We are being bombarded on a daily basis with too many guidelines, rules, ideas and thoughts on how to balance our lives. If we feel we are not meeting the expectations of the masses then these can create a strong feeling of guilt inside us.

You feel guilty that your kids are on their screens for too long

You feel guilty that you haven’t spent enough time with your kids today

You feel guilty that your kids are eating the wrong type of food

You feel guilty because your kids are not active enough

Etc.

Rather than focus on all the things you may not be achieving with your kids, or focusing just on the amount of time they are spending on a screen, reprogramme yourself to focus on those things which you can be proud of.

When we are super focused on the negative we can miss the positives. You form an ability to blank out experiences which do not fit with your expected normal.

You have the choice of being a cup half empty, or a cup half full type of person.

Below is an example.

When you stop at a traffic light what do you say to yourself?

Half empty: “Red again, these lights are always red! Why am I so unlucky?”

Half full: “Red, annoying but at least I am near the front and can see the road ahead,”

When the traffic light is green what do you say to yourself?

Half empty: Nothing. Why would you, the light has not caused you any problem so why would you give it any thought?

Half full: “Green, yeah, I get to go straight through, I love it when they are like that.”

By consciously making a comment when things are going well for you, and making a more negative situation feel a little more positive, you will make memories, ones which you can reflect on later when you find yourself in similar situations in the future. This provides a much more balanced view of the world.

Are the traffic lights truly always red?

Ruth Taylor