New Year’s is finally upon us. As unfortunate as it is to say “goodbye” to Christmas and all its glory, it’s time for us to ring in the new year, 2016. Another year has come and gone, and now, as we look ahead, we are looking forward to a year of huge changes. 2015 brought us a lot of negativity, and 2016 is bound to bring a lot more with the current state of things. However, this negativity can be fought. It’s a challenging battle, but it’s possible, and a lot more attainable than you might think.
Here are three New Year’s Resolutions that are challenging to begin, but over time, get easier to accomplish. They also would have the biggest payoff in the fight against negativity:
1. Smile.
You have no idea how impactful a simple smile can be. Within our psychobiological makeup, we have these things called “mirror neurons.” These are neurons that mirror stimuli that are presented to them. As Daniel Goleman says, mirror neurons “reflect back an action we observe in someone else, making us mimic that action or have the impulse to do so" (41). When you smile at someone, mirror neurons within their bodies will mimic the action of smiling, because that’s what they experience. So you can quite literally share a smile with someone. The more you smile, and the more people who experience your smile, will more likely go about their days and smile at others. You can change people’s attitudes simply by smiling.
2. Change your way of thinking.
Aaron Beck, a famous personalities theorist constructed the concept of cognitive behavioral therapy from three basic principles:
1) All our emotions are created by our thoughts. How we feel is directly related to how and what we are thinking at that current moment.
2) Depression is the constant thinking of negative thoughts.
3) A majority of negative thoughts are distortions of the truth but we accept them as if they are truths.
Beck argued that by straightening and ironing out one’s twisted thoughts, you could change their attitudes from negative to positive outlooks. David Burns found this to be true! When he challenged cognitive therapy in practice, he noticed that those who were suicidal one week were not a few weeks later. All thanks to changing one’s thoughts. “If you’re willing to invest a little time in yourself, you can learn to master your moods more effectively, just as an athlete who participates in a daily conditioning program can develop greater endurance and strength” (58).
3. Give a piece of encouragement.
Let me just start by encouraging to watch this video. There is plenty of psychological research to suggest that encouragement has a positive impact on others. I think this video speaks to that research enough. Just by saying two simple words, “You’re beautiful,” this student made other students cry, laugh, smile, and completely change their moods. What I find sad is that when she told one girl that she was beautiful, her response was anger and violence. How sad is it that some of us are so unaccustomed to hearing compliments and encouragement that our reaction is confusion, anger, or even feeling threatened. Share an encouraging thought with someone. It doesn’t have to be much, but just say something. You literally can be the one that prevents them from hurting themselves or someone else. You have no idea where someone is, or what they might be planning—if they’re planning something at all.
These are just three resolutions that hold the power to completely change how we view ourselves, others, and the consistent negativity we face every time we turn on the news. There is power in positivity. No one likes negativity. Everyone actually hates it. It’s not a natural feeling to have and it makes us uncomfortable when we experience it. If groups like ISIS or our country’s bipartisanship can cause so much negativity and have so much power from that negativity, how much more power do you think positivity would have than that unnatural feeling? Spoiler alert: A LOT MORE. This coming New Year, begin to make a difference in the world. It’s actually a lot easier than you think.
