“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin
It is way easier said than done to be positive. Positivity may seem to be that elusive unicorn we are always chasing and we don’t blame you – it is much easier to slump into a puddle of sad negativity and wallow. (Oh yes, wallowing can feel so satisfying, we know!)
How many times a day do you catch yourself thinking: “I am such a failure! I should just stop trying cos I’ll fail again anyway…” And, it could be anything that triggers such thoughts. If you renege on your diet plans and pig out on that bag of crisps on the sofa while binge-watching programmes on the telly. If you miss that HIIT class cos you’re just too tired after work. If you stepped on the weighing scale and looked at the numbers in disbelief.
Today, this post is a reminder you’ll appreciate on those dejected days. Not everyday is gonna be sunshine and rainbows but it is your attitude that can turn a day right around and make the difference between YAY and NAY. Here’re 7 little things you can do each time you feel like melting into a puddle of self-pity at the way things are going.
1) Acknowledge your failure, don’t pretend it away
Facing up to the negativity is really important and we think it is the one thing you must do first in order to eliminate negativity from your life. When you are able to identify the situations, people or things that pull you down, you are exhibiting quiet strength in standing up to these and not letting them get to you. Acknowledging the negativity ultimately is the first step in letting it go, because if something happens again to cause you to trip up, you already know how to deal with the emotions that follow and will be all ready to turn the negative into something positive.
2) Be kind, to yourself and to others
When you feel all sorts of down in the dumps, we understand the tendency to channel that angst outwards. You tell yourself that you gotta let off some steam. Which is well and good. But don’t take it out on others because that simply perpetuates the negativity and spreads it around. Negativity is like poison – it doesn’t dissipate when you release it; instead, it spreads out and sneakily affects more and more people. Break the cycle of negativity and very intentionally choose to do something good for others. And for yourself. Emanate positivity and kindness instead, and create an atmosphere of positive energy.
3) Instead of dwelling on the negative, focus on what you have learnt
When we mess up, it is only natural to want to study the incident in our heads to see how and why it happened. That is well and good, but this desire to replay the failure in our heads tends to morph into an unhealthy obsession and it will eat away at you. You’ll not only dwell on the incident and how crappy you feel, chances are, you’ll start to dig up past failures and let the sum of all your past mishaps overwhelm you and make you feel really lousy. DON’T. It is OK to want to introspect and reflect on what you have done wrong, but choose to focus on how you can do it right the next time around. Choose to reiterate to yourself what you have learnt from this and how you have benefitted personally – what you have learnt, how you have become stronger.
4) Re-look the influences in your life and cut out the negatives
There will always be that person in your life who exhales negativity. He or she is always in a state of crisis, always picking on the faults of others, always angsty at his or her circumstance. He or she may be a friend, a family member, a colleague. Whoever he or she is, you need to stop imbibing the negativity and turn the other way. If it is your job that is pulling you down into a cesspit of negativity, we suggest looking for another. Healthy living is a Herculean task if you live surrounded by negativity, and you’d be better off cutting these influences off, harsh as it sounds.
5) Take care of yourself
Don’t hate on yourself when you feel down and out. Choose to stop the spread of negativity within and do the exact opposite – love yourself more. Do things that make you feel good, like a massage or a facial or a fun workout. We’ve got a range of massage treatments that will put you in an ace mood, check them out here! Go for a relaxing holiday to re-calibrate your mind and heart. Eat even better food that you know your body and taste buds will love. When you love yourself more, you will feel good about yourself and you’ll be better able to turn the negativity into positivity.
6) Get some fresh air outdoors
There is something about sunlight and fresh air that chases the blues away, which is why we highly recommend getting your dose of Happy outdoors when you feel the negativity creeping up and threatening to overwhelm you. Take a walk, go for a jog, plan for a picnic with friends – charge up your happy meter more quickly when you do all these outdoors! We hear some protests about sweating cos the weather has been so unbearably hot lately, but sometimes, a good sweat is what we need to flush the bad stuff out! 😉
7) Live in the moment
If you understand that you only have one life to live and that life is too short, you’ll not want to waste any of your time wallowing in negativity. Granted, sometimes it is easier said than done to not be negative about something that does not go as planned. But remember what we said in our first point above about facing up to the negativity – then letting it go? Yeah, do just that. Appreciate each moment that you have for what it is instead of what it could be, cos all of us only have one life to lead. Look for the beauty and good in every situation. Choose to live a healthy life and be the best you that you can be, cos you only have one life. Live it well!