Mental Health Awareness Month

The month of May has been designated Mental Health Awareness Month. During the springtime we are surrounded by the early blossoming of flowers and the scents of new beginnings in nature. Similarly new perspectives on our relationships at home, in the workplace and within our social circles have the opportunity to be reexamined and to provide us with possibilities of regeneration and change.

Summer is generally looked upon as the season when people relax and attempt to back-up from the pressures that often engulf their lives.  While this perspective sounds like a good one, many say that this shift is easier said than done.  Paradoxically, however, summer is an optimal time for us to re-examine our thoughts and behaviors and to learn constructive, forward moving solutions to our challenges.

If good health, supportive relationships, and longevity are priorities of yours, wanting these qualities in your life is not enough.  Your attitude, behavior and problem-solving style impacts dramatically.   Optimism is not seeing life through rose-colored glasses, but rather through a proactive orientation grounded in real-life observations and objective perceptions.   This orientation positions you in a place of clearly identifying challenges, carefully examining options and systematically separating out your counterproductive repetitions from constructive options.

Optimists tend to be calmer, more tranquil and generally happier people.  They report fewer health problems and fewer interpersonal difficulties at work and at home, and evidence more energy and comfort in social settings. This may be the perfect time to learn how to implement a constructive approach to your personal, familial and business life, despite a history of defeatism and negativity.