Treat yourself to a dazzlingly positive outlook for 2024

The weather at this time of year can be a bit grim. But in between the chilly, dark, gloomy days we get a sprinkling of lovely, sunny, crisp days that boost the spirit and remind us spring is on the way. This is January... and it’s the perfect time to treat yourself to some beautiful positive thinking. Here are some tips.

Change the way you consume the news

It’s an interesting question: why is the news always so awful? Is there any real reason why ‘news’ has to be so relentlessly negative and depressing? As it turns out it’s down to the definition of news humanity has created for itself, and that means it’s something you can change. There’s a growing crop of positive news websites out there and they give an alternative, more cheerful view of our world. Yes, there’s a war against climate change to fight, but all over the planet good people are doing impactful things to make it better. The same goes for all sorts of subjects that usually make us feel down: plastic pollution, Amazon deforestation, species loss and more.

There’s bad news, but there’s also a whole load of good news to balance it thanks to people-power. While the politicians mess things up, get things wrong and miss opportunities to change for the better, people are doing it for themselves - and it’s heart-warming. Next time the news gets you down make your way to Positive News, the BBC’s Uplifting Stories, Good News Network and The Good News Hub for a daily fix of positivity. Then spread the word to the people you love.

Bring more colour and pattern into your life

Slouching around wearing grey and black is less likely to improve your mood than focusing on colour and pattern. It’s surprising how strongly colours can affect our moods and also our energy levels. When we wear reds and oranges we can feel more optimistic and cheerful. When relaxation is on the menu, wearing pastels can help us feel calm, peaceful and at ease. For confidence and self-esteem, choose colours that complement your skin tone. For excitement and stimulation, joyfully blend toning and clashing patterns together with abandon and feel a big smile widening on your face. Even if all you’re doing it sitting at home, adding more colour to your life will give you a nice little emotional boost. When you feel you look good, it helps you feel good!

It’s a love thing...

Love changes everything. When was the last time you actually told someone you love that you love them? Maybe yesterday, maybe never, it’s easy to just assume they know and leave it at that. But voicing your love makes it real, reminds the person how you feel, and gives both of you a lovely warm glow. As an article in Psychology Today magazine says, “Research has shown again and again that people who report feeling more love and having more close relationships are happier and healthier than people with less love in their lives.” So go out there and make your feelings clear.

Random acts of kindness

Random acts of kindness make the giver of the kindness and its receiver feel fantastic, creating a gorgeous positive circle of gladness and warmth. As the UK Mental Health Foundation says, “Research shows that helping others can be good for our mental health. It reduces stress, improves our emotional well-being and even benefits our physical health. In short, doing good does you good. If you do nothing else today, keep an eye out for an opportunity to help someone with a random act of kindness or hold onto that warm feeling when someone helps you. Doing something nice for someone doesn't cost a lot of time or money. It's the small things in life that can make a big difference.”

Buy wisely, recycle, re-use and re-purpose

There’s too much stuff in the world. Some say we’ve already exceeded ‘peak stuff’. These days it feels better to make wise buying decisions, buying good stuff we love that’s made to last, than it does to buy loads of not-so-good stuff and waste most of it. And that’s what slow fashions like ours are all about.

Beautifully made from quality fabrics, our alternative clothes look good for ages and don’t go out of style. If you get tired of an item you can send it back to us for refurbishment and resale in exchange for a voucher. Our Revive Collection is all about feel-good fashion, and it’s growing fast.

Wishing you a wonderful 2024 The Wicked Dragon team wishes you a happy, interesting new year full of positive thoughts, kindness and love. Here’s to 2024!