I know first hand how difficult it can be to stay positive around negative people. Negativity is kind of like a cold. It’s highly contagious, and if you’re around it long enough you’re bound to catch some form of it.
Consider this list of ways to stay positive around negative people article your negativity flu shot. Here are some tips to help you keep your cool around uncool people.
9 Powerful Ways to Stay Positive Around Negative People
Not too long ago I worked in an office with a toxic co-worker.
He was miserable in his own life, and needed to bring people down with him. Any time I came in with a happy mood or tried to make a joke, he would shut it right down.
And I am a quiet, reserved person. I try to be polite and keep a good attitude to avoid being a burden on people. I never tried to piss this guy off, but it just seemed like any hint of positivity was his kryptonite.
Eventually, going to work started to feel like I was going in to get my teeth pulled out every day.
After a while, I started to become negative. My boyfriend was scared to be around me. I was kind of a monster. I am also an empath, which is someone who tends to take on other people’s emotions.
Anyway, I started to realize that something needed to change. I could not keep working at this job if this was how it was going to be.
If you are constantly surrounded by negativity, here are some ways to stay positive during the tough times.
1. Pay Attention to Your Triggers
When someone or something is affecting you in a negative way, spend some time figuring out why it’s making you feel that way.
Different things bother different people.
Figuring out your own triggers is important because these are warning signs. You’ll want to know what you can and can’t handle.
This is how you can determine how serious the situation is for you.
Sometimes negative situations can bring feelings you had at other times in your life. Like if you were in a toxic relationship, and then a co-worker started treating you the same way.
If you come to find that the negative people are setting off too many triggers for you to handle, it’s probably best to distance yourself from them as best you can.
2. Make Sure to Speak Up
When I worked with that toxic co-worker, I made it a point to tell my boss and the right people so they were aware of what was going on.
If it’s affecting how you do your job or how you function daily, it’s time to speak up about it.
A negative environment is not the norm, and it can quickly turn toxic. That’s why it’s good to just let people know what is going on.
That might mean talking to a trusted friend who can give you a different perspective on it.
Just remember that if something is affecting you in a negative way, and it’s having a huge impact on your overall well-being, it is not complaining or wrong if you decide to say something about it.
3. Think About All of the Good Things in Your Life
A good way to fight off the negative thoughts is to think about the good things.
Remember the things that make you feel great. Maybe that’s your family, or your pets, or the comfort of your home.
These are the things that will bring you out of the negativity. So when you’re around a negative person who is nitpicking everything, think about 5 things you’re grateful for right now.
That could be something as simple as breathing. And you can even practice some breathing techniques to calm you down.
Negativity is way easier to give in to than positivity. Staying in a good mindset takes a little more effort, but it’s definitely not impossible.
4. Set Boundaries
The thing with negative people is they feed off of nice people. Caring a lot about other people and their own happiness is what makes you a really good person.
But, people who don’t feel so great about their own lives will try to take the joy right out of yours.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Trolls, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. The Trolls are naturally happy and the Bergens want to eat them just so they can feel that happiness for a moment.
Setting boundaries is one of the best ways you can draw a line at what you won’t tolerate.
It’s hard at first, and if you’re dealing with a particularly difficult person it might seem impossible. But, putting up a boundary is the only way negative people will know how far they can go.
Otherwise, they will push and push until you completely lose it.
When you’re in the midst of negativity, work on staying grounded. Grounding yourself allows you to stay present and helps clear your mind.
If you find you take on other people’s emotions, and feel negativity strongly from others, grounding yourself will allow you to separate from it all.
Here’s how to ground yourself:
Close your eyes (if you can)
Plant your feet firmly on the ground
Take deep breaths
Think about what you hear
Think about what you smell
Breathe in good thoughts, and breathe out the bad ones.
6. Work on Being More Resilient
When it comes to dealing with negative people, Resilience is an invaluable tool to have.
