5 Things You Can Do To Overcome Negativity

Having a negative attitude is something that can happen to anyone who’s facing a stressful situation. It would be safe to say, we all have at least once felt like things were a bit heavier than what we could carry. For some, this train of thought becomes hardwired and getting out of that pessimistic attitude can prove rather challenging.

In some specific cases, like mine, when going I was going through my rehabilitation from drugs program, having a positive mind became crucial to the success of my recovery.

During life, we all are presented with diverse challenges. Some might seem rather easy to overcome and some might even seem like giant enemies that look unbeatable. It’s important to always remember: David won against Goliath, and the Underdog scenario is more common every day, we just have to learn how to tackle those negative thoughts and set our minds on the right track.

Here are 5 things you can do to overcome the negativity in life.

Smile

When we’re going through tough times, we tend to keep a serious and maybe even frowned face. You might think this is silly, and I wouldn’t blame you. The first time I learned about the "smile" tip, I was watching some TV show and the hero was told to smile despite the adversities and challenges of life. That’s what being "professional", they said.

Well, turns out that by smiling we’re "hacking" our brains into a better state. The mere action stimulates muscles that we use only when we’re happy, which means our brain is tricked into thinking we are and releases amounts of endorphins. It works! Next time you’re feeling like the world is beating you down, pull yourself up and smile. Smile for yourself, for the trail you’ve left behind, and the one you still have to make.

Change the tone of your thoughts and your words

This also works like a mind-hack. Instead of taking a negative approach for a negative situation, counteracting it with a positive mindset will grant you the wisdom and calmness you need to overcome that problem. Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t. Acknowledge that some things can take a long time to work out, but at the same time, they require dedication and hard work.

It might look difficult but never giving up makes a huge difference down the road. You’ll become stronger and will put yourself in situations that started out of your courage and willpower. Usually whatever new opportunities arise for yourself, will be the fruit of choosing to walk down the path of optimism. In magnetism, polar opposites attract each other, in life, positively attracts positive, and negative only carries negative things along.

Helping others will help you

Opening your mind and life to help someone who might need you will have a great impact on your life. It will not only distract you from whatever issues are clouding your mind, but it will also give you the personal satisfaction of knowing that because of you someone’s burden is now lighter.

You might make a new friend, open a new door to a completely new world of opportunities and will leave a footprint that will be remembered with love and joy in someone’s life. It can even give you a new perspective on your life and your own issues

Remember that no one is perfect

It’s rather common to be hard on yourself when things are going south. In addition, even though to some extent it might encourage improvement and point out possible gears that aren’t working in your engine; most of the times, it can easily cross towards a thin line between self-criticism and self-destruction.

No one is perfect and everybody makes mistakes. It is entirely up to you if you decide to dwell on them forever of if you choose to forgive yourself and others while learning from the experience to become a better self. Cut yourself some slack, you’ve come this far on your own and you will go much further than this.

Play the Hero, not the victim

Easier said than done right? The truth is that nothing good in life is easy to achieve. It all requires dedication and hard work. The victim in a story is undeniably subject to the situation. Bound to remain in the victim role until someone comes to the rescue. Waiting won’t ever get you anything if you don’t take action.

No matter how hard life can be, there will always be a way to make things better. There are 3 questions you need to ask yourself to start being the hero of your story: Can you change the situation? Can you adapt to the situation? and can you remove yourself from the situation? If you answer yes to any of the 3, you already gave your first step. If you answer no to any of them, you might want to look at the other 2.

Usually adapting to an uncomfortable situation becomes the lesser of all evils when it comes to either changing or removing yourself from the problem. However, being the hardest will always be the most rewarding one depending on the circumstances. Just remember your happiness and stability are what matter most. Having them as a priority will automatically give you a better mindset and will make it easier for you to push through challenges.

If you’ve had your share of negativity, or would like to ask a question leave a comment below. And remember, keep walking, chin up, and smile!