With thanksgiving and our semester wrapping up, here are some simple ways to feel more positive.
- When you wake up in the morning, think of 3 things you’re grateful for:
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I started doing this as an assignment for class, and I ended up loving it. I feel like this is one of the easiest ways to brighten up your day. During the semester, I end up sleeping late and needing to wake up early for my 8:00 a.m. classes. It’s exhausting. By starting your day off with 3 things off the top of your head that you love, it’s a much more positive way to wake up than thinking about how tired you are.
- Validate your emotions:
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When you’re upset about something, a lot of the time people try to push for a more optimistic perspective. We tend to hear the phrase, “well at least…”. This can be harmful to your mental health because everyone can think of a situation and find hypotheticals that could have made things worse. It doesn’t change how things went for you. This is why it’s important to allow yourself feel upset when you are, and afterwards you’ll find the positives on your own. Never force yourself to feel a certain way.
- Tell people how much they mean to you:
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In our everyday lives, we often get very busy, and we forget to remind others that we appreciate them. This tends to happen with the people you are closest with because we get so used to seeing them and talking to them. This could be as simple as saying “I appreciate you” or “thank you for always being there for me”. Even in small conversations, you can say, “thank you for checking up on me”. By starting to do this, you refill your inner circle with positivity, love, and acceptance, and without even knowing it, you are practicing to be more appreciative.
- Give time to the things you love:
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When you fill up your free time by doing things or spending time with people you love, you find yourself being appreciative of life without even realizing it. It can be hard to see things in a positive way if you’re constantly hating what you’re doing. Make sure you give yourself a portion of each day to do something you love. It can be as simple as watching your favorite show or reading a chapter in a book you’ve been meaning to get to.
- Give back to others:
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When you give, your mind is in a state of appreciation for what you have and what you’re surrounded by. Giving back to others comes in many forms. It could be monetary like donating money to a charity or a fund. It could also be donating items to programs that give to those in need or writing cards of support or thanks. It also comes with volunteering for places that support your community. When you give back, you also find yourself appreciative of the community you are in. This is especially true through volunteering for me. I love getting to know new people and working together with them, and I find myself so grateful to be a part of my own community that has such supportive, caring organizations. Moreover, when you talk to new people and get to know them, it’s very uniting to work as a team to fulfill a common goal, and this, simultaneously, makes you feel more appreciative of the world around you.
Did you see some of your favorite ways to be positive?