How To Be Positive Again in Life?

Do you ever find yourself preoccupied with thoughts like what made you feel worthless or insulted? Or rewind and play in your mind the problems you have in your life? We let negative thoughts surround us and form a blue bubble of despair and hopelessness.

It was not long back when I heard the story of a farmer who thought there was a rock in his field, and because of that rock, he was unable to earn a livelihood; after months of sulking, someone removed that rock for him, and later he came to know that it wasn’t a rock but a stone lying in the middle.

Similarly, we act like that; instead of trying to figure out the cause and resolving it, we just let the problem grow from the size of a stone to the size of a rock. Should we, too, wait for someone to help us or take up the reins of our fate in our hands? Why do the terrible, negative thoughts attract more energy than the good, or do we think there isn’t any good left?

Moreover, adverse events in life lead to a more long-lasting period of thinking. They lead us to have self-doubt and feeling of helplessness, whereas positive events often have a happy ending, and we don’t pay much attention to them.This article pays attention to how to know when we are having negative thoughts and how to tackle them.

“Don’t focus on negative things; focus on the positive, and you will flourish.“

– Alek Wek

How To Neutralize Negative Thoughts?

Is it so because negativity in life is always easy to believe compared to positive ones, besides being irrational or illogical? We often face the dilemma of accepting a compliment or praise and sometimes even doubt its intention. But if we face criticism or negative comments, we take them to heart without thinking twice about it.

Let’s think of our circumstances with a neutral thought, if not optimistic, whatever happens in our life, instead of having the perception that it will turn out to be awful, let’s take life how it comes. And see what happens.

When You Let Your Negative Thoughts Overwhelm You

Negative thoughts lead us to self-blame, anger, guilt, disappointment, and frustration. These feelings are not flexible and hence unchangeable. They reside with us unchanged and lead to instability in managing our emotions.

Furthermore, this entire negativity makes us believe we are worthless and we can’t accomplish anything in life. We are left feeling hopeless. Thus instead of looking for a silver lining in life, we blindside all that’s good around us and believe that everything and everyone around us is against us.

These toxic thoughts turn on the blame game; we either start blaming ourselves or others for everything. Our emotional and spiritual well-being is also drastically affected because negative thoughts play on a loop. We are again and again going in circles of remorse and regret.

Negativity lowers our productivity and motivation. It makes us give up on everything easily; we start thinking of all the reasons why we should not do the task. It leaves us paranoid we slowly become antisocial and lonely, become used to accepting defeats, and stop giving our best or trying to reach our full potential. We make an endless circle of failure through our negative thoughts.

“Don’t be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.”

-Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

SEE ALSO: Triggering Sound Mental Health

Break This Cycle of Negativity – Live Positively

Make Achievable Targets

We should be honest with ourselves. Everyone knows how much they can or cannot do. We should set achievable targets. Don’t make complicated unachievable goals all in one go. It only lowers the positive thoughts in our minds. It doesn’t mean one can’t achieve high targets. It means taking one step at a time. Make small goals; work on them, and then move to higher goals. Don’t shy away from taking help and suggestions.

Achieving small goals help us become more confident to achieve bigger goals. This keeps away the negative thoughts and timely generates a sense of positivity within the human mind.

Be Alert To Negative Thoughts

In this harsh world where life is full of obstacles and negative thoughts are all around us, we should be mindful and aware of our thought processes. Whenever we feel that we have a negative thought, we should make a change, be it leaving the surroundings or start doing anything else instantly, so that we divert our attention away from that negative thought. Taking a break, eating or drinking something nice, watching a feel-good movie or series, and talking to friends all can help.

Practicing Gratitude Regularly

Before sleeping at night, we should express gratitude towards everything and everyone we are blessed to have. It is counting our blessings and generating everything positive in life. We should write about the good things that happen to us every day and about things that don’t go that well. We can identify and improvise on these later.

Distract Yourself or Divert Your Attention

Be it some indoor board game, or Sudoku and crosswords that are given in the newspaper, grabbing a book and reading it, or reading a comic or magazine. Try exploring these; you will never know how much awe you will become towards them. These escapes can help you divert your attention from negative thoughts and make you do something productive. You may feel positive eventually.

SEE ALSO: ‘Just Stop Worrying’ Is Not a Solution for Anxiety

Practice Self-care 

Be it lighting a scented candle, doing skincare, bubble bath, or anything that pampers you. It’s your life. Remember that you should make the best of it. Get as much light as possible, step out in daylight time; soak in the sun to imbibe positivity.

Now that it’s almost time for autumn, focus on the positives of the season. Enjoy the cozy feeling of being under wraps of a warm blanket, pour yourself a nice warm cup of tea, grab a book and enjoy the autumn season. Be kind and gentle to yourself, don’t pressurize yourself to be happy and perfect all the time.

“Accentuate the positive; Eliminate the Negative, latch onto the affirmative“.

– Bing Crosby

Can you tell us more ways that have worked for you to keep the negativity at a distance? Let us know in the comments below.