Negativity is everywhere. No one can deny that. Especially nowadays that we see outrageous and devastating news on a daily basis in every single media platform. It’s like nobody focuses on the positive anymore. We are all just sorry for what is happening around us, feeling hate towards people that damage other people and getting used to the never-ending destructive events.
But did you know that being a negative person causes physical illnesses and diseases? It doesn’t only keep you emotionally down and your body defenses low for keeping anger, irritability and frustration, but it could also lead you to depression and anxiety. I’m living proof that nobody wants to go through that. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with an illness which kept me at home for two months. I felt like a robot that could only function by taking 12 pills a day. It was so easy for me to lay down and feel as if I would never recover from an unpleasant moment in my life. I wish I would have realized sooner that those negative thoughts prevented me from getting better faster. Now, my lifetime illness isn’t going anytime soon but I can happily say that I got rid from all the pessimistic voices in my head and now that I am more encouraging to myself, I am happier as a result.
Furthermore, having negative thoughts influences us into having negative attitudes without us even paying attention. It is a human instinct to try and seek for the easier way to live. In a lot of situations, it is easier to complain and to have the desire to give up instead of making an effort to see the positivity around us. We need to change this by training our mindset to see the good in every situation and use this to do good too. For instance, around college I sometimes see people sitting down alone with a facial expression that transmits loneliness, stress and fatigue. Opportunities such as at these moments are where we should be willing to help our classmates by giving them our positive thinking and attitude. We should stop waiting for a disaster to happen to be kind; we have to be kind with each other, always.
I emphasize this because sometimes we mistreat people without giving them a chance to explain themselves, as a result of being always so focused in seeing the malice in everyone. But we must realize that we all have obstacles we go through, no matter how big or small; we all suffer and have our down moments. But it is up to us to maintain ourselves and others positive and help each other out. We must realize that being a negative person does not only affect us, but it also has a negative effect on others. It only takes one person to create sparks in someone else’s life, or lives.
Writer Roy T. Bennett once wrote: “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” Try and remember this every single day to remind yourself that we may not have the power to stop all the hateful events from happening in the future but we fortunately have the power to control our thoughts and actions to make them optimistic. I’m sure that by switching to positive thoughts, we can change the world together and make it a better place little by little.