A positive mindset does not mean trying to stay positive every second of every day, or that optimism is warranted in every situation.

It’s no secret that working in primary care presents many challenges to GP practice managers. However, it’s important to develop and cultivate the right thoughts to help us deal with the issues we face every day.

Managing our thoughts to cope with tough situations 

Developing the right thoughts means balancing the positives and negatives in your perspective and making a choice to err towards optimism. We can acknowledge that we will not always be happy whilst still building up the ability to accept mood swings and difficulties when they come.

It’s about choosing to have a strong handle on your mindset in the middle of whatever situation you find yourself facing. There are times when moods get in the way and thoughts that you would dearly not have in your head just pop up.

The benefits of resilience kick in when you decide how you can handle these thoughts. It is by far the greatest tool to have in your positivity toolkit. When we find ourselves in tough situations, it’s so important not to give up. Strength comes from knowing we have bounced back from disappointments, adversity and failure.

Taking positives from the negatives

Give yourself the opportunity to grow and develop - choose not to give into a negative, pessimistic view of the world - choose to remain in control instead. It’s important to be aware that overcoming or moving past negative situations can actually allow us to sharpen our focus and drive forward.

Invest in yourself, building a positive framework for your thoughts using your ROAM toolkit. You will amaze yourself when you see how it impacts not only you, but also how your responses will impact others.

Remember that while things will not always turn out how we want them to, we can learn from our experiences and move forward armed with greater experience and still keep our integrity intact.

Spread your wings and learn to ROAM

Choose to accept that it’s OK to feel down or think pessimistically sometimes, and choose to ROAM - respond with Resilience, Optimism, Acceptance and the aim to Make Someone’s Day.

Find out more by looking at our infographic about ROAM, a tool that makes a life-changing change impact on those around you. I am always thrilled to meet managers who exhibit the characteristics and traits of what I believe to be a positive mindset.

Give it a go and let us know how you get on using our Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. To learn more about developing resilience with primary care trainers Thornfields, click here.