It allows you to bounce back from anything, no matter how awful. But, it’s not always easy to be resilient, especially when you’re in the heat of the moment.
During the rough moments, resilience is about not giving up or giving in. Negativity can eat away at your soul if you allow it, but resilience is there to prevent that.
Being resilient is about having faith in yourself to push through anything. And the amount of mental strength to fight back the negative thoughts.
When you have tough moments that test you, work on staying strong. Tell yourself you will get through this, no matter what. And you won’t go down without a fight.
Telling yourself these things will help build up your resilience so you can bounce back quicker every time you’re faced with a difficult situation.
7. Don’t Give in to the Negative Talk
I know it’s usually a lot easier to just go along with what other people are saying, even if you don’t agree with them.
Speaking up and telling them they’re wrong isn’t always the best option.
It can cause uncomfortable conflict, and it’s hard to find that line between being a jerk and speaking your truth. But, once you start to let that person talk negatively to you, they will think it’s acceptable.
And sure, sometimes complaining about something unfair is acceptable. The moments when it’s not is when it happens often, and it’s getting under your skin.
Obviously, pick your battles. Just don’t give in to all of the negative talk. Sometimes all a negative person needs is someone to put them in their place or shine a light on their thinking.
It can actually be beneficial for them if they are willing to see it.
Avoiding giving into the negative talk will help with keeping your own thoughts positive because you refuse to allow them in.
8. Think About How You Can Grow From This Situation
Everything in life can be a learning opportunity, depending on how you look at it.
The situation you’re in right now won’t last. Time goes on and things morph into something else.
What is bugging the crap out of you today will be a distant memory 3 months from now.
So, with that in mind, think about how you can grow from this moment. What is this person teaching you?
Maybe that’s how to treat other people, or knowing how to be aware that your own comments can negatively affect other people.
Thinking of this situation as a learning curve can change your view on it, which can keep you staying positive throughout it.
9. Don’t Be Afraid to Get Out
If you really want to be able to stay positive around negative people, you need to take a stand. No one should have to tolerate a toxic environment. And trying to stay positive around people who are doing their best to bring you down isn’t always worth it.
At the end of the day, it comes down to your mental wellbeing. What a lot of people have to do is take themselves out of the equation.
It’s sometimes the only way to get your mindset right again. So, don’t think that you just have to endure the crappy people and that it has to be a part of your life.
It’s totally okay to realize this fight isn’t worth fighting anymore, and you have to put yourself first! Which means sometimes letting go of the things that are holding you back.
9 Ways To Stay Positive Around Negative People – Conclusion
I hope this list of ways to stay positive around negative people was helpful. If you enjoyed this article on how to improve your life or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
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What is a bad mental health day? Well, do you ever have days that just feel impossible to get through?
Where your energy is low, nothing goes as planned, and every little thing irritates the hell out of you?
Here are some things you can do to get through a bad mental health day.
11 Ways To Get Through A Bad Mental Health Day
When you battle things like anxiety and/or depression on a daily basis, you will have days where you don’t mentally feel strong enough to fight them off.
Some days they will win and that’s OK.
I know for me, I’ll feel on top of the world one day and the next I’ll shut down and wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Nothing around me will actually be wrong, but my thoughts convince me otherwise.
I just don’t feel my best, no matter how much medication I take, how much mindfulness I practice, or how much I exercise.
That’s because some days, my depression just isn’t willing to see the good in things. It wants to keep me down, and that’s when I realize it’s a bad mental health day.
I like to relate it to having a broken arm. You can do all the right things, like physical therapy and resting. But, at the end of the day, your arm is still broken and it just takes time to heal on its own.
I’m not saying your brain is broken, but depression and anxiety are not always easy to manage. You will have times when you won’t feel so great. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you, though.
What I want you to know is when you choose to work on your mental health, you’re committing to it for the long haul.
11 Ways To Get Through A Bad Mental Health Day
There is no easy quick fix for anxiety or depression. Some days you will make huge strides in your journey, and others will feel like a setback.
