Positivity is defined as the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude. When life gets difficult we often turn to our friends and family. One of the most common pieces of advice are “just be positive”. Much easier said than done. Sometimes life puts us in positions that leave us feeling hopeless and no matter how we look at it, we just can’t seem to find the sunshine. Sometimes being positive isn’t always telling yourself that everything is going to be okay, or that you will magically get what you want. Sometimes being positive is how you carry out your daily activities and what activities will help you remain in a better mood when life gets tough. Here are ten things you can do in order to remain more positive!
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Start your day off earlier than normal. Giving yourself time to mentally prepare for your day will help you handle obstacles that may come up that might bring your mood down. Use this extra time to meditate, make yourself breakfast, or watch your favorite show on Netflix. This extra time that you will spend doing something just for you at the BEGINNING of your day will help ease your mind and keep stress at bay. Especially if you eat breakfast. Breakfast is very important and will keep you from getting irritated early on in the day.
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Get ready. Spend a little extra time on your hair and make-up. This will help boost your confidence and confidence is a key step in feeling more positive. If you were to receive a compliment or two that would boost you up even more. You are beautiful as you are, but being fully ready is good for your self- esteem and will encourage you to get out of the house, or post a cute selfie. When your friends see your selfie and make a comment on it, you will start to feel 100X better.
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Make a plan with a friend to do something fun. This will give you something to look forward to and be excited about. Even if it’s just going to their house to watch Jersey Shore, spending time with friends is a great way to boost your mood. Especially if it’s a planned event, it doesn’t make you feel rushed and you won’t feel inclined to go home because you’ll know in advance. We tend to avoid last minute plans because we are already doing something or don’t feel like doing something.
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Go for a walk. This will help clear your mind and give you some alone time to think while being active. Small amounts of exercise boost your endorphin levels which is good for positivity. As Elle Woods wants said “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t shoot their husbands”
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Give out genuine compliments. This will turn you into a ray of sunshine for everyone around you. Although you are going through a hard time, it doesn’t mean you can’t make someone else’s day better. Being nice actually helps us feel better about ourselves. So if you like someone’s dress tell them. Making someone’s day could make yours and helps you forget about what you’re going through. Plus this is a great way to spark a friendly conversation and positive interactions are good for us when we find ourselves in a slump!
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Don’t eat like crap! This is important as what we feed our body affects our mood. If you’re down in the dumps try eating fruits and vegetables. Several studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables actually helps boost mood and brain performance!
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Get enough sleep. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Being tired is in no way a good mood booster.
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Make sure your day is planned out and filled with little activities to help keep you busy. This will keep your mind off things. And stay OFF SOCIAL MEDIA as this distracts you from completing tasks and causes comparisons between you and other people.
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When you hug someone, hug them tight. There is actually a chemical release that happens when we hug people. These chemicals are known as oxytocin and serotonin and are literally responsible for our happiness.
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Be okay with not being in the best mood. If you are feeling sad about something, then feel sad about it. Don’t deny the emotions you experience but also, don’t succumb to those emotions. Understand that everyone faces difficulties and life is hard and often unfair, but it wasn’t always a bad time and there will be good times again. Just have to get through the rough patch. Surround yourself with people that love and care about you that you know will help you get through the tough times. Make smart decisions that will lead you to prettier destinations and avoid friends and family that aren’t sympathetic to how you’re feeling and expect you to be happy-go-lucky when you can’t be.