There’s no question that life comes with its ups and downs, but how you react to them is up to you. You can cultivate a more positive perspective so that the bad times don’t drag you down as much. Here’s how.
Did you ever meet someone who’s always so positive and upbeat that you wish you were more like them? The good news is that it’s possible to become that person who can see the silver lining in just about every situation — it just takes some effort. Practise these strategies and we bet you’ll see more roses coming up soon.
Focus on the good things
Every evening, take a few minutes to consider and list the top three positive things from your day. Some days might be harder than others, but one item could be as simple as “the helpful cashier at the grocery store” or “found that earring I thought I’d lost forever.” By making the effort to consciously list these positive events, you will shift your thinking, so that your focus will be more on the positive on an ongoing basis. Plus, it’ll help make the unfortunate happenings fade somewhat.
Move out of the negative space you’re dwelling in
We all fall prey to fretting from time to time: letting one problem or angry incident cloud our thinking for much too long. Focus instead on accepting what has happened and planning what to do to resolve the issue next time, or on how to improve your day from thereon in. Someone cut you off in traffic and it put you in a foul mood? Accept that they were in the wrong and move on. Don’t allow this situation to taint more of your life than it should.
Treat yourself well
Some of us don’t spend nearly enough time or effort treating the most important person in our lives well — ourselves. Remember, it’s difficult to feel joy and see the good in every situation if you’re feeling depleted of positive energy. So by all means, sleep in, treat yourself to your favourite cupcake or make time to read that book — something solely for your enjoyment.
Get some perspective
From time to time, take a moment to look around you, watch the news, consider the lives of other people and the things they have going on. Chances are, your life in many aspects is not too shabby. Even during tough times, there are likely many ways your issues don’t measure up to the tough scenarios others are facing.
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