Remember, there is a certified therapist standing by to talk or text you at all times here.
1. Practice Acceptance
When you start to realize today is just not your day, one thing you can do is practice accepting it.
Tell yourself “Obviously today isn’t going quite as I planned. My brain doesn’t want to work with me, and that’s OK. I can go easy on myself today and hope for a better day tomorrow.”
Acceptance helps you come to an agreement with your brain. You stop the resistance that is telling you that you should be happier than you are.
This is a way of practicing mindfulness in your everyday life. Mindfulness slows down your racing thoughts and allows you to be in the present moment. Accepting things you can’t change and reducing anxiety in the process.
Be sure to download your free mindfulness activities so you can quickly go back to having a better day!
2. Let go of Your Own Judgement
On a bad mental health day, you want to avoid making yourself feel worse than necessary.
It’s very frustrating when your mind doesn’t want to work with you, trust me I know. But, there’s also not much you can do in that situation.
Instead, you can stop telling yourself “I’m such a failure for not being able to control my anxiety/depression right now.”
Stop making yourself feel worse! Your self-talk on a bad mental health day is so important in helping you get back on track.
Stop the judgment. Don’t call yourself any names or get frustrated because you aren’t improving. Forgive yourself and be patient with the process.
3. Continue to Take Action and Try Not to Sulk
When I have a bad day or a bad week, I want to avoid everything on my day off. I shut the blinds and stayed in bed all day.
This is okay to do for a small portion of the day, but not the WHOLE day.
Whenever I do it for the whole day, I feel awful. Like I gave into my depression and gave it exactly what it wanted… isolation and negativity.
Don’t give into your current mindset. Work on taking action even if you aren’t feeling it.
Practice things that you know will help. I deep clean my home because when things are clean, I feel a lot better. Or blast some good music to release the tension.
4. Do a Quick 8-Minute Workout
There are a lot of quick workouts nowadays that you can do in less than 10 minutes.
The benefit of this is later in the day, you can tell yourself “I worked out today!”
Also, it improves your mood on a subconscious level. Remember, accept that today isn’t your best day. You don’t have to challenge yourself too much, and a quick workout still ensures that you’re practicing self-care even on your worst days.
5. Cook Your Favorite Meal
There’s a lot of peace that comes out of cooking. If you enjoy it, that is.
If it’s not something you enjoy doing, then you can skip this step. I personally don’t have a lot of energy to cook but when I do, I really like it.
The creativity that goes into it can help inspire you. And when you treat yourself to your favorite meal, it’s a great form of self-care.
Do you ever have bad mental days where it feels like nothing is going right in your life? Learn what to do during bad mental health days. These 11 tips will help you stay sane and positive during the toughest moments of your life.
6. Vent to a Close Friend
On your bad days, let your closest friend know what’s going on. Communicating how you’re feeling will definitely help you feel better. Suppressing how you’re feeling only makes it worse.
When you don’t let it out, you may even start to believe that you’re overreacting or what you’re feeling doesn’t matter. If you don’t have someone available at the moment you need them, another good option is to write out your thoughts in a journal.
This helps you get to a spot where your thoughts don’t feel so overwhelming all in your head and they start to make more sense once you get it out on paper.
7. Take a Hot Bath Before You go to Bed
I always used to think that people telling you to take a bath was an easy fix. Like, “Just take a bath and all your problems will go away!”.
Just so you know, that won’t happen. However, it will help relax you and is a great way to put yourself first.
Hot baths are a go-to at 8 p.m. on a Friday night for me. Paired with some candles and peaceful music, I seriously feel like I’m being pampered.
If you’re a highly sensitive person like me, then taking a hot bath can help release a lot of built-up overload.
Turn the lights off and keep the music calm and quiet. Make sure the other people in your house are occupied with other things and use that time to reset yourself.
Again, this isn’t something that I’m saying just for the heck of it. This works for me, and I believe it can work for you.
