Life isn’t always at a 100%.
Even the happiest people on Earth will tell you that there is no such thing as a stress-free, sadness-free existence.
At the end of the day, life is simply what we make it.
Thinking positive and embodying that positive energy through your life is a healthy, conscious choice; one that you must make every single day.
When life gets rough, take a step back and remember that there are things you can do to make your situation just a little bit better. There are things you can do to increase your emotional agility.
READ THIS: How to stay positive: 12 secrets you need to know
Here’s how:
1) Be Mindful
Mindfulness has many known benefits including the ability to control what you think and feel.
Most of the time, we worry about the things that don’t even exist yet. We try so hard to find solutions to problems that have yet to happen.
Our consciousness sometimes drifts into the negative and the anxiety-inducing, leaving us vulnerable and nervous.
Which isn’t not normal. It’s totally okay to feel these things. However, it’s not alright to let these thoughts color how you act for the rest of the day.
Negative thoughts are exactly what they are: thoughts.
As soon as you recognize the distinction between realities and anxieties, you can command your brain to focus on the good things that are happening now.
2) Don’t Forget To Exercise
We all know that the brain releases endorphins AKA happy hormones every time we exercise.
According to Fast Company, our brain also secretes a protein called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor that acts as a reset switch.
So the next time you need to switch off the bad thoughts, go for a run, hit the gym, or just treat your dog to a walk.
These exercises will literally reboot your way and pave the way for good vibes.
3) Stop Worrying
The most effective solution is sometimes the simplest one. But again, this is easier said than done.
There are different ways to cope with your worrisome tendencies.
For example, you can write your worries down, meditate, keep yourself busy, or even set aside a designated worry time so it doesn’t spill over to the rest of your day.
4) Practice Gratitude
Instead of worrying about the things you can’t control, you can focus on the things that you currently have.
Your current career, successes, and accomplishment should be testament that life is just a series of give and take.
Switch your attention to what you have now and practice gratitude. Relish the relationships you have and the opportunities you have seized so far.
There is nothing more heartwarming than reminding yourself of all the good things you have done so far.
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5) Say What You Mean
Positive-loving people tend to go out of their way for others because they don’t want to disrupt the peace.
No matter how altruistic this tendency is, it doesn’t change the fact that it creates inner discord, which can very well lead to unhappiness.
Your life shouldn’t be focused on pleasing other people. Stick to your principles and do what you think feels right.
You are not only able to filter out the good interactions from the bad ones, but you will also feel good knowing that you are not compromising your values for the sake of others.
6) Prioritize Your Happiness
It’s easy to be the person who can do everything: help your co-worker, babysit for a family member, tutor a friend for free.
This picture-perfect image we have of ourselves can often be more damaging than it is beneficial. You may be helping others, yes, but it will inevitably take a toll on your mental health.
Being a positive person doesn’t mean giving yourself to others. You can still spread positive vibes while cultivating your own.
Don’t forget to set aside some time for self-care. Whether it’s reading a good book or cooking a good meal, always set some time to do the things that you want.
Prioritizing your needs and your preferences don’t make you a selfish person; it only means you’re in touch with who you are and are dedicated to prolonging your happiness.
7) Don’t Dwell On The Past
At one point, we all did something regretful that resulted in a cringe-inducing moment.
Too many people get hung over what could have beens and what should have beens, without realizing that even negative events in their life have significant impacts on their person.
Every past event, good or bad, is a lesson learned. It adds to your character and helps determine what you will be like as a person.
We all live through something embarrassing or regretful, but that doesn’t mean that life stops there. Bad things have happened in the past – make sure you keep them there.
There’s nothing you can do to change what has happened, which is why you should focus on entirely on the things that could still happen.
8) Practice Self-Love
Maybe you don’t like the way you look. Maybe you don’t like where you are in your career. Maybe you just dislike where you are in life and are striving to make things better.
That doesn’t mean you have to beat yourself up for being inadequate.
Striving for change and betterment is always a good thing, but should never be done at the expense of oneself. You can simultaneously train yourself to be a better version of you without loathing the current version.
Don’t let self-hate be your primary motivation to “fix” yourself. You’re not a broken thing that needs to be patched up and restored.
Start treating yourself as a project and treat yourself kindly with each and every step that you take. Using self-loathing and negativity as a basis for change will only make your endeavors weak.
You will find yourself with a weaker will power and an even weaker drive to keep moving forward.
9) Regulate Negative Discussions
Pain, problems, anxieties. We all have these things – it’s exactly what makes us human.
And while it’s good to bunker down, vent, and reflect on our negative situations, there’s no reason why 80% of your life should be dedicated to it.
For example, if you haven’t gone to the gym because you were sick, stop complaining about your weight gain and start looking forward to your weight loss.
There are different lens that we can apply on life – don’t settle for the ones that will make you feel bad.
10) Don’t Let Negative Vibes Overpower You
This is probably the simplest rule of all. To maintain positive vibes, simply don’t dwell on the negatives. This doesn’t mean that they don’t have the space to exist.
No, you can feel everything that you want to feel, from the good down to the horribly bad. But that doesn’t mean you should turn your life into a tragedy fest.
Don’t let the negative vibes overpower you. Remember that they are merely feelings and that you are an adult with the capacity to change inside-out and set out for better things.
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