I am so thrilled to be finally taking the time to write a blog post dedicated to, and centred around mindset. I’ve been obsessed with achieving a strong mindset for a long while, but never been able to find the confidence and words to write a blog post about it.
I have always taken great pleasure in reading different self-help books over the years. My all time favourite was “Good Life Good Vibes” by Vex King. Even though the books I have read are delivering the same messages, I strongly believe that the messages are key for building a strong and healthy mindset and overcoming mental health issues.
Globally, as we are going through a terrible pandemic, remaining positive will be harder than ever for a lot of working and non working individuals.
Being a PR Student, for me, I consider having a strong mindset as crucial. From past personal experiences, if you go through something with a positive mindset it is a completely different experience compared to if you had a negative mindset. How can we change this to make sure we are positive as we can be?
I have always done my own research on the internet and on social media regarding different types of mindsets and how individuals can be effected.
According to researcher Carol Dweck, there are two different types of mindsets: a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. (source)
In a growth mindset, people have an underlying belief that their learning and intelligence can grow and expand with time and experience. When people believe they can become more intelligent, they realize that their effort has an effect on their success. So they put in extra time, leading to higher and more successful achievement.
In a fixed mindset, people believe their qualities are fixed traits and therefore cannot change. These people document their intelligence and talents rather than working to develop and improve them. They also believe that talent alone leads to success, and effort is not required.
So which mindset category do you think you fall into? It’s absolutely fine to think both, because in reality, everyone experiences both mindsets at some point in their life. I most definitely, show signs of both from time to time and take no shame in this.
Why is mindset so important?
Your mindset plays a demanding role in how you cope with life’s challenges. For example, in University, a growth mindset can contribute to greater achievement and increased effort. When facing a worry such as trying to find a new job, people with growth mindsets show better flexibility. They are more likely to persevere in the face of setbacks while those with fixed mindsets are more liable to give up. (Relating back to Dweck)
As we are going through a global pandemic which leaves us feeling uncertain and sometimes panicked, a lot of people will be finding it difficult to have a positive mindset.
As all the days seem to be merging into one, and a lot of people are taking the opportunity to get things done, do a little bit of life admin and learn something new- which is great! However, a lot of people will be struggling to remain positive from sitting in their living room all day.
When you woke up this morning and got out of bed, how did you feel? did you feel as though you wanted to make the most of the day by getting up and getting your daily walk in? or did you wake up and have the mindset, that today was going to be another dreadful, long day?
Your mindset that you chose for the day is down to you, nobody else. I know from personal experiences that this is a hard pill to swallow. We have those days where our work is getting to us or our housemates are bugging us, but the way we react and deal with it is all down to mindset.
Try to remain positive and see the good in every day!
Personally, it is the little things that drive me to get up in the morning and make the most of the day. Every morning I wake up and look forward to my large morning latte. Its a very simple thing but trying to see the good in every day makes a huge difference. Gratitude is a huge thing. By learning how to be grateful for little things in life, we become more appreciative and it enables us to look forward to smaller things. For example, I am always grateful to have such amazing countryside on my door step, it simply makes me look forward to the smaller things such as going for my evening walk as the sun sets. Even though it is a minor appreciation, it lifts my mood and mindset for the day.
5 tips to improve your mindset
- Write down your thoughts/ whats going on in your head
- Exercise daily/ Fresh air
- Get plenty of sleep each night
- Stretch/ meditate
- Talk and socialize with friends and family
I find that I am more productive in the morning. Perhaps try getting up and going for a morning run to set you up for the upcoming day? When you wake up, limit the time you spend scrolling through your social media and get up straight away and put your trainers on. Believe me, even just 10 minutes of fresh air in the morning does the mind wonders! And if your anything like me, if I am productive in the morning and set myself a schedule for the day, I treat myself to a delicious breakfast (Poached eggs and Avocado on toast of course!)
We need to start looking forward to the little things such as the gorgeous blue skies and sunshine we have had, since the big thrilling things won’t be happening until we reach the end of the pandemic (who knows when that may be). Perhaps, we can start introducing gratitude and you’ll find your mindset begins to improve as you appreciate your family and friends that you have around you.
Interview:
As part of my research into developing an achieving mindset, I interviewed Rachael Jackson- a wellbeing coach from Durham. Rachael takes a lot of pride and pleasure out of helping others achieve a healthy mindset. I contacted Rachael via Instagram as her vibrant feed really stood out to me and made me want to hear her opinion on the topic.
Unfortunately, due to social distancing restrictions I was unable to meet Rachael for the coffee we had organized for my interview , so had to chat via email instead. Here is what she had to say:
Transcript:
“Good morning, mindset is my main priority when it comes to training my clients and I am so thrilled that you asked me to give you my outlook on the topic. Even today, there are grey skies above us and that for me, something as minor as the weather can control my mindset for the day, which sounds silly but actually is understandable. I don’t know about you but the lack of sun and daylight really gets to me…to be able to remain positive, you need to appreciate the smaller things in life. As well-being coach, my clients now know that they are the only ones that can adjust their mindset. Not me, not their family or their friends, just them. To keep it simple, we need to stress less and smile more. Perhaps, do something good/productive tonight to set you up to have a better week than last week, even if it is something as minor as writing your thought down with a couple of goals you wish to succeed. Of course, mindset is not something that can be rushed or changed over night. It is about realizing what is important in your life, what changes can be made (big or small) and how you personally can take steps into making your mindset sustainable, healthy and positive!”
Finding the right mindset and balance in PR:
For working Professionals, sometimes the working hours can be long and odd. Since we are living in such strange times due to Lock down, a lot of individuals are being made to work from home. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we try our best to remain positive and productive, and keep our mindset healthy. PR professionals may be taking this as an opportunity to make the ‘new normal’. Of course, people work differently in environments that are new to them and sometimes find it difficult to adapt to change, but could PR people make different choices about how they relate to their work and to the PR field.
Will working from home become the new norm and will our mindset trigger?
This period of isolation has shown us that those of us who work for the big companies, can also work remotely from the comfort of our own homes. So what does this mean for the future, once we come out of isolation? Perhaps companies will use the money they spend on renting out large office spaces, to hire more employees or just use the money in a different and more effective way?
In a strange way I am excited to see where we all are in the next few weeks when the lockdown is lifted. However, it is so important that your mindset remains healthy and positive!
Sources:
Murphy, M.C. and Dweck, C.S., 2016. Mindsets shape consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 26(1), pp.127-136.
https://edcentral.uk/edblog/expert-insight/growth-mindset-students-mental-health-learning
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