I have two dogs, so I have to get out for a long walk at least once a day for their sake. When I miss a walk, I know it. It actually can be the cause of my bad mental health day. Not only do I feel guilty for not walking my dogs, but I also don’t feel as energized.
Taking a walk out in nature is so beneficial for anyone who has mental health struggles. The sounds that you hear, and the sun on your skin are just what your body needs on a daily basis. When your body is happy, your mind becomes happy too.
Do some research on good places to take a hike near where you live. I don’t like walking near busy roads because they’re noisy and stress me out.
Figure out your personal preferences for a walk, and start doing it for just 10 minutes a day. After you do that, write down how it makes you feel. You can even use a daily mood tracker to see if it’s working for you.
Being prepared for the worst can help in a lot of ways. When you’re upset and unmotivated, it’s hard to think rationally and remember the good things in your life.
That’s why creating a mental health toolbox is perfect to have for a bad mental health day. This is something you can create today using ideas from this post, and here is a list of other things you can add to it:
When you’re stressed out you go into survival mode. That means doing the bare minimum to get by. That consists of eating and sleeping and the things you’re required to do, like work and school.
There isn’t enough space in your life to enjoy things when you’re in survival mode. But, when you’re having a bad mental health day, it’s good to just take a break and focus on finding inspiration again.
Take a step back and think about what things excite you. What motivates you to get up in the morning? If you can’t think of anything at the moment, then work on taking the afternoon off and coming up with something.
Think about the things you like doing in your free time, or what you used to do when you didn’t feel so anxious. Maybe that was taking a bike ride or going to a pottery class.
Whatever it is, start doing some research and try to organize your schedule to figure out how to add more of the inspiring stuff to your life.
When you’re inspired you start to light that spark inside you. The spark that needs constant attention or else it will burn out.
Anytime your spark goes out, you lose motivation and wonder what your purpose in life is. It’s essential for your mental health to keep inspiring yourself to move forward.
11. Talk To A Professional
It’s always good to talk to a professional if you can’t seem to shake the feelings of anxiety and depression.
This is a guide for people who are able to manage their mental health for the most part, they just have certain days where they need a little help.
If you’re at a point where your anxious or depressed thoughts are taking over your life, talking to a professional can help you get back on track and feel better.
11 Ways To Get Through A Bad Mental Health Day – Conclusion
I hope these things can help you in the future for any bad mental health days that you have. Everyone is different in how they handle stress and bad days, that’s why I wanted to give you a variety of options.
Are you living an authentic life? Authenticity is to be true to one’s personality and character. It means you’re willing to show the world who you really are.
You’re willing to live the life that you were meant to live. Authenticity is the ability to show your uniqueness to the world.
There are very few authentic people in the world, but you know them when you see them.
We’re naturally drawn to authentic people. We feel comfortable with those who are willing to be themselves.
9 Proven Methods For Living An Authentic Life
Use these strategies to start living an authentic life and show the world the real you
1. Know your values
What’s important to you? Make a list of every quality you think is important for a person to have. Now, put that list in order.
What are your five top values? When you know your values, the authentic choice in any situation is more obvious than when you don’t know your values.
2. Stop doing things you don’t want to do
You still need to pay your bills and take out the trash. However, you don’t have to play on the church softball team, drive your neighbor to the airport, or take care of your cousin’s cat. If something is too disagreeable for you, just say, “No.”
3. Do what you want to do
You can spend your time how you please. You don’t need a grand excuse or proof that you’re doing something noble on a cosmic level.
The fact that you want to do it is a good enough reason. It’s important not to hurt anyone, including yourself, but feel free to play the harmonica, dance in your front yard, or wear white after Labor Day.
4. Keep an open mind
When your thinking is very rigid, you limit yourself and prevent your true self from shining through. Preconceived notions are prisons that block you from being authentic. Learn how to experience the world from a variety of perspectives and an open mind.
