Can a positive attitude towards the weather increase well-being?

January is often a time people find difficult; Christmas and New Year celebrations have been a focus for a long time and now it's all over it's quite a wait until spring begins to appear. So my #weatherpositiveparent campaign plans to address elements of well-being by putting a positive spin on January and increase engagement with nature by taking this positivity outside from time to time. I'm aiming it at parents so there's a ripple-effect to children too but lots of the ideas will be suitable for everyone. It is a four week campaign with each week having a distinct focus. However, most of these ideas can be applied any time of the year so if you're reading this later in the year pick out what suits you and see if the use of positive language about the weather has a positive impact.

This post is all about: Positive Language. How often do you hear people talk about the weather in a negative way: "It's horrible today", "What miserable weather" etc. There are a range of challenges with the suggestion you complete them over a week going on to the next the following day or take a couple of days to embed it before moving on.

CHALLENGE 1: notice your inner dialogue of negativity about the weather and notice when other's say it too. That's it! I know for me that changing this negative language has had a massive impact on how I viewed autumn last year and I think it could equally apply to winter; I want you to feel a change too. I think we can manage our well-being better as a society and sometimes it is the simple things that count.

Challenge 2: is to utter no negative words about the weather! If you're about to say "What a miserable day" Stop. Say nothing or say something neutral e.g. "It's cloudy today".

Challenge 3: Use positive language about the weather. I have had some help with this from some of the fantastic people who follow my Facebook page.

Rainy Days:
- Talk about how the rain helps things grow.
- "Thank you rain for washing our car"
- "The rain feels nice and cool"
- "We can easily dry off when we get home".

Cloudy Days:
- "Look at how beautiful those clouds are"

Windy Days:
- "Look at the trees dancing in the wind!"

Cold Days:
- "It's so cosy in my warm coat"

CHALLENGE 4: Create an activity specifically for the weather (again thanks to my lovely Facebook followers for some of the suggestions). During this week you don't actually have to go outside! Being outside will be a focus during week 3 of the challenge. This challenge is to fit your activities around the weather (or even to be inspired by the weather) rather than not doing things because of the weather or feeling negative because it's raining. This doesn't mean, of course, that you can't go outside (some of the suggestions take place outside) but many are inside activities or could be a suggestion for children.

Rain
- "It's a puddle splashing day!"
- Point out the raindrops chasing each other down the window pane. As a child I use to pick two rain drops and see which one won by getting to the bottom of the window first!
- Walk in the rain and enjoy the peace and quiet, they'll most likely be less people having a walk.
- Listen to the sound of the rain on the roof or the window.
- Watch the rain splashing in a bird bath, a pond or a puddle.
- Don't say "You can't go outside it's raining" say "Put on your coat before you go outside, it's raining".

Cloud
- Look for shapes in the cloud
- Create a specific play list for cloudy weather e.g. moody, dramatic music that reflects the weather rather than trying to contrast the weather with 'sunny' music.

Wind
- "It's a kite-flying day!"
- Do kids still walk around with their coats held above their heads trying to be blown around by the wind? I haven't seen this for ages but used to spend ages doing this as a child. How about we revive this!?

Cold
- "It's so cosy and warm by the fire"
- "Let's cosy up and watch a film"
- When it's cold enough to see your breath, children often love to pretend to be dragons or a steam train!

Winter Darkness
- Enjoy the chance to see the sun rising and setting everyday. There are some beautiful skies in the winter and we're always awake to see them!
- Look at the moon each night, possibly even chart the waxing and waning.
- On a clear night look out for the stars. If you have small children they might not see a dark sky in the summer so now's the time to make the most of it.

Let me know how you get on with the challenge . Did you stay positive about the weather? Did it make any difference to your wellbeing? Do you have any other suggestions?
The next part of my weather positive parent campaign is about why being outside is good for you and for children. Follow on social media using #weatherpositiveparent or read Why Bother Going Outside in Winter?

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