'You live in your mind.'
The mind is a very powerful tool. Feeding the mind with good thoughts, positivity and optimism is essential to one's mental wellbeing and progress in life. The law of attraction states that you will attract into your life whatever it is that you choose to focus on. Thus, one can't stress enough the importance of developing a positive attitude in life.
A positive attitude is said to boost the memory centre of the brain, and thereby positively impact the IQ of an individual. This is the reason that international schools such as The Aditya Birla World Academy pay a great deal of attention to creating a positive attitude in their students' minds. Teaching this philosophy requires a continuous effort on the part of the teachers, and is embedded into the very fabric of what the school stands for and propagates.
Following are some of the methods used to promote positive thinking:
- Setting an Example: Students tend to pick up on subtle behavioural traits of their teachers. It is therefore extremely crucial that teachers emulate positivity and optimism in their attitude and actions. When teachers speak with confidence, zeal and hopefulness, students imbibe these sentiments and start displaying them as well.
- Creating a positive environment: An environment of support, togetherness and positivity is an integral tool in developing a positive attitude amongst the students. Teachers must always motivate the students to push their boundaries and work harder, all the while encouraging them and recognizing smaller victories. Motivation can come in several forms- sharing optimistic quotes in the classroom, using positive reinforcements, encouraging students to appreciate each other, and disallowing any student to bring in negativity. Staying around positive people is the simplest and most effective method of ensuring a positive attitude.
- Positive Visualisations: When one envisions positive results, then one is more likely to achieve such an outcome in comparison to someone who thinks negatively. Positive thinking sends out positive vibrations into the universe. As they say- positivity attracts positivity, hence teachers must be conscious to empower their students and make them believe that they are capable of achieving anything that their heart desires.
- Eliminating negative talk: A positive dictionary is an essential tool in promoting positivity. Words such as 'can't, won't, shouldn't' should be eliminated from one's thought process. Students must be made to believe that they 'can, will and should' achieve all their goals in life. Negative talk is often the root cause of demotivation and a sense of helplessness. Teachers should eliminate such negativity from the classroom, and focus on their students' mental wellbeing.
- Managing Stress: Stress can oftentimes be a huge hindrance in positive thinking. Stress causes one to feel low, demoralised and disillusioned. Tackling stress is thus a very important aspect of promoting positivity. Students can have very stressful lives trying to cope with the academics, extra curriculars while also dealing with peer pressure and insecurities. Identifying the major stress points in a student's life, and trying to effectively tackle it is the chief duty of the teachers.
- Maintaining a Gratitude Journal: Maintaining a gratitude journal is a great tool to help train the mind to think positively. When one expresses gratitude for something that they have, they attune their minds to feelings of gratefulness, appreciation and optimism. Students can be encouraged to write down the things that they are grateful for each day, so that they can start each morning on a positive note. Writing down positive affirmations such as- 'I am strong.', 'I am confident.', etc., is also helpful in creating a positive outlook.
- Creating a vision board: Another effective tool to foster positivity amongst students is the creation of vision boards. Teachers can use vision boards to help students creatively put down their goals through a collection of images or objects. Students can either collectively decide their goals, or make individual vision boards. Students will find the process of identifying the goals very uplifting as they start imagining and living what they want. Once created, the board will aid students to visualize their goals better and will provide a positivity boost when looked at.
The teachers at the Aditya Birla World Academy focus a great deal on the mental development of the students. They aim to create mentally strong and confident students that have a positive outlook to life. Positivity can take you a long way in life, and when students are trained on having a positive attitude from a young age, it impacts their life wholly for years to come.
Also read,
Tips to create a positive learning environment for students
Creating an Emotionally Healthy Home.
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