focus on a few things per day rather than spreading yourself thinly across multiple tasks can help. Why not create a priority list and try not to deviate from this. Most importantly, it isn’t a life or death situation, (unless you actually do work in life or death job). So take deep breaths and be positive with what you have achieved in a day. Maybe you start writing down three things you have achieved in your day to really see what you do to show you the positives.
• Do one thing each day for fun. This doesn’t have to be a huge event or activity, it could be something as simple as going to bed early to read a book or doing something creative like colouring in, painting, baking a cake, or letting off a party popper for fun. See what you come up with and enjoy.
• Take pleasure in a little moment each day – for me this could be when my cat Lily meows and rolls over when she comes to say hello or enjoying a hot chocolate or watching a bird in my garden. There are millions of things each day you can take pleasure in so look out for them, it may be something you lease expect.

I want to kick off the year by also committing to writing a post once a month about positivity. Look out for that coming soon.

Have a wonderful first week of the year and all the best for 2026. Thank you for reading.

Look after you.

Love Emma xx