The world we live in can be a negative place. The news is always bad and most people are caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Staying positive in a negative environment, or around negative people, can be a challenge. Here are 14 simple tips for keeping your spirit upbeat.
Hang around positive people
If possible, surround yourself with folks that are not negative. Being around others who are positive will give your mood a lift and help you to join the ranks of the optimistic. If you find yourself surrounded by negativity, use these other tips to help you through it.
Meditate
You don’t have to do formal meditation, but you can just take a moment out of your busy day and just stop. Close your eyes for a minute and take a few deep breaths. Maybe take a short walk and get some fresh air to clear your head, especially if you are getting stressed during your day.
Smile and Laugh
Just giving someone a quick smile will brighten their day, and yours. The positive energy will just be all around you when you smile. Laughter is the best medicine, so if you are funny, share some jokes with those around you. If you are not the comedian, then enjoy the company of friends that make you laugh.
Take responsibility
Studies have shown that people who take responsibility for their actions are happier. Quit blaming others for your problems, and you will feel more confident and hopeful.
Help others
Taking our eyes off ourselves and focusing on others makes for a quick attitude adjustment. Random acts of kindness spread cheer and goodwill and will make you feel encouraged as well.
Be thankful
Take a minute every day to say out loud all of the things you are thankful for. You can also write these in a journal daily if that is more your style. Being thankful immediately shifts negative thoughts away from you and you will feel more cheerful and upbeat.
Nobody’s perfect- lower expectations
Will people disappoint you? Definitely, but if you lower your expectations you won’t get upset when someone does not come through for you. Disappointment leads to negative thoughts, so if you just admit that nobody’s perfect (including yourself), you can stay on a positive path.
Read positive things
Ever heard garbage in, garbage out? Whatever we put into our minds will turn into how we think. Just like being around positive people puts you in a good place, reading positive things will also create the environment of positivity that you seek. Write your favourite sayings on sticky notes and put on your mirror, or somewhere at work where you can see them and read the quotes to help calm down and not get pulled into a hole of gloom.
Be clear when goal-setting
Having concrete goals is proven to help you feel more confident and optimistic. Break big goals into achievable chunks, and reevaluate weekly to adjust. You don’t have to hit every goal, but having a plan puts you in control. Take some time to dream and see your goals being fulfilled. Imagining the positive outcome of goals actually helps you to persist and work on your plan.
Give compliments
It is amazing how much one compliment can mean to someone, and immediately change their outlook. Try to give at least one compliment per day. The smile you bring to somebody’s face will feed your own sense of well-being and happiness.
Believe in yourself and speak nicely
If you have to give yourself a little pep talk during the day, go for it! What comes out of your mouth will dictate your attitude and outcomes, so cut the negative self-talk and give yourself a pat on the back. Believe in you and what you can accomplish. Be nice to yourself, even if nobody else will. You are competent, valued and important.
Relax and have fun
Stop the stress and give yourself permission to relax. Do something you like to do. Maybe this is alone, but you can also involve people that you love to be around. Even at work, take 5 minutes and share a coffee or water break with a buddy. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when you go back to your emails or other work.
Fake it ‘til you make it
Especially when you don’t feel positive, you can surely act your way to a better attitude and success in general. When you smile and engage others, you won’t even realize that you are impacting your own feelings and will walk away without those negative thoughts in your head.
Try these tips to make your world a little bit better and a lot more cheery. Fill yourself and others with hope and encouragement. Don’t let the negativity in the world get into your head. The most important thing you can do to staying positive in a negative world is to keep trying, and never give up.