APRIL 31, 2019 / Wellness
Staying Positive in Negative Situations
Keeping a positive outlook in life, especially going through rough times can be challenging.
Something that I have personally worked on while growing up is seeing the positive in negative situations. And trust me, I know it's so much easier said than done.
This is an understatement, but it is so essential for someone’s mental health to oversee negative situations.
I sometimes find myself dwelling on negative situations, but over time I have started to come into the habit of thinking about the positives in my life.
When having a positive mind, I often focus on how I can fix the negatives rather than focus on the issues.
Here are some of my go-to most effective and smartest habits I do for living a more positive lifestyle.
One of my most effective ways is to be appreciative.
I often think about what is excellent in my life. I have so so much to be appreciative for, and I‘m sure you do too. Whether it be from a roof over your head to running hot water and to being loved by someone in your life.
“It could be so much worse” is a positive thought I have when going through a negative situation.
It is really easy to lose perspective, especially when you are stressed and acting without thinking.
Take a second to slow down before you fall into the rabbit hole with a ton of things to do in your mind.
There are three steps someone can do to handle tough situations like these.
Say stop. In your mind, shout “STOP!” or “NOPE, we are not going down that path again!” as soon as thoughts of this kind starts to spin in your head.
Breathe. After you have disrupted the thoughts by shouting stop sit down and be still. Breathe with your belly and focus on just your in-breaths and out-breaths for a minute or two to calm your mind and body down.
Refocus. Question all of your thoughts by talking to someone close to you and getting a more grounded perspective on the situation by just venting or by getting his or her input.
Something that I usually do is ask myself;
Will this matter in four years? Or even four weeks?
SAVANNA LEIGH
Hello! My name is Savanna and I am from the Virgin Islands. I love surfing, scuba diving and anything involving the beach. While relaxing, I enjoy blogging <3
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Living in a happy environment with supportive people around you is crucial to living a positive lifestyle.
Who you choose to spend your time with becomes a part of you, whether you realize it or not.
Having people in your life who lift you up instead of drag you down are essential.
I have always kept one best friend since third grade. I have no clue where I would be without her, and she could ruin my life in 30 seconds with all of my secrets, luckily I know those are locked away closely to her heart.
Point of the matter is that it is so vital for someones mental health to have people who influence you positively and support you on your endeavors.
My advice to you is if you have noticed negative people in your life, I will start spending less time or sharing less information with them.
Then you can free up your time to let in the positive people in your life. It sounds tough at first but think about the long term.
Try to encourage optimistic thinking when you are going through tough times.
I often take a step back when in a negative situation and ask myself a few questions;
What is a positive takeaway that I can gain from this negative situation?
How can I learn from this situation?
Asking myself questions like these help me understand the situation and move on.
Now I must be honest; sometimes I need a few days to process and be “in my feels” until I can ask myself crucial questions to move on.
What I used to do was beat myself up and think about how bad my life was.
Something that keeps most people healthy is to exercise regularly and to eat and sleep well. When well rested and a belly happy, I can stay more optimistic.
Another thing is to start your day positively, learn a few morning habits that work best for you.
It could be from making your bed, eating a filling breakfast or putting on some makeup to help your self-confidence.
Now, these are just a few tips to help you stay positive in negative situations. I hope you were able to take something away to live your life more mindfully.