Youth Life

Tips to help you stay positive

1. Ground Yourself.

The most common reason why people think their lives suck is that they are not living their own lives. Look deeply into whether you are acting to please others – to please family, friends, and society. Realize that you need to get to know who you are and what your needs are, and make the choices to follow your own path. To know these things, a path of meditation and inner exploration is invaluable. This also comes to aid if you lose interest in things.

2. Look on the inside.

What are some qualities you have that you like about yourself? Are you funny? Are you intelligent? Are you sincere? Are you generous? What do you have pride in? Try focusing on the positive things in your life. You may be having a positive influence on others even when you think you’re useless.

3. Prove those negative thoughts wrong.

“Life isn’t about finding who you are, it’s about creating yourself” When you find yourself in a bad mood, you could think of the negative things such as, “I’m dumb and annoying”, “I’m better off dead”, “I’m ugly, I wish I looked different”, etc. Even though it’s not true. Change your mind. Look for your good features, think about the ones that you know love you, look on your greater side. Realize that nobody’s life is easy and that there will always be ups and downs, and moments of low self esteem. Don’t automatically assume that nobody cares. Every person matters to someone. You’re alive for a reason.

4. Appreciate what you see.

Look in the mirror. Find some beautiful things about yourself…. Do you have nice skin? nice nails? beautiful eyes? full lips? Find stuff that appeals to you. When you can’t change something, change your attitude towards it!

5. It’s all how you look at it.

Jealous of the people with ‘amazing’ lives? They chose to be that way! Remember, there are people living in mansions who are miserable and people living on the street who are perfectly happy. It’s all on how you look at it.

6. Determine how your life could be better.

What can you do to make your life better? What do you desire to do? How do you want to feel? Make a few reachable goals and your own strategies. The first step is usually the hardest – getting help or admitting you need it.

7. Sometimes it’s just luck.

A lot of things in life are just luck. Where you were born, whether you had a kind loving family or an abusive one where your mind or even your life is in danger, whether you belong in your community or were born into an out-group by religion, race, etc., whether your family was rich or poor are all random things. It’s what you do with it that matters. Remember that there is something epic and heroic in rising from harsh circumstances to do something well. Just surviving a rough situation and coming out of it with a heart is a triumph, a story that could move people long after you lived. That matters.

• Sometimes situations that look good from the outside, like a wealthy but emotionally abusive family can inspire both misery and jealousy from others. Accept that’s the situation. Remember that your life is your own and its direction is your choice. You don’t have to be who other people tell you that you are, whether that’s Future Criminals of America or Ruthless Cut-Throat Capitalist. You can change your life by choosing the direction that matters to you and pursuing it one small step at a time.

8. Get motivated.

What motivates you? What gives you energy to go on everyday? Music? Love? Family? A 1km run? God? Your attitude? Your pet? Friends? School? Give yourself a boost by focusing on what is important to you personally.

9. Find Time for Relaxation.
Nowadays life has become so busy that we don’t even find time to unwind, to be with ourselves, to relax. All we worry about is work, work and more work.

Work is surely important, but so is relaxation. Here are some ideas to help you get relaxed.

Get a massage
Though you surely can go to a spa and get an exotic massage done by a HOT girl, it doesn’t need to be costly at all times, your neighborhood barber can also give you a head massage and that too at a very reasonable price. (Yeah, you’ll have to compromise on the ‘hot’ part but that’s ok)

Go for A Walk In A Park
The natural ambiance of a park gives you a great chance to consume tons of fresh air and be with a person you have forgotten-yourself.

Try walking on the grass bare footed, it’s a pleasure you won’t find anywhere else.

Watch Moon
Watching moon for a while will give you a sense of oneness with the universe. Moon is a symbol of peace, purity and tranquility. It’s said to have calming effect on your mind and that’s exactly what you need to battle stress.

Watch Your Favorite Movie
Watching your favorite movie is a wonderful experience and it’s not that hard. Just get the DVD from the local