Your Negative Nancy Emergency Preparedness Plan

Every now and again you run into someone that does not have anything positive to say. That Negative Nancy insists on sharing horrible tales of injustice and songs of woe. Hearing them whine and complain about the sunrise or the effervescent giggles of a small child, you begin to wonder when they swore and oath to be contradictory curmudgeon. Then, every now and again you look in the mirror and see that Negative Nancy starting right back at you. How many times have you heard yourself complaining and wished you knew how to back away from that place of doom and gloom? You hear yourself revving up into a full on rant and you wished you knew how to interrupt the slide down that slippery slope.

What you need is a Negative Nancy Emergency Preparedness Plan. This is a scramble code to activate during your Negative Nancy tendencies and quickly get back to feeling more peace, love, joy, and hope. Like any good emergency plan, taking a few precautionary steps can help you be ready to quickly respond when these emergencies arise.

Have a Negative Nancy Awareness Check List

We all know certain things work on certain days. When you are in a negative space, it can be difficult to come up with positive actions to take. Not everything strategy works for you all the time so having a check list to fall back on will help you remember creative ways to get back into a positive place.

It’s like when my daughter was a baby, I had a list of things to try when she was fussy to address whatever causing her to be a Negative Nancy. I’d consider things like is she hungry, does her diaper need changing, is she hot or cold, is she tired – the list went on and on. Working the list helped me stay calm about the fussiness and work systematically to resolve the issue. I know you are not exactly an infant but the reality is our negativity is often the result of something simple that can be address if we pay attention to the causes.

So what is on your Negative Nancy list?

Start Your List Within

I had to add this. Someone you love needs you to hear this so pay attention. Look for strategies that you can do for yourself and by yourself. You are more powerful than you think. Besides, if your go-to strategy involves someone else, how will you cope when that person is not around to kick start your joy? Oh, and by the way, if you are relying on someone else for that type of support and emergency assistance you’re being an emotional drag. No one is responsible for your moods but you. You have everything you need within you to handle what’s going in with you. Start looking for the powerful solutions to your fussiness within.

That said, if what you are doing for yourself doesn’t work, by all means reach out to someone else for help. After all, that’s what friends are for!

Prepare a List of Positive Actions

What can you do in the moment to address what’s making you so fussy? Nothing is off the table but I find the most simplistic things normally work better and faster than a more complicated solution. Sign, dance, walk, meditate, make a list, speak positively, listen or watch to something positive, help someone else, drink some water, take a nap, comb your hair. That last one may seem shallow but I know you will agree that when you look better, you feel better right? So why not take simple steps to feel better?

What other positive actions can you think of that would bring you more peace, love, joy, and hope?

Now when your inner Negative Nancy shows up, you’ll have all the tools you need to kick back into a space of unspeakable joy!