Looking for Positivity

[Carol Anne Kincaid~Paradis]

“Always be kind.
If you see someone falling behind,
walk beside them.
If someone is being ignored,
find a way to include them.
If someone has been knocked down,
lift them up.
Always remind people of their worth.
Be who you needed when
you were  going through hard times.
Just one small act of kindness
could mean the world to someone.”

Good Night Sweet Dreams!

Looking for Positivity

You can’t be happy every day. Each and every one of us goes through ups and downs and that’s normal, and there’s no denying that keeping a positive frame of mind can be difficult with the stories being reported on the news and over social media right now. The thing is, if you let all of the ugliness get to you, it becomes more and more difficult to see that there is goodness and positivity happening around you as well, the very thing you need to help combat all of the pain and darkness you’re feeling.

So, here are five things you can do to draw positivity to you and keep some of that negativity at bay.

Stress Relief

With our fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever to find ways to cope with our stress. A piece of chocolate for the emergency situations, or a night out for drinks with friends is great, but neither are long-term solutions. Don’t ignore it either though. Find some healthy stress relievers instead, such as yoga or other forms of physical exercise. Gentler forms of stress relief include mediation or breathing exercises while using some essential oils or burning candles. If you find yourself feeling stressed at work, try making a to do list at the beginning of the day so that some of the stress about everything you have do, and the decision about what to work on once you’ve completed next is removed. Turn on some soothing music, make some herbal tea, and start your next task. This might not take all of the stress out of your workday, but it may take it down a notch.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

No matter how bleak things seem, there are lovely things in the world. This is where a gratitude journal comes in very handy. When you write things down, its easier to remember them, and remembering the good things just makes you feel better. Start by recording the small things: you had an easy commute home, your pets are absolutely adorable, you saw a double rainbow after a thunderstorm, etc. Once you’re comfortable with the idea, you can go deeper, but that’s not necessary. 

Challenge Your Negative Viewpoint

It’s easy to look at things in a negative light when you’re already feeling stressed out; however, that has never once made a negative situation better. When you find yourself running through the motions of a horrible day, take a moment to calm down, and reexamine the situation. Perhaps you started the day on the wrong foot and it’s coloring every interaction and situation afterwards. Or, you’re facing a big problem at work or in your personal life, and it feels completely overwhelming from where you’re currently standing. Again, take a moment to step away, or get a second opinion to make sure that you’re not making a mountain out of a mole hill. Don’t allow a minor incident or your stress turn whole days into a battlefield. Step away from your bad mood and reexamine what it is you are feeling and be truthful with yourself about whether your anger and negativity are justified in the current situation. Sometimes it is, and other times it’s just your stress talking.

Give Yourself Credit

Each day, make a list of what you’ve accomplished. The word accomplishment should not only be reserved for huge projects, but also for when you do the things you need to in order to take care of you. You got up on time and had a calm morning, you washed off your makeup before bed and took the time to use face cream – you’re taking care of you. You made the kids’ lunches and still had time to eat breakfast yourself – amen.

If you begin to see the little things you do through the eyes of accomplishment, you’ll feel better equipped to accomplish more and feel far more productive without actually adding anything to your plate, except maybe a little “me” time.

Pay it Forward

You hear this term a lot, mostly in the vein of someone in a drive thru paying for the food or drink of the person behind them. The idea is that if you do something kind for a stranger, that person will pay that kindness forward to another stranger, and it is a fantastic idea, but you shouldn’t only pay it forward in a monetary sense. You can pay it forward by holding the door open for a stranger who has their hands full, smile at someone as you pass on the street, let someone in front of you while in heavy traffic, or pay a compliment to someone you don’t know well. These small gestures are the sorts of things that could actually change the trajectory of a person’s bad day, so never doubt the power of a small, positive gesture. Negativity feeds on indifference and silence, and kind, positive acts, big, small, monetary, or otherwise, are powerful ways to fight back against all of the negativity in your immediate vicinity. And just remember, the Universe has a way of looping positivity back to you when you pour it out freely.

Chase Your Passion

What have you dreamed about doing all your life? Do you want to be a writer, a musician, do you want to work outdoors rather than behind a desk, or perhaps in IT? Just because you don’t work in any of those fields now doesn’t mean you have to give up on that idea, no matter where you are in your life or career. Giving yourself a sense of meaning, either after work or on the weekends, will give you a more positive outlook on your life and the world, and will also give you a sense of how much work it will take to make it a full time career as well.

Keep Your Head Up

Sometimes the world makes it hard to keep a positive attitude, but there are still people and things that make the world beautiful and good. So, when the day has you down and negativity is winning, keep your head up and refuse to let the darkness win.

[Hippy]

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Happy Tuesday Hugs and smiles .

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