Staying positive and avoiding stress can be a challenge in our regular daily lives, and even now from the effects of COVID-19. There is hope though! We found that Dr. Steven Jones really cuts it down to 6 simple ways you can use in your daily routine to bring some positivity into your – and others – life!
Here are 6 ways that can help you overcome stress and negativity:
#1 - Smile!
It sounds corny or too simplistic a solution, but smiling really does help elevate your emotional wellbeing. When you start your day grateful for life and finding ways to smile, it will be easier to gravitate towards activities that will keep that smile on your face. Starting your day on a happy note will help you make positive choices… in the music you listen to, in the food you eat, and generally in the manner in which you live your life.
#2 - Play the Hero, Not the Victim
When you’re playing the movie of your life in your mind, be sure that you’re playing the right role. Nobody should have to play the supporting character rather than the lead in their own life feature film! Always be the hero in your story. Be the one to save yourself from the tiny tragedies that litter your life. You’re the one who needs to clean up after yourself, not some fairy godmother. Whenever you feel stuck in a situation, remember that you have the power to get yourself out of it.
#3 - Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right
At your worst, it takes a whole lot of strength to pick yourself up from the slump, which is why you need to be around good company. If you hang around people who will only exacerbate your feeling of negativity, then you will only be digging yourself deeper into the hole. Even on good days, it’s important that you keep a steady energy well of good vibes around you. That’s one good thing about getting older - you learn how to become more self-aware of feelings and can cut ties with the wrong sort and concentrate on being with those who make you feel better about life.
#4 - Be a Good Samaritan
There’s nothing like being a bearer of goodness and hope to others to make yourself feel better about the world you move in. You know what they say… what goes around, comes around. It’s always refreshing to hear about stories of people helping people (or animals for that matter!), and what better way to ensure that kindness spreads around you than being a participating element in that movement.
#5 - Be Kind to Yourself
There’s nothing like self-deprecation to make you feel unworthy. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone is on a learning curve, constantly. If you don’t accept this fact, you are only keeping yourself down. Being wrong and failing at times is all part of the process of living. What counts is that you learn from the experience and apply the learning to push yourself to be better. Be better than your last mistake. That’s really the best way of thinking about it.
#6 - Gratitude List
People have a habit of keeping tabs, but sometimes it becomes unhealthy when we keep a score of the things lacking in our life. If you must keep a list, do so with the right purpose in mind. Positive psychology research outlined in Harvard Health Publications shows that "gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness." Keep score of the wonderful things you experience, the things you are grateful for every day. Give at least 5 things that you are most thankful for from the moment you wake up, until the time you close your eyes to sleep. These 6 tips should overcome negativity and alleviate stress so that it doesn't play a lead role in your life.
How do you overcome negativity in your life?
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Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring the negative. Being positive means overcoming the negative. There’s a big difference between the two.
marcandangel
