My Favourite Way To "Clear Your Mind"

Hello, I'm Kate Cocker and this is your everyday positivity. As you head into these last few days of 2024, I think it might be a good time to really just absorb what's going on, log what's going on, and do a little bit of processing. This time tends to be slightly quieter. It tends to be a time where we're sitting around a lot. It tends to be a time where people aren't at the shop so much, you know, it, well, that's not true.

Maybe you are at the shops, but the point is there's a little bit of pressure that eases at this time of year. And at this time of year, it's good, I think, to turn to some journaling, or at least some processing. Everyday positivity exists for you every single day because it was a seed that grew a sapling, if you like, that grew out of a rough time for me.

About seven or so years ago, I went through a depressive period that I cannot connect to anything. I was just down. In the past where I'd gone through depressive periods, I'd like, you know, just had a baby and I've got postnatal depression or I've just lost my job and the shift is too much or, you know, all sorts of dynamic shifts that I could go, okay, well, that was the root of that, you know, I've got to learn how to deal with those things. But this one came out of nowhere and it really kept me up.

It peaked as most oppressions do. You end up in a real kind of slump and you go, right? That's enough now. And at the point at which I turned myself around, I met a group of women who championed me and supported me every single day, the PMA ladies, positive mental attitude. And I started doing CrossFit. So every morning I was going to a place where the actual trainer at the time was like, come on, Kate, you've got this. And he was so positive. And that positivity lifted me out of the funk that I needed to be lifted out of.

And it occurred to me, well, you know, maybe I wasn't the only one who needed reminding every single day that, you know, you can be positive and that you're great and you've got this. So here is everyday positivity, nearly two and a half thousand episodes later. And the thing that you and I have built on over the last seven years, as we've been working together, six and a half to be precise,

is journaling. One of the things that's really come out every Sunday I do a journal prompt because it's something that you and I discovered together. I've always been a journaler. I've always been someone who's used journaling to help me process emotions when they're too high.

You know, and journaling isn't about having a discipline or journaling, it can be, but for me it's a really good way or one of the strategies that I use when things are getting on top of me either in a good way or in a negative way. So what I mean by that is I can be overly happy and overjoyed and need to log it somewhere and that goes into a journal too.

So the next few episodes, I want to bring about the process of thinking things through. I guess it's mulling time, like mulled wine. You've had all the mulled wine and all the mulled cider over the last few weeks. Now it's time to mull your mind.

And in these module mind days, I'm going to give you some prompts, some are straightforward, some are not. You don't have to journal, you don't have to utilise them to journal, you could just take a moment to go, how do I feel about that? Or what do I think about that? But purely and simply, and there are seven pillars of positivity, and pillar of positivity number seven is clear your mind. And that's what we're doing here.

Writing things down enables your brain to process what's going on. And scientifically, neuroscience-wise, you're amygdala, where all the hormones are kept, calms down the minute you start to write. Like the physical act of writing helps you to calm your brain. And whatever you write down, you get to see in full. You know, we think faster than we write. And so by writing, it forces us into the present and helps us to see things. So simply, I'm going to start in a really simple place for this journal prompt for you today.

I promised you every single month I would ask you to write down how each month has gone. What did each month bring you? And today is no different. What did December bring you? And this is where you can really list or write down the highs, the lows, the things you've enjoyed and just really capture it. The act of capturing those good memories, like what are the three best things that happened this month?

The act of capturing that, the act of doing that, the act of relishing in it, allows you to release the good hormone, oxytocin, that will help you to feel good, feel joy. And if you're capturing stuff that's not gone so well, it will give you the opportunity to release that coping strategy. So today, very simply, what did December bring you?

Every single month, I get you. I get to celebrate positivity with you. I get to cultivate positivity with you. So thank you for being here on this journey in 2024 and all the years that you may have listened before then. I'll be back tomorrow with another episode of Everyday positivity for you. And I'll be doing more kind of thought inspiring episodes if you like. And I'll see you tomorrow. Have a great day. And remember, you have 100% got this.