Life can be hard and not always fair. There are days when I feel on top of the world and days when I just wish I could hibernate. We are all humans and we have our ups and down. I try to be positive most of the times and these little habits have helped me over the years.
Before we begin, If you have any signs of depression, please seek a professional or call a hotline for better assistance. There is so much help out there all you have to do it reach out. I’m in no way a professional. These are simple tips that have helped me avoid negativity in my life and helped me be a happier person. And I would love to share them with you.
Express your feelings
There are a lot of things that keep happening in our lives and sometimes we decide to hold it inside ourselves. Have you ever realized how much better you feel by just expressing these bottled up emotions? There will be people who care, your close friends, your spouse, a family member who you know is trustworthy and you could talk and they would understand what you are going through. When we keep suppressing our emotions for a long period, it might create a chaos in our mind and hence push us towards negativity. Life is basically one challenge after the other. We can’t let that get the best of us. That’s why we need to let it all out. Reach out to the one’s that care. They will always be willing to help you.
Get active, Get moving.
Staying active can help put you in a better headspace. Studies show even small bouts of body movement decreases negative thinking. If you don’t have access to the gyms (considering the current scenario) you can still keep yourself active by playing a Youtube workout video on your laptop/phone and get yourself moving for 20 minutes. I follow @MADFIT on YouTube and she has tons of great workout videos that will get your heart pumping. There are always days where you feel low and it’s hard to even get yourself off the couch, on those days make a little extra effort and go for a long walk with a family member or spouse or a friend or even by yourself while listening to a good podcast or music. Nothing refreshes you like fresh air.
Surround yourself with positivity.
This isn’t a one day job. You work on it, every single day. Be around people who bring out the best in you. You have the choice to stay away from people who put you down and instill negative thoughts. If you are a reader, pick up a good book. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a self-help book, just something that puts you in a good mood. Try to find inspiration in everything you read or listen to. Find a hero and try to adapt their qualities to your journey. I personally love listening to Sadguru. You won’t see a dramatic change overnight, but by slowly adding in these positive mindset techniques, you may find yourself handling adversity better than ever.
Stay away from negative people
‘You are what you eat and you are who you spend your time with by choice’ I read this on a magazine and it has stayed with me ever since. As you grow up you realize, what you consume will consume you. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self this. Although difficult at first, make a diligent effort to distance yourself from negative people. Get rid of negative people or influences that do not provide a positive element or growth in your life. Chose your mental health above everything. And you don’t have to be sorry about it.
Shift towards a healthy lifestyle.
I can’t emphasize on this enough. Having a healthy lifestyle is such an important factor towards mental health. It starts with good night’s sleep, nutritious foods and exercise. Your lifestyle has a direct impact on your mood. Have you noticed how irritated you get when you lack a good night’s sleep? I for one can’t do without a good 8 hour sleep. Focus on your health, make conscious efforts to keep your body and mind healthy.
Set Goals
I have always been curious and eager to learn new things. One of the reason being, it keeps me busy and motivated towards a particular thing that I focus on these goals and it gives me little time to ponder on my negative thoughts. Start with small achievable goals, write them down and journal how you are progressing towards it. Get them done, and see how good you feel. Then go on to set some goals that take a little more effort. And see how you feel when you get those done. When you keep setting goals no matter how big or small you will find that your mental state of mind is more positive. The fact of the matter is that when you are more productive, you are happier. By default, setting goals can create positive emotions.
Practice Gratitude.
I had heard so much about this and how it affects your mood, I thought of giving it a try. It is simply an act of noticing and appreciating all the good things in your life. So from there, a gratitude practice is training yourself to notice and appreciate the good things, then expressing gratitude for them. Sounds simple in theory. But training yourself to focus on what you’re grateful for, instead of the negative things going on around you, takes practice and commitment.
Be grateful for all of the good people in your life, and always have hope that things will get better, and that you will do everything in your power to make them so. Every night before you go to bed thank the universe for the life and family and friends you have. And most importantly remember, life is going to be just fine!
Hope this helps 🙂 Sending out lots of positive energy your way..
Sincerely Sonali 