Positivity not only helps you lead a more emotionally fulfilling life, but it also improves your physical health as well. People who look on the bright side of things enjoy the benefits of lower blood pressure, are more likely to stay in a healthier weight range, have healthier blood sugar levels, and on average enjoy a longer lifespan.
However, knowing that positivity helps you in your daily life and knowing how to stay positive when life tries to throw you curveballs are two entirely different things. Some people have more difficulty than others keeping positive during the day. If you’re someone who experiences a lot of stress and can’t seem to look on the bright side, here are some tips to keep yourself sunny.
Set Aside Time for Self-Care
You can’t expend the extra energy it takes to choose kindness when you’ve been burning the candle at both ends. When you choose to do whatever recharges your battery, you give yourself more energy to exercise patience, think logically, and care for yourself lovingly when you make mistakes.
Take Mini-Meditation Breaks
Taking a break once a week isn’t enough to keep you positive throughout the day. Learn mini-breathing exercises so you can take small meditation breaks at your desk. These small exercises where you control your inhales and exhales regulates your heartbeat and tells your mind to relax. With a relaxed mind and a stress-free body, you’re able to think more positively throughout the day.
Take a Breath Before You Speak
When something doesn’t go your way, it’s easy to immediately launch into a tirade of complaining. Not only is this complaining not productive and solution-oriented, but you could also end up saying something harmful about a teammate or partner. Before you choose to speak, take a deep breath and ask yourself “Is this productive? Is this kind? Does this work towards a solution?” By choosing to speak positively, you’ll train your mind to think positively as well.
Deliberately Unplug
If you go on social media in your downtime, you probably end up with tensed shoulders, a pit in your stomach, and sadness in your heart. Posts and comments have the capacity to be so divisive, rude, and caustic that you start to lose hope in humanity. Even if you have a fairly tame group of friends, the constant articles talking about the latest catastrophe are certain to get you down.
When you have downtime, fill it with something other than your phone. It’s hard to stay positive when you’re holding the weight of the world on your shoulders; focus on yourself for a little while.
Do you have any tips for staying positive? What helps you get through the day with a smile on your face? Tell us in the comments!
Published in Featured Articles, Life
Author, Artist, Photographer.
Sarah Margaret is an artist who expresses her love for feminism, equality, and justice through a variety of mediums: photography, filmmaking, poetry, illustration, song, acting, and of course, writing.
She owns Still Poetry Photography, a company that showcases her passion for capturing poetic moments in time. Instead of poetry in motion, she captures visual poetry in fractions of a second, making cherished keepsakes of unforgettable moments.
She is the artist behind the Still Poetry Etsy shop, which houses her illustrations and bespoke, handmade items. She is the author of intricacies are just cracks in the wall, a narrative poetry anthology that follows a young woman discovering herself as she emerges from an abusive relationship.
