Monday the 18th of January is supposed to be the most depressing day in the year.

I just can’t subscribe to that!

Why, you might ask?

Well, for a few reasons, one of the main ones being that it is my Birthday in January, and so the whole month is a good one for me! If it happens to be a ‘big’ birthday, then I can be known to celebrate for the whole year!

The other reasons are based around what I do to keep my self in a positive frame of mind. And if you want to skip to the chase, scroll down to see what great thing you can do to give yourself something to look forward to! Otherwise, grab a cup of tea and enjoy a quick read……

I am natural a positive thinking person, but at times, the dreaded ‘life’ can get you down and over time I have learnt a few things, skills or tricks you may want to call them to just make sure I am always more pointed towards the positive end of the scale than the negative end.

Positive Mind

I realised this some years ago when I was in a seminar whilst I was working in the bank. I had a high targeted, high performing role which was in itself quite stressful.

We were asked, as one of those creeping death, get to know you questions that trainers are so fond of and I personally HATE!

The question was, when was the last time you did something that was nice.

An innocuous question, in all honesty but I was stumped. I was at the death end of the table and so I had plenty of time to think but I just couldn’t. I could not think of a single thing that made me smile, or where I had treated myself and even after lots of prompts from around the table, I just couldn’t.

Later, I realised that my view of the world had a grey, negative film over it and made me even more sad.

And this had happened without me even realising it.

So, I took it upon myself to find out what I could do.

What to do?

These days, there’s lots of advice around of what to do to keep you positive, there’s apps and games and plenty of advice on the internet. Even doctors are more connected with this, these days.

Back then…. not so much. And there was no way I could raise this with my line manager, it was a sure sign of weakness and back then, if there was a sniff of you being weak you would be out. So, that added to the stress also!

I’d like to think it’s different in work these days.

So, what did I do?

Gratitude Diary

Firstly, I created a ‘Gratitude Diary’–designed for me to write in here what things I was happy/thankful/grateful for. And do you know what? I opened this red covered book and looked at all the blank pages and I couldn’t think of one thing to write in it.

Now, when I look back, I can’t believe it. If I hadn’t lived it, I wouldn’t believe it. But it’s true. Not one thing could I think of to write in the book!

So, after doing some reading, I accepted that this can take some time and the suggestions were, start by being thankful that you are alive, you are breathing, you have a beating heart, you can feel the weather on your skin. All quite basic stuff.

But the thing is, by doing this, over time, it does start to change the way you look at things and you DO start noticing more and more things to be grateful for.

The Diary got forgotten about, as often these things do, when you think everything is hunky dorey, and then life comes back at you and snaps at your heels and then I’d remember and I’d then start again.

I’m grateful now, that it is just one of those things I do, like brushing my teeth.

Every morning, before I brush my teeth, I make a point of being thankful for 3 things and every evening, before I go to sleep, I make a point of being thankful for another 3 things.

And when life gets a little testy, as we’ve all found over the last year, and I feel a bit down, I can write pages of ‘Thank yous’ , just to keep my mind in the right place.

Sometimes I can struggle to find 20, and really, that’s when you really need to do it.

Find 20 and then find another 20 and over the next coming days, your mood will improve and that negative haze will be gone.

So, if you are feeling Blue on this Monday, then try my trick. And by all means message me on Facebook and let me know what your 3 things are for today!

Have something to look forward to..

The other HUGE thing I have is to make sure I have a holiday to look forward to, doesn’t matter if it’s an abroad holiday, a weekend away or a short UK break. And in ‘normal’ years I like to have at least 2 of these things planned. Not so this year, however, I have diarised when I ‘hope’ to be on holiday and I have also made initial bookings with a couple of places that I know I can move if, for some reason, we can’t travel.

So, that is what I’d like to give to you.

Make a booking to stay here at Fields Lodge Boutique B&B, FOR ANY DATE IN 2021, and make that booking on our system before 8pm on 1st February 2021 and you can make that booking without having to pay a deposit.

This is something I have never offered before, but I am so keen for you to have something to look forward to.

If it so happens that when your dates come around, that you can’t travel…then we will just move your booking for a future date.

There is no risk to you, no deposit to worry about getting refunded or placed against a new booking.

Worry free completely.

Only for bookings made on our system by 8pm on 1st February 2021.

So, what are you waiting for…get your diaries out and check out our availability and make your worry free booking.

Jennie from Devon has said ‘I just can’t wait to come visit, it’s great to have something marked down in the calender, I am so missing my fix of Pembrokeshire’

Click here to see what else is news at Fields Lodge