Taken from POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE® these tiny activities called “PQ Reps” are literally the  keystone of mental fitness. They are the single most fundamental thing you can do to boost your happiness and wellbeing.

These exercises help us to build new neural pathways which means that, with practice and over time, we start to default to more positive automatic ways of thinking, feeling and behaving.

Those heat of the moment reactions that we often regret or feel guilt and shame about how we responded or behaved will become a thing of the past as you get to choose new responses that give you better outcomes and make you feel better.

I like to think of it as if your resting baseline of happiness gets jacked up a notch, even in the midst of a triggering event or a difficult conversation.

I’ve attached a link here to a few examples of PQ Reps but you can also think of your own.  Remember the sole purpose is to interrupt your negative thoughts, so experiment and find what works for you.

Here are my top tips for trying out these exercises:

Practice

I use this word deliberately.  PQ Reps are about practice.  Which means a commitment to doing them, little and often and witnessing the benefits over time.

It’s not about doing them perfectly!

For those of you who have perfectionist tendencies (like me!), you will likely try to focus your attention on seeking out the immediate benefit of doing them in the moment, which negates the purpose of doing PQ Reps.  You will be prone to give up when that benefit isn’t revealed in the immediate moment or your life doesn’t suddenly change for the better.  No tool, advice or promise can ever really accomplish that and be wary of anyone making claims to do so.

The irony is, the less you focus on trying to find the benefit, the more you will likely feel the benefit.

Experiment with what works for you

Some clients love the more tactile ones, while others find these “icky” (their word).  Some like the more physical ones and prefer doing something energetic.  While others like to focus on visual reps.

There is no right or wrong way of doing PQ Reps.  A simple breath can be sufficient, so long as you are doing it with intention and attention.

And if you’d like a conversation to learn more about how POSITIVE INTELLIGENCE® can be used in your business or organisation, you can book an initial consultation here: