A few days ago I posted a simple message on Instagram (follow me there if you aren’t already),
The grass is always greener on someone else's side. It's also probably pretty filtered so don't take it at face value. 💕
Today on the blog I want to expand on that thought and tell you how you can add this form of positivity into your life and be just as positive as me. Let's chat about how to add more positivity to your life in 12 simple ways.
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1 | Wear What Makes You Feel Powerful
When I am feeling down, one of the best things for me to do is put on pretty clothes and a shade of red or berry lipstick. Wearing the clothes that make you feel powerful and positive is a great way to change around your attitude. It’s a simple task, but strike your power pose in your power clothes, girl! I adore the romper in today’s outfit because, for me, it makes me feel like I can tackle the world. I got this romper last fall from Old Navy so, unfortunately, it’s not available anymore, but they always have tons of cute rompers in-store and online.
2 | Don’t Ignore Your Negative Feelings
So many people think that being positive means that you have to let go of your negative feelings like they don’t even exist. Don’t do that. Ignoring or hiding from your negative feelings won’t do you any good. Instead, address those negative feelings, get at the root of why you have them, then move on from them once you have addressed your reasons for having them.
3 | Try To See The Positive Thing In Every Situation
It can be so easy to go into a spiral once a negative event happens, but every negative event has a positive somewhere. Find the small, minute reasons for your positive thoughts to shine free.
Example:
Negative: You studied the wrong chapter for your quiz because you misread the syllabus.
Positive: You are extra prepared for a future chapter or you have more knowledge of the subject matter you are studying.
I know this example seems laughable at best, but when you are trying to be more positive, you gotta think positive. This simple exercise can help you see the positive in any situation, even when far-fetched. Plus, if it’s far-fetched it may make you laugh, which will make you even more positive.
4 | Do More Things That Make You Feel Positive
This is such a simple statement, but it can be so important to keeping up a positive life. For me, I am probably most happy when I am blogging. So I blog a lot. In fact, I run two blogs so that I can maximize my happiness and positivity. Find that thing that makes you feel positive and go after it fearlessly. My blog has saved my sanity and positivity so much during my graduate school experience. I don't know what I would have done without my family on this blog when I was going through so much with graduate school.
5 | Plaster Your Room With Positive Thoughts
Y’all know about my obsession with positive thoughts and plastering them everywhere I can. I am seriously all about this. My computer wallpaper is almost always related to positivity and happy thoughts. I also really love using fun printables to share those positive thoughts as well.
Related: My Society6 Shop
6 | Say Your Daily Affirmations
I am all about daily affirmations. In my eyes, it’s important to remind yourself daily of all things positive and happy. If you aren't feeling positive create or find an affirmation you can repeat to yourself multiple times throughout the day and when you feel the most negative. Counter your negative thoughts with positive feelings so you can drown out those negative thoughts (especially the small negative feelings.)
7 | Don’t Indulge Negative People
As I shared a few weeks ago in my post about how to deal with toxic friendships, I do not indulge negative people. This doesn't necessarily mean that I will end a friendship with them, but I don't indulge their negative thoughts. I try to be continuously positive in my life and I remove myself from people when they are being overly negative (which usually just entails going into another room.) I don't do this automatically, but if the negative behavior continues, I don't mind leaving the room if the negative thoughts are negatively affecting me. If you connect with other people's feelings easily this might be the best way for you to keep your sanity.
8 | Smile At Yourself In The Mirror
One of the best ways to get yourself to be more positive is to smile at yourself and laugh a lot. This can even be a forced smile or fake laugh. The act of laughing and smiling can make you laugh and smile more. This trick is very simple, but it works so well when you are feeling down.
9 | Enjoy The Scenery
Maybe it's just the fact that I live in Arkansas where most of the year it's beautifully green, but sometimes you just need to enjoy the scenery. Go to the park, get some fresh air in your backyard, hammock and lay around. The world is such a beautiful place and taking the time to enjoy the nature all around you is so nice. I may sound like I would fit right into the Disney movie Pocahontas right now, but I think that more people should enjoy the world around them (and for once never wonder what they're worth.)
10 | Find Music & Shows That Make You Happy
A few weeks ago I shared 10 shows that I think you should binge watch this summer and this is one thing that I do that makes me feel happy and positive, that, and listening to music. If you know me, you know that I am basically obsessed with the 1990s and 2000s alternative rock, pop music, and hip-hop and R&B. I am pretty eclectic like that. Any music that can make me feel something is music I want to listen to. Whatever music gets you excited for the day or whatever shows make your mornings or evenings better are things you need to add more of in your life. Don't watch and listen so much that you neglect responsibilities, but I would definitely do these activities as much as possible.
11 | Share The Love With Random Acts of Kindness
Random acts of kindness can really impact you and make you a more positive person. You don't even have to see the results of your random act to be impacted. The thought that you helped someone out can be so helpful as well. Here are some ideas for random acts of kindness:
- Load up a Starbucks gift card and post the barcode on social media. I did this last year and it was so fun to see people share their Starbucks drinks with me.
- Pay for the food of the car or person behind you in line.
- Volunteer somewhere like an after-school program or animal shelter.
- Donate to your favorite local or national charity.
- Support someone who is fundraising on a site like GoFundMe or do small loans through a place like Kiva. I have done loans through Kiva before and they were mostly always paid back on time and when they weren't I was given a notification of when payment was delayed to. The default rate on Kiva is a low 1.41% and it only takes $25 to get started loaning. After you get your small loan back you can loan again and again.
12 | Drink More Water & Eat Healthy-ish
Last, but certainly not least, drink more water and eat as healthy as you can. I am not telling you to give up pizza, I love pizza! Eat pizza sparingly, though. Be sure that you are getting in plenty of water throughout the day, and if you are concerned that you aren't drinking enough water, get a drinking cup or water bottle to help you track your water intake. There are also plenty of apps that you can use to track water as well.
I love this snarky water bottle from Metal Marvels that gets you to drink more water. Use my code THA15 to save 15% at Metal Marvels.
Final Thoughts
I am so happy that we talked about 12 ways to be more positive today. Positivity is so important and I hope that this article gave you some great food for thought on how to be more positive.
The Comments
Danielle
I LOVE the idea of loading a Starbucks giftcard and posting the barcode on social media! This is such a fun and unique way to spread the love.
(BTW, I LOVE YOUR ROMPER! Where did you get it?)