Tips on How to Stay Positive
Train your mind to be stronger than your emotions
What did you do when you lost that job? How do you react when you get rejected to participate in a competition? How do you feel when you lose a huge amount of money on a project you are trying to work on? How did you feel when you first had a breakup? We all have challenges, issues, and struggles that we face at some point in our lives — they may be daily — but the way we handle those issues will determine if we are going to overcome them.
How to stay positive
Being positive simply means staying calm and grateful despite facing challenges. How can we stay optimistic when going through stressful and painful situations?
1) Create a gratitude journal.
Amongst the bad times (moments, days, weeks, months), there are also good times when you pass that interview and get that job; there are also times when you get that contract worth thousands or even millions; times you were given gifts; etc., even if it is as small as seeing a bird fly or waking up strong and early in the morning.
Take the time and effort to write down those good moments for which you can be grateful, and keep them in a place that is easily accessible to you. Check the journal regularly when you feel down and overwhelmed.
Be grateful for the good times you have first, and then take time to handle the bad times by looking for the possibility of a solution, not the problem.
2) Be objective about criticism.
Inevitably, we are going to be criticized. We have also been criticized at one point or another in our lives, but the way we handle criticism determines if we are going to let them rub off the value we have and leave us a pessimist or if we resist the criticism and remain optimistic.
What can you do when you’re being criticized?
Although not all critics are bad, the ones that always set us apart are not always good. Instead of reacting immediately to criticism,
• Listen carefully to the criticism.
• Decide if the critics are constructive or destructive. Sometimes when people criticize, they do so because they have seen the outcome of the situation as negative or bad, or they want to protect their interests.
What can you do?
Consult a friend, counselor, trusted person, or anybody that you feel can look through the situation very well.
• Thank those who offer constructive criticism and be open to other people’s opinions.
• Keep clear of those who always offer negative criticism.
It can be quite challenging to stay away from bad critics, but the way we handle them goes a long way toward changing our mindset and lifestyle.
3) Smile
Just a little smile can change your mood entirely and make you happy. When you smile, your body releases feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin. These hormones can make us feel happier and reduce depression and aggression.
“Smiling does not mean that you don’t have challenges. It simply means that you don’t allow those things to bring you down.” — unknown
Smiling can have a great impact on us when we practice it daily.
• Smile when you encounter a stressful situation.
• Try to smile at least five times a day.
4) Surround yourself with positive people.
It can be difficult to stay positive for most people, who always see the worst side of every situation. As the saying goes, “Show me your friends, and I will tell you who you are.” If you keep friends with people who see solutions to problems and value you, you can become positive and live up to a great standard.
What you can do
• Distancing yourself from people who always discourage you from doing a difficult task that will benefit you later in life
• Listen to radio shows and broadcasts that will influence you positively.
• Engage in important discussions like business, school, or how to live an impactful lifestyle.
• Stop habits that hinder you from achieving your goal.
• Stay on track by keeping a journal to document your daily progress and achievements.
5) Exercise
Sometimes people underestimate the importance of exercise. That 15 to 20 minutes of exercise is crucial to the body — especially when you are going through a lot in your head.
What can you do?
• Take some time to unwind and go for a short break.
• Take a walk around in a cool environment.
• Use at least 15 minutes each day to meditate (if you can’t do rigorous activities).
• Read books.
How does staying positive affect you?
The benefits of positivity cannot be overemphasized. It can help with career advancement, give peace of mind, boost your immune system, and reduce heart attacks.
According to Jon Gordon, the benefits of staying positive include the following:
1) Positive people live longer (an average of 10 years).
2) Marriages are much more likely to succeed when couples experience a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interaction. Whereas, if the ratio approaches 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce.
3) Positive, optimistic salespeople sell more than pessimistic salespeople.
4) Positive leaders can make better decisions under pressure.
5) Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges, and adversity.
6) Positive thoughts and emotions encounter the negative effects of stress.
How to stay positive when everything is going wrong?
You may at some point in your life encounter a situation where everything seems to be weird and unfair.
What can you do?
1) Seek help from others (counselors, friends, siblings, parents, etc.).
2) Identify the problems by writing them down.
3) Handle the issues one after the other.
4) Don’t stress yourself by thinking only about the problem; instead, look for possible solutions.
Whenever you come across any issue in your life, see it as an opportunity to learn new things about life — be it the loss of a contract, miscarriage, loss of marriage, death of a loved one, etc. — to ensure you look at the bright side. Look for solutions, opportunities, and targets.
Remember that the lowest points in our lives are often the ones that motivate us to move on and make positive changes.
Why we shouldn’t give up
Think of it this way: You were once poor (living in a thatched house), you could barely eat once or twice a day, and you were going through a mental breakdown and hunger at the same time. Then one day you were offered a huge contract, and you became rich and invested. Will you go back to your formal state because of the stress of being rich and having a lot of money? Of course not; you just have to manage the condition as long as you’re making a lot of money.
The same goes for being positive. Although our life circumstances might not always be in our hands, the way we think sure is!
Reference:
11 benefits of staying positive by Jon Gordon https://jongordon.com/positive-tip-11-benefits.html
