Lucy Bell - You Can Live on the Bright Side: The Kids Guide to Optimism

Also by Lucy Bell

You Can Change the World:

The Kids Guide to a Better Planet

You Can Live on the Bright Side text copyright 2021 Lucy Bell. Illustration copyright 2021 Astred Hicks, Design Cherry. This edition copyright 2022 Andrews McMeel Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

First published in Australia in 2021 by Pantera Press Pty Limited

P.O. Box 1989, Neutral Bay, NSW, Australia 2089

ISBN: 978-1-5248-8275-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021952350

Cover Design and Illustrations: Astred Hicks

Editor: Melissa R. Zahorsky

Art Director: Julie Barnes

Production Editor: Brianna Westervelt

Production Manager: Carol Coe

ATTENTION: SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES

Andrews McMeel books are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchase for educational, business, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail the Andrews McMeel Publishing Special Sales Department: .

This day was only the first of many similar ones for the emancipated Mole, each of them longer and fuller of interest as the ripening summer moved onward. He learned to swim and to row, and entered into the joy of running water; and with his ear to the reed stems he caught, at intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly among them.

KENNETH GRAHAME

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

INTRODUCTION

Do you ever wake up in the morning, look out your window to see the sun shining, and you cant wait to get started on the day? Maybe theres something youre excited about doing, whether its seeing friends, going for a bike ride, or reading your favorite book. Maybe its as simple as eating something yummy for breakfast! Whatever it is, you just know that today is going to be a good day.

This is called optimism, or positivity, and its such a nice feeling to have. Its also something that you can learn, practice, and improve, so you can feel that way more often.

Optimism is about feeling hopeful, lighter, and looking forward to your day, week, or even something that's months away. It's about looking on the bright side of life, so you can live on the bright side.

The world is big, busy, and bustling. Theres so much to keep on top of every day, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. How many times a day does someone tell you to hurry up? Everyone always seems to be in a rush!

The following pages are filled with tips, tricks, tools, activities, and recipes. Theyll help you slow down and find time for the things that make you excited to leap out of bed each morning, ready to do more of what you love, and find out what makes you uniquely you.

Life is full of ups and downs. No one can be optimistic all the time, so its all right to feel a bit low sometimes. We all have days where we feel tired and just want to curl up in bed with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.

It can be easy to look around and think that everyone else is having an easier time. But feeling blue is normal for everyone. We all face different struggles and often people will hide their emotions, so it can be difficult to tell when others are feeling down. There will always be times when things dont feel like theyre going our way, or we feel a bit gloomy and cant explain why. Sometimes, this is because we havent slept well, we havent been eating enough healthy food, we havent been spending enough time outdoors, or because there are lots of things we need to get done and we feel anxious.

When youre doing something unfamiliar or that makes you uncomfortable, like starting at a new school, trying a new sport, or speaking in front of lots of people, its okay to feel worried about it. We all have self-doubt, and can lose confidence in ourselveseven the bravest warriors feel afraid sometimes.

If you lose something or someone you love, you will feel sad for a while, and thats okay. These times can be tough, but its important to know that they dont last forever. The world will become brighter again. The sun will poke through the clouds.

Its important to know that if youre feeling blue too often, and cant stop worrying about things, then there are people you can turn to for support. Talking about things with the right person can get the worries out of your head, and some people are trained to help you do this. So dont be afraid to speak to someone you trust and ask for help.

Remember too that knowing what its like to feel sad or anxious means we can understand better when other people are having a tough time. We might even be able to comfort them. Were all in this together.

Even on the gloomy days, theres always room for us to learn more about what makes us happy. This book is full of ideas for living in a way where you feel the happiest and healthiest you can be. And who knows, by using some of these ideas, or coming up with some of your own, you might even turn a bad day into a good one!

You dont have to do all the things in this book to live on the bright side. Its designed to show you how to find the things you enjoy. If you try writing a poem and think its totally boring, but you love cooking, throw your poem out the window and get into the kitchen. Or maybe todays the day to go for a run, not sit inside and meditate. You get to choose what you want to do!

There are so many things to love about the worldwe just have to take the time to notice them.

One of the first steps to living on the bright side is learning to calm your mind. Our brains are busy bees. Even when were not aware of it, theyre constantly working on processing new information, solving problems, deciding what we want for lunch, planning what were going to do tomorrow, worrying about stuff, reminding us to do things, and making sure our bodies are working properly. All these thoughts and processes can send our brains into a big tizzy! This can make it very difficult to concentrate on one thing at a time. Sometimes you might wish you had an off switch to shut down your brain for a while!

The exercises and activities here will show you how to slow down. This will help you become more relaxed and aware of your surroundings. Its nice to take your time and enjoy the little things in lifelike eating an orange, listening to the birds, or checking to see what color the sky is today.