5. Trust your intuition
When you ignore your hunches, you feel out-of-sorts. Trust your instincts. They’ll let you know when you’re not being genuine.
6. Be self-aware
You can’t be authentic if you lack self-awareness. Notice how you feel. Ask yourself, “What do I need at this moment? How can I meet that need?” If you ignore your emotions, you can’t be self-aware.
7. Practice boldness
The biggest reason for a lack of authenticity is timidity. We want to say and do certain things, but we’re uncomfortable with standing out in any way.
We feel vulnerable and exposed. A little discomfort never killed anyone, and there’s so much to be gained by being bold. Give it a try.
8. Openly share your opinion
Tell others what you think or how you feel about something. Of course, you’ll want to be tactful so you remain considerate of the feelings of those around you. Are you hesitant to share your thoughts on a topic? Ask yourself why that is.
9. Avoid perfectionism
Trying to be perfect is a huge limitation on your natural personality and expression. Avoiding mistakes and imperfection at all costs is a recipe for inauthenticity.
Life is short! It doesn’t make a lot of sense to pretend to be someone else.
9 Proven Methods For Living An Authentic Life – Conclusion
I hope these tips for living an authentic life encourage you to put your best self out into the world.
Authenticity requires courage and dealing with discomfort. But if you want to live your life to the fullest, authenticity is required.
Show the world the unique person you are, and celebrate your newfound freedom.
Why strive to strengthen your inner drive? Momentum makes it easier to create change.
It’s much harder to find the first client than to find the 10th. If you have to lose 50 pounds, the second 10 are easier to lose than the first 10.
The other day I shared some tips for how you can strengthen your self-esteem. But let’s dig a bit deeper today.
It’s just hard to get started when you’re trying to change something in your life.
It’s easier to keep a boulder rolling than it is to get it started. So use these tips to help you start.
How To Strengthen Your Inner Drive
Try these ideas to strengthen your inner drive.
1. Do something worthwhile as early in the day as possible
Whatever your big goal in life happens to be, do something about it first thing each day.
It’s a great way to show yourself that you’re serious about being successful. It’s also a way to build a lot of momentum that can carry you through the day.
For example, if you need to drop a few pounds, get out of the door ASAP in the morning and go for a quick walk. If you want to write a novel, write one page before you even take a shower.
Take an online class at SkillShare, CreativeLive or HerPaperRoute. Or, learn a new language. Anything that gets your brain buzzing before you have your morning coffee.
2. A small accomplishment early in the day can motivate you to do even more, later in the day
A bad morning usually drains your motivation, so ensure you have a great morning.
3. Make your bed each day
It might seem like a trivial act, but it can make a big difference. You’ve barely woken up and you’ve already accomplished something.
You’ll also appreciate it when you go to bed. Try it for a week and notice how much better you feel about yourself.
4. Find a mentor that’s doing better than you are
Even the most successful people can use a good mentor. If you need to lose weight, find someone that’s lost 100+ lbs.
If you want to make 6-figures, find a mentor that’s making seven. A good mentor will push you to be more than you’re currently demonstrating. Here’s how to get a mentor for free.
5. Be consistent
It’s impossible to gain momentum without consistency. Each time you stop, it’s necessary to get started again. That’s the opposite of momentum. Get started and keep going. Consistent action is the key.
4. Perform a 30-day challenge
Pick a habit you’d like to create and force yourself to do it each day for the next month. This is a great way to build momentum.
When the 30 days are up, you should be able to continue. You’ve already been doing it for a month after all. What’s another month or decade? Easy.
A compelling vision for the future can be the motivation needed to get started and to continue until you experience success. Think about what you want to accomplish.
Who do you want to become? What type of life do you want to live? Create an attractive vision of a future that fills you with excitement.
Few people have a long-term plan for their life. Even fewer have a plan that excites them. Be one of the few.
6. Be action-oriented
Most of us do too much planning and spend too much time gathering more information.
