Last couple of years have not been easy. With the pandemic and social and political conflicts happening, it’s not always easy to stay positive. We can easily get discouraged and feel as if there’s not much hope. It may lead us to try to escape, whether that’s moving to another country or shutting ourselves out. However, we must learn how to find the happiness within. This is not easy and might take some time, but we thought we would share some ways we stay positive in 2022.
How do you stay positive in 2022?
Sadly there is no magic potion to always being positive. There’s good and bad days and it’s only natural to feel human emotions whether they’re positive or negative.
The first mistake we make is assigning happiness to external outcomes. Whether that means putting our happiness into a person, a place, or a job. If you strip away these things, the only thing you have is you. You need to learn how to be comfortable in your body and find that inner glow. This is no easy task. For some people it can take months, while for others it can take years. These days it’s even harder. Life is more complicated and the world is not always kind.
What are 3 things that you can do to stay positive?
1. Do small things that make you happy
In order to feel more positive you can take very small steps that give you joy. It could be as simple as making yourself a yummy breakfast and tea every morning, doing a quick meditation or yoga flow, taking a walk or doing a little self-care. Not saying that putting on a face mask will necessarily make you a happier person, but taking little steps that involve making yourself feel better for at least a little bit will eventually lead to feeling more positive in general.
2. Spend time with yourself
A wise man once said “We’re never lonely because we’ve lost contact with others. We’re lonely when we lose contact with ourselves.”
Many of us spend very little time with ourselves. We find ways to escape our minds, whether that’s by burying ourselves in work, people around us or distractions like our phones and TV. At the end of the day, we spend very little time with ourselves. And when we do, we tend to feel uncomfortable. We need to learn to embrace the time we spend with ourselves. Turning inward and forming a healthy relationship with ourselves allows us to form healthy relationships with others. Some ways to do this is to meditate, take solo walks, and journal.
One way we like to embrace ourselves is by writing a love letter. Love Letter writing allows you to take a moment to pause, reflect, and appreciate how far you’ve come and even set goals for your future. Read our How To Write A Self-Care Love Letter To Yourself to learn more.
3. Surround yourself with loving people
We are social beings, so the people we keep around us are so important. Even when you feel like isolating yourself from others, having someone to go to when you’re feeling down can be highly therapeutic. Having someone understand what you’re going through is so important. And getting yourself out of the house to spend time with people can really make a difference. We all have days where we just want to be alone, but having a good balance between the two brings us closer to being positive.
How do I change my negative thoughts to positive?
Negative thoughts can be really difficult to get rid of. The first thing to think about is would you want someone else you care about to be treated the way that you’re treating yourself? You are so special and you should treat yourself as such.
Some ways to tune these thoughts out is by writing them down in a journal, lighting a candle and doing a little meditation. This will help clear your mind and focus on positives. Negative thoughts come from lack of self-kindness. So little things like a self-care mani, positive affirmations and practicing yoga take us closer to accepting ourselves and showing ourselves the kindness we deserve.
Just ask yourself, are these thoughts helping or hindering? They will not help any problems we might have, just the opposite.
How do you create positive energy?
Again, it all goes back to self-kindness. By accepting and loving yourself you’ll immediately exude brightness and positivity to others. This can be achieved with positive affirmations, practicing gratitude, and sharing your kindness with others. By brightening someone else’s day, you also feel better about yourself.
Creating positive energy can also be achieved by being present. When you’re spending time with those you love or enjoying special moments, try to be present. Don’t look at your phone and really try to listen and savor the moment.
What things bring positive energy in home?
Your home is a big reflection of how you feel inside. Neglected, messy homes are usually a reflection of us not feeling great on the inside.
There are quite a few ways to bring positive energy into your home. It starts with decluttering. Get rid of things you don’t need, Marie Kondo style. Donate clothing or items that don’t bring you joy at the time or that you feel you’ve outgrown.
Natural sunlight is so important for a space. If your space doesn’t have much natural sunlight you can also bring mood lights and candles, to make it brighter and cozier. Along with that, try to keep your windows open at times so you can let the fresh air in.
One way to brighten up your space is by also bringing in plants. House plants can really brighten up a space and give you something to nurture and take care of. Not to mention that plants also improve air quality. If you’re not up for a plant, you can also opt-in for some fresh-cut flowers in a vase.
