Hello lovelies! We are at part 5 in the positivity series, take a look at part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4! I’ve collected my best ideas to become more positive in your everyday life as well as handling stressful situations with a positive mind. Let’s get started!
Positive Outlook
- Keep a happy memory close at hand so when you start to think negatively you immediately switch to something positive.
- Look forward to something whether it’s your cup of coffee or picking out your clothes in the morning but be sure it doesn’t depend on someone else like lunchtime chatting with a co-worker, what if they aren’t there or they aren’t in a good mood? You need to be independent!
- De-stress as much as possible, get a relaxation app like Relax Lite with Andrew Johnson which can keep you from a bad mood or simply feeling anxious.
- Treat yourself on occasion. When you’ve had a total crap day and you don’t even know what to do anymore, go get some frozen yogurt or a new nail polish. Something very small that will brighten your mood is exactly what you need. Don’t exceed $10 or so on this otherwise you’ll end up feeling guilty which leads to a worse mood.
- Develop a liking for healthy food. This may make you think, what does this have to do with my mindset but let me tell you. When you enjoy eating food that is good for you (not, “I’m getting calcium from this ice cream, okay?”) you lose all the guilt of eating unhealthily because you’re upset! Instead of noshing on a chocolate bar when you’re stressed, go for a bowl of fruit! It makes you feel better from the inside out!
- When you get upset (angry, scared, anxious, sad, nervous, other negative emotions) take a deep breath and smile even if it’s fake. You will get in the habit of smiling more which improves your mood!
- Find one positive thing in every single negative thing that happens. Your food sucks at a restaurant? You know better for next time, you should definitely go to a different restaurant for dessert, and you definitely deserve dessert. You went up a dress size? May seem bad at first glance but you can go buy a few new clothing items now, because it’s a necessity!
- If you’re someone who overthinks a lot like me, especially when you’re trying to fall asleep at night, recite a mantra or prayer, or get an app like Relax+ with Andrew Johnson who speaks calming things to help your brain quiet a bit, or Sleep Cycle which you can choose a noise to fill the silence (I like the waves).
Handling Stressful Situations with a Smile
- Take a second and think before you speak. Nothing is worse than lashing out or saying something mean and regretting it half a second later. Think about the best way to go about the problem and then act on your plan.
- Think to yourself “it could be worse” “everything is going to be just fine” “I believe in myself” or any other comforting saying repeatedly to clear your head.
- Don’t dwell on bad things. Personally, public speaking is not my strong suit but I do 15x better when I’m not thinking “my turn is next I’m going to fail this is awful”! For public speaking or a test, just pushing the thoughts surrounding the subject out of my mind works wonders. Simply don’t think about it until you have to and even then just think positive affirmations.
- Accept it and move on. Your heel broke on the walk to your car? Mutter a curse if you must (try not to yell), take them off and continue on.
- Take three or five massive deep breaths and smile.
How have you been liking the positivity series? Have any other suggestions for me? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear them!