Across the globe, the term ‘the power of positive thinking’ is well known. Some may find it to be too cliche, but those who have learned to truly embrace it can surely tell you that it works wonders! Regardless of our circumstances and situations, we are all capable of being positive. It’s all just a matter of believing that we can be, and putting that into practice. Here’s how to stay positive and keep your happy on, no matter what comes your way!
Here’s How To Stay Positive
Life is constantly throwing unexpected challenges at us — so here’s how to stay positive no matter what.
1. Change Your Perspective
Being positive starts with changing your perspective on how you see things. If you believe something is negative, then it probably will be (and vice versa). Challenge that negativity by embracing the mindset of a fixer and a doer. If there’s a will, there’s a way! That’s truly how to stay positive.
2. Take A Step Back
Take a deep breath, and take a step (or two) back. Let go of your negative energy, let go of the anger and resentment, and focus on improving and finding a positive. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to find it.
3. Be Mindful
To stay positive means being self aware and in touch with your feelings. Don’t let fear take over and have you convinced that things won’t work out for the best. Accept the criticism that comes your way, and know that most things in life aren’t personal.
Create a positive environment for yourself. Surround yourself with positive people that bring you up, support you, and want only the best for you. Avoid bringing yourself into situations that don’t add anything to your happiness — they are a waste of your precious time.
5. Take It Slow
Take things slow, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Learning to stay positive is a process. Trust that your patience and optimism will pay off, and that good things will come your way when the time is right if you allow them to.
6. Bring Positivity To Others
When it comes to how to stay positive, it starts by bringing positivity to others! Be generous with others, be respectful, be open-minded, and all of that good energy will surely make its way back to you.
7. A Healthy Body Makes A Healthy Mind
The body-mind connection is absolutely undeniable, and is key when it comes to happiness. In order to bring more positivity into your life, working out on a regular basis, eating a balanced diet, meditating, and getting sufficient amounts of sleep (at least 7 hours) are all great ways to make for a healthy body and mind.
8. Practice Being Grateful
Being grateful for what we have can help us see how many amazing things we have in our lives, and help us focus on the good. Being stuck on our problems and what we don’t have will never get us anywhere. Keep a journal or a diary to express your daily gratitude, even for the smallest things.
9. Enjoy Nature
Nature is a great way to stay positive and bring more happiness into your life. If you’re feeling down, treating yourself to some quiet time outdoors is always a good idea. It’s been found that we react better in natural spaces, and that spending time in nature can both reduce stress and increase creativity. One study conducted in Finland found that urban dwellers who walked through nature for even just twenty minutes daily were less stressed compared to those who walked through the city.
10. Reduce Materialism & Ideals
Our modern society puts all kinds of ideas into our heads — that we have to be a certain way and have certain luxurious, material things in order to be a worthy person. But before social media and television, we never needed such things to self-justify. Get rid of these ideals, and focus on the reality, not what you think you should be.
11. Listen To Music
Music is always a wonderful way to bring more positivity into your life! There are endless feel-good songs and playlists out there that can surely get you singing and dancing, forgetting what you were even upset about in the first place. In fact, it’s actually a scientific fact that listening to music releases dopamine, the feel-good chemical in your brain.
12. Smile!
When you’re happy, you smile. But believe it or not, when you smile, it also makes you happy. Practice smiling even when you don’t feel like it. Look at yourself in the mirror, and show yourself what a beautiful, big smile you have. Smiling is key when it comes to how to stay positive in a negative environment.
Do what you love! When it comes to being positive, you have to surround yourself with things and people that make you feel good. For example, if creative writing is your passion, then do that! Even if it’s not your current job, make sure to find the time for the things that bring you joy.
14. Join A Support Group
Being alone can be hard. Having a support group to share your feelings with can be highly beneficial in learning new techniques on how to stay positive no matter what.
How Does Staying Positive Benefit You?
There’s no doubt about it that being positive can benefit every aspect of your life.
Being positive has been found to improve health and increase longevity. In fact, it’s been found that those with a positive attitude can add as much as 10 years to their lives!
Being positive has also been found to help with career advancement, team building, financial success, and even with athletic performance for those that have emotions such as gratitude and appreciation.
When it comes to relationships, positive people tend to have more friends, which is key to happiness and living a long life. Couples with a more positive-to-negative ratio of interactions are also found to last longer.
How To Stay Positive At Work
It can be a challenge to figure out how to stay positive at work, with constant stress around you and perhaps co-workers that don’t always see eye to eye with you.
In order to stay positive at work, it’s important to change the way you think of your job:
Spread appreciation, gratitude, and good vibes throughout the office, no matter what comes your way.
When something ticks you off, stop for a minute and think before you speak. Our instant reactions tend to not be the most positive.
Listen to others, be open-minded, and be on top of your tasks to avoid being overloaded.
How To Stay Positive During Job Search
While our jobs can be seriously frustrating, not having one at all is even more frustrating. It’s hard to keep your head up during a job search that feels like it has no end date.
Here’s how to stay positive during job search:
Don’t keep those feelings bottled up inside, and don’t be afraid to share them with your friends and family — they will be happy to support you through this difficult time.
Be realistic with yourself, and don’t expect things to happen overnight. Finding a good job is a process, but with patience, something good will come along before you know it.
Try to create a routine for yourself so that you still feel productive and motivated to wake up every morning as you continue your job search.
A Friendly Reminder To Not Give Up!
It can be hard to constantly stay positive, but it’s important to keep your head up and always trust that everything will be ok. When it comes to how to stay positive, the secret lies in the power of positive thinking. While our life circumstances might not always be in our hands, the way we think sure is!
At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone.