The people that accomplish the most are those that take action quickly, consistently, and aggressively. Focus on the actions you can take and actually take them. Momentum is the result.
With momentum, it’s easy to believe that you can accomplish anything.
7. Without it, everything feels impossible
There’s no substitute for work ethic and perseverance, but there are plenty of things that can be done to create momentum.
If you’re feeling stuck, work on creating momentum and then fight to keep it going.
For More Tips On How To Strengthen Your Inner Drive
To view my wellness course Refine Your Life Purpose + Wellness and all other lessons, click here.
Do you need help to boost self-esteem? Lack of confidence? You are not alone.
Low self-esteem is a common challenge regardless of your age, background, or socioeconomic status. We all know that high self-esteem is a good thing, but how does one go about developing it?
There are tons of programs and books designed to raise your self-esteem, but it’s still a challenge. Try these top 10 confidence-building tips to give your self-esteem the boost you seek.
10 Easy Ways To Strengthen And Boost Self-Esteem And Confidence
Increase your confidence and feel great about yourself with these strategies to boost your self-esteem.
1. Get support from your biggest fan.
You probably have a friend or family member who always finds a way to lift you up when you’re feeling down. Pay them a visit and let them know you’re struggling. Get their opinion on what you’re thinking about.
2. Remember that self-esteem is a symptom of detrimental thinking habits.
Anything that was said or happened in the past is over. You can only keep those things alive with your thoughts. Your negative thoughts and inner critic will tear you down until there’s nothing left.
It’s your choice to allow that to happen or to work on it and become your best friend. This starts with changing your thoughts.
Uplift your thinking and your self-esteem will begin to rise as well.
3. Learn how to take a compliment.
Compliments are hard to take when your self-esteem is low. Ironically, that’s when you need them the most.
Smile and thank the other person for the compliment. Resist the urge to dismiss the compliments you receive.
4. You’re much more interesting than the person you pretend to be.
We develop the urge to conform when we are in elementary school. But you’re not like everyone else. You’re unique. You’ll make more friends and have more influence if you’re willing to be yourself.
We’re not made for everyone and the people who don’t accept you are most likely the wrong people for you. Stop trying to change for other people, and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.
But you’re not like everyone else. You’re unique. You’ll make more friends and have more influence if you’re willing to be yourself.
5. You’ve already accomplished amazing things.
Two of the most challenging things anyone has ever accomplished are learning to walk and learning to talk.
Think about how long each takes to do well.
They both require years of constant practice. Anything else you want to do with your life pales by comparison.
6. You can learn social skills.
Many people with low self-esteem struggle with relationships or social situations. You’re not flawed; you’re just not aware of how to do it.
Many children learn these skills while others do not. It’s never too late.
7. Other people aren’t thinking about you.
It’s hard to believe, but people aren’t talking behind your back or thinking negative thoughts about you.
Everyone else is wondering what you’re thinking and saying.
8. Be willing to say “No.”
It’s natural to feel bad about yourself when you agree to do things you don’t want to do.
It’s disrespectful to yourself.
Give yourself the respect you deserve and refuse requests when you genuinely don’t want to do them.
9. Beware of social media.
While social media can make it easy to stay in touch with others, understand that most of what you see is misleading.
Few people are presenting their lives honestly. It’s a place to showcase the high points of your life. Everyone has challenges, but you’ll rarely see them on social media.
10. Develop your strengths.
Are you a great dancer? Take a few dance classes. Are you a good writer? Take a writing course like this one, and develop your writing skills further.
11. Run with your strengths and find ways to leverage them.
Imagine what your life would look like if you consistently enjoyed high self-esteem.
Visualize how much more enjoyable life would be and how much more you could accomplish. The change in your life would be stunning.
10 Easy Ways To Strengthen And Boost Self-Esteem – Conclusion
Begin the journey of enhancing your opinion of yourself today. No one else will do it for you. You’ll be glad you did! And after some time practicing these tips to boost self-esteem, pretty soon you will feel it.
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