Have you ever noticed how much time you normally spend looking at the floor? If you had to map your walk from your house to the nearest shop, how much details of your surroundings can you really remember? Just as an experiment, try to look up right now and think about a sad, negative experience or something that worries you. How long did it take before you instinctively looked down? Look up and start noticing the world around you.

People watching is one of my favourite activities. Up in my tower at work, I attentively watch passers-by, cyclists and drivers. You will be surprised at the number of people who still use their phones whilst driving, or the number of cyclists who genuinely believe that the highway code do not apply to them. One thing for sure is that the majority of people I see during my coffee breaks walk around with their head down. Interestingly, the same phenomenon can be witnessed in gardens and parks. With such beautiful surroundings, why on earth are people choosing to look at the grass?

As humans we spend too much time in our heads. Our thoughts drive us throughout the day and dictate the mood that we are in. If you pay attention to your physiognomy when you are sad, upset, overwhelmed, crying, deep into your thoughts and your problems, you will notice that you are looking down. This is an instinctive reaction. We tend to look down when we access deep routed feelings, mostly negative ones. The simplest way to get out of this state, to break this pattern, is to look up.

When you’re lost in your thoughts, you lose awareness of what is going on around you. Looking up forces you to disengage with the current negative thought pattern. Maintain this posture and really pay attention to your surroundings and your negative thoughts will slowly fade away. It is a bit like giving your mind something else to focus on. Your mind drops what it was playing with previously and is now ready for something else.

Don’t take my word for it, give it a go. I must warn you, it is not as easy as it sounds. If you are having an off-day or feeling the blues, the temptation to look down and resume thinking about what worries or upsets you is overwhelming. It’s a bit like a yo-yo. Look up, smell the roses, look down, smell the gutter. It’s up to you to repeatedly look up to continue to smell the roses until your brain finally gives up on the thought. Believe me, if you really want a change in your life, and you persist using this technique, it will become a habit and come naturally. The yo-yo effect will take less time and will become easier to fight. Your subconscious will know to look up to avoid being lost in negative feelings. It really is worth the effort.

Are you ready to take on my challenge? If you need another reason why you should learn to walk around with your head held high, then how about this. It makes you look and feel more confident. The more confident you are, the more likely you will feel in control of the situation.

So there you have it. From now on, take a conscious decision to walk to the shops, in the office or around the park with your head held high. These days, you will be lucky if you find a nickel on the ground. You might as well look up and enjoy the beautiful scenery as it is unfolding in the current moment.