February is a funny month. We've got January out of the way, it's lighter for longer, and we're starting to see some signs of spring. Yet, there's still that urge to hibernate. Yesterday, it felt like I had no choice - I spent the whole day in a windowless room. I was delivering training at a specialist critical care centre, a large hospital, conducting workshops for Consultants. We frequently spoke of wellbeing, self-care, and looking after ourselves and our colleagues when the working environment is harsh and the demands of the job are huge.

In our jobs, we are constantly looking for risks, the things that might go wrong. We write and review risk assessments, doing what we can to prevent mishaps. In life in general, looking for the bad stuff keeps us from harm – we look out for the shady character to give them a wide berth, we notice the danger of walking too close to the edge of the pavement. It’s natural. The brain filters out the stuff that we don’t need to worry about – the noise of the robin and the blackbird, the snowdrops poking through. It’s very easy not to notice that good stuff, beautiful stuff is happening all around us.

The good news is the neuroplasticity of the brain – we can train the brain to notice the positives too. Look for the good, note it down and reflect on it. I suggested to the Consultants yesterday that they use some time on their way home thinking about three good things that have happened during their shift. And then, rather than walking in through the door, complaining about the working environment to their significant other, they can enthuse about their wonderful day at work.