Tuesday, July 22, 2014

6 Tips to Bring Yourself Back to the Positive

While I have centered this blog around the writing life, in reality it's purpose is to highlight the writing as well as the joy of following our passion, whatever that passion may be. I've had a lot of experiences over the past few years that have forced me to really look at myself and determine why I do what I do, and where I want to be by the time I leave this world. Or rather, what kind of life I want to look back on and see that I've lived.

The life I'm living so far is good. It's not perfect by any means, and there are a lot of dreams as of yet unfulfilled, but overall it's good. Despite that, I often find myself struggling to stay positive. Life gets difficult. My house feels like it's a monster bigger than I can handle. Children are crying at my feet, tears streaming down their faces, begging me to hold them. Books are calling to me with untold stories aching to get down on paper. Everybody seems to need everything and I find myself wondering... when is it my turn? Anyway, the point of that rant is this... life gets hard, stuff gets in the way until I feel like I'm just getting through, and I start to slip into the negativity. This is a bad habit of mine that I'm really working on fixing.

Negativity. The opposite of positive, the opposite of joy, pretty much the opposite of everything I want. He's a sneaky little guy, coming in when I'm defenseless, taking root before I've realized he's there. Gotta love him. But you see, I have tricks that I'm learning to combat negativity. Do they always work? Nope. But sometimes is better than never. So here are a few of those.


  • Keep a gratitude journal. I've talked about this before but I probably shouldn't because I don't do this faithfully. Still, recognizing the blessings in your life is a great way to shift the context of how you view life.
  • Write. Write. Write. I mean this for everybody, not just writers. Get up in the morning and write about what makes you feel good. I did this this morning and it was lovely. Brought my energy right up. I felt happy, I felt passion fluttering inside, and I felt a desire to take on the day. It was wonderful. I wasn't writing poetry or novels, I was simply writing what I wanted. I was writing about what I liked, and I only focused on what I like about the morning. It doesn't really matter what the topic is as long as it makes you feel good. 
  • Find something that inspires you to be your best self. This could be a book, a movie, or a conversation with a friend. Again, it doesn't matter what it is as long as whatever it is is helping you see the incredible you that's buried under the negative. Seriously, somewhere hiding in there is an incredible person just waiting for you to open the door. So open it. Let your passion fuel your life. Find something that enables you to see you as you were created to be seen.
  • Master mind with somebody. This is a concept I learned through Napoleon Hill's books, and it's a concept worth including in your life. If I'm low or struggling with negativity, I can often find a person that I trust and bounce ideas off of them. It becomes a mastermind where the people involved in the conversation drive the possibilities forward until you gain access to what you are really capable of. It's an effective way to find hope and the positive when you're drowning in the negative. 
  • Take a break. I'm not joking. Get out of the house, take a drive to somewhere that feeds your soul, or go for a walk down the street. If you can't leave the house then find somewhere restful in the home where you can just be with yourself for a while. Don't focus on anything but your body and the incredible experience of relaxing. Take a bath. Have a glass of wine. Whatever you need to do to unwind. Make you a priority.
  • Set aside time at night for yourself. As often as I can I make the nights mine. I get the kids in bed and I turn on a movie or I read a book I've been wanting to read. This is my time. You need that time to unwind and recoup before you have to wake up and start all over again so make it a priority as often as you can.
I know there are lots of tips and tricks you can do to feed the positive. I would love to hear what some of you do to stay positive when you're feeling a little low. Feel free to share!