How to stay positive

Stay positive! Easier said than done! Life is full of ups and downs. We all have our struggles…

Like everyone, I had my share of challenges. When I look back, and even if these situations were tough at the time they happened, I am grateful they happened, as everytime I came out stronger. The main reason was because I always stayed positive. Of course, I have had times when I cried and felt depressed or down, but I always managed to look on the bright side…

How do you stay positive, even in challenging times? Here are my few tips.

Surround yourself with positive people

Nowadays, we are surrounded by negativity (the news, the bad weather, people who envy us, etc. ). It is critical that you surround yourself with people who support you, people who encourage you and who can challenge you to become a better version of yourself. We are never alone. Even if you do not have close friends where you live, you can always manage to get some support and create some great friendships online (I know I have, mostly via Linkedin).

Have a goal in mind

Especially when you are going through some tough times, make sure you have a goal in mind. When my parents got divorced, I had to take some exams at the university. Focusing on them helped me go through my parents’ divorce in a more ‘peaceful’ way. When I had my car accident, my goal was to be able to walk again and go back to my normal life. This was my priority number1. Literally, every step I was making, every progress I achieved, made me happier and happier, as I was coming closer to my goal. 

When you focus on something positive, something you’d like to achieve, you’ll be able to cope better with the more challenging experience you may be facing.

Listen to some uplifting music or watch funny movies

When I had my car accident, I had to lie down in bed in the hospital for weeks, I remember listening to some songs that were uplifting. They were making me happy. 

Watching movies that make you laugh also help you be more positive. Laughter is actually very good for your health. It helps strengthen your immune system and boost your mood among other things. Laughing helps you lighten your challenges. It helps you release your stress. 

Smile

This one is so easy and powerful and yet, not many of us do it on a regular basis. Smiling has a huge impact, not only on others but also on ourselves. It helps you relax and gives you hope. 

Try to smile and have negative thoughts at the same time, I challenge you! 😉 

Challenge your negative thoughts

When something bad happens to us, or someone disappoints us, or when something goes wrong, we have a tendency to generalize and make things worse… “Why does this ALWAYS happen to me?” or “Why am I NEVER able to do xyz?” etc. These little words such as ‘always’, ‘never’ are actually rarely accurate. We exaggerate our feelings. 

When you have these types of thoughts, ask yourself: is it really true or am I exaggerating? Can I think of one example when this was not the case? You will very often find an example if you are looking for it. 

Try to see the glass half full instead of half empty 

There is always something to learn from any situation. It’s ok to be sad, to feel angry, disappointed, down, but then take a moment to think: what is the lesson here? How does it help me? Going through challenges is never easy. However, when you look at life on the positive side, things start to brighten up

Be grateful

This one is probably the most powerful. When I had my car accident and ended up in the hospital, I was grateful to be alive. Yes, I was in a poor condition but I was alive. When they put me in a wheelchair, I was grateful my condition had improved. I was grateful for all the people who came to see me, for my colleagues who phoned me every single day for 6 months to know how I was recovering….Since then, I’ve been grateful every single day for being alive, for being able to walk, to run, to dance and I appreciate life more and more. 

Being grateful not only improves your mental health, it also helps improve your physical health. It increases happiness as well as your energy level. 

Remember

I would like to finish with a sentence, which I purposely used as the subtitle of my book “My revenge on life”.  

No matter the circumstances you’re facing, remember: Stay positive!

There is always the light at the end of the tunnel…

#vlvcoach #inspiration #mindset #leadership #staypositive

This article was also published on Linkedin.