I’m going with a nature theme this week, mainly because I’m in awe of it all at the moment. Having spent more time of late staring at the trees in my garden, I’ve been struck by how wonderful they are.

The thing that occurred to me the most, though, is how gentle trees are – and how this gentleness isn’t about a lack of strength, but more a sense that they don’t disturb; they don’t push yet they know their power; and they can provide shelter for many others. I’m now considering being more tree!

For me, it’s a Wednesday – bin day, that is. And it's not just physical rubbish (or recycling and garden waste, obviously!) that I try to throw out: I also mean putting out the rubbish from our minds and lifestyles. If you’re looking for something new to try, how about a weekly clear-out of old stuff, timeworn ways of thinking and tired or unhelpful thoughts and feelings?
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Just as you wouldn’t retrieve something from a rubbish bin and reinstate it long after it had been collected, try not to pick up old thoughts and feelings again. Once you’ve put the bins out, keep them out. This way, you’ll have much more space for clear thinking and easier feelings. 

I have a very wise friend, Julia, of Oxford Family Hypnotherapy, who has lots of lovely nuggets of advice. She told me about the power of three little things and I wanted to share them with you.
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Putting my spin on it, I thought it might be handy to give you an idea of the opposite of these to make the point.

1. Negative thought: “Everything is going wrong; the world is against me.”
2. Negative action: “I’m going to fester in a pit of self-despair that helps me feel even worse.”
3. Negative interaction: “I’m going to go on social media and compare my awful life to everyone else’s perfect lives.”

No doubt you can see how destructive this can be, despite how alluring a bit of sulking can feel in that moment. It takes a bit of strength to haul yourself out of the negative funk and back towards the positive. How can you turn things around to the positive? When you are feeling out of sorts, try thinking about these three things:

1. Positive thought: “Today might feel uncomfortable, and tomorrow might be different. It’s not always this bad. I know things will feel better soon.”
2. Positive action: “I know that getting out for a short walk has helped in the past, so I will try that right now.”
3. Positive interaction: “I will phone one of my friends for a short chat, or I will look for something funny to watch to help lift my mood.”

Just a few small, positive steps start the ball rolling to long-term, sustainable positive change. That, and a good night's sleep... but I'm in danger of repeating myself so will stop there!