Hello there fellow internet surfer!
We see that you have asked How To Stay Positive In Hard Times to Google and it has redirected you to this article.
That’s wonderful, glad to have you here. It’s common to be struck with a bout of pessimism specially due to the current scenario of a global pandemic.
In tough times, it can feel nearly impossible to be positive but with a little willpower and the right knowledge, one can muster up some positivity to tackle the challenges life offers.
In this article we shall look at 9 proven strategies on How To Stay Positive In Hard Times.
Excited? We are too. Let’s get started then.
1. Don’t Exaggerate Your Problem
First up on our list of How To Stay Positive In Hard Times, we have a simple yet difficult to follow tip:
Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. It is easy to live positively during your good days but when adversity strikes this becomes difficult.
We start to lose our perspective and things begin to look darker than they actually are. That’s why it is very important to take a step back and try to look at the problem with an objective eye.
You can do this by shouting “Stop!” Whenever that sneaky little brain of yours starts blowing things out of proportions, or you can talk to your friends and family about things that are bugging you and see what is their take on them.
Ask yourself will this matter after 5 days? 5 weeks? doing this would probably break the illusion created by the problem.
2. Look for the Silver Lining
Look for silver lining in the grey clouds. What we mean is try getting something positive out of every situation.
You cannot control what happens to you but what you can control is your response to it.
So make sure your response is constructive. At the end of every situation—specifically hard ones—ask yourself two very important questions:
Q1. What is one thing that is positive about this situation?
Q2. What is one opportunity within this situation?
3. Practise Gratitude
We humans are naturally negative thinkers. Turns out, we tend to remember the negative events that occur to us more vividly than the good ones (source).
This naturally leads to higher anxiety and lack of positivity. Here’s where practising gratitude comes in. By counting our blessings we are actively recalling all the good things that happen to us throughout the day.
This makes us feel more grateful and positive. You can practice gratitude through Gratitude Journaling.
4. Take a Break
In our fast paced life, we have stuffed ourselves with so much priorities and work that the simple act of taking a break seems like a luxury, but trust us, if you want to function at optimum level and avoid crash-burning then you need to take a break.
Yes, we are so serious about taking breaks that we are asking you to take one right now. That’s right, stop reading and take a break.
Drink water, roam outside on the terrace or listen to music or do whatever marks as a break for you, but do take a break.
If checking other articles marks as a break for you then check out these:
- How To Stay Focused and Motivated In Life While Having Too Much Stress
- What Causes Panic Attacks & How To Stop Them?
- GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER: CAUSES
5. Journaling your Worries
The human brain hosts 6000 thoughts per day. Most of these thoughts are worries of the past or future. But the problem with these worries is that they are too vague to be solved.
Thus your brain reminds you of them again and again, causing mental anxiety. What you can do to relieve yourself is to unload them. The best way to do this is through journaling.
We can’t stress enough on the importance of journaling for those of you who are asking How To Stay Positive In Hard Times? to Google.
Developing a journaling habit helps promote clarity of thoughts by letting you see all the negative loops in your thought patterns.
When your thoughts are on paper it is easier to understand the purpose behind them, to look at the problem bugging your brain and try solving it.
6. Sleep Properly and Exercise
All the tips we have given so far would not be able to help if you don’t have a good night’s rest. Sleep is crucial for the body to recover from the day’s stress.
Do give your body one. Ample amount of sleep recharges your focus, productivity and happiness. And when you are recharged, you tend to be more positive than the sleep deprived ‘zombies’.
Exercise is equally important. According to the University of Toronto, exercise has been shown to curb depression. Not only that it has been shown to treat ADHD and has been called as a natural anti-anxiety treatment.
Exercise boosts well being by raising endorphins level, deepens sleep, consolidates memory and overall mental health.
If you take only one message from this article on How To Stay Positive In Hard Times take this: Sleep and Exercise are essential for developing positivity. Don’t skip them. Ever.
7. Try a Hobby
Try something new: write a blog or paint or sing on karaoke or cook something tasty. Do anything that you’re passionate about.
Did you always want to start your YouTube channel? Do it! Working on your hobbies takes your attention off the negative thought patterns and helps you connect with your passion.
8. Remember that this is not Permanent
When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Try to understand that no moment in life is permanent. Try to calm by telling yourself that this moment too shall pass. And it will.
9. Try Thinking About Others
When you find difficulty in keeping yourself positive under hard situations, try thinking about people who may be having a harder time than you.
Stressing out over the high maintenance cost of your car? Some people can’t afford to even have one. Too much workload from your boss?
At least you have a job, unlike the unemployed section of the population who pray for one. This exercise helps develop gratitude which helps promote positivity.
Final Words…
So that’s all folks. We hope you liked this article on How To Stay Positive In Hard Times. If you’re interested you can try additional resources given below. Thank you for reading this article and we’ll see you in the next one. Till then, bye!
How To Stay Positive In Hard Times: Additional Resources
- WikiHow and Mail Chimp have partnered to offer a free online course on reducing anxiety and promoting positivity.
- “Positivity” by Barbara Fredrickson (Book Summary) – A fantastic book to read if you want to know more on How To Stay Positive In Hard Times.
- And, if you think your anxiety and stress is going above the level then you may also consider consulting a psychiatrist to know more about how to stay positive in hard times. You can even get in touch with Dr. Samyak Tiwari, he himself can give you more knowledge about how to stay positive in hard times and can treat you in a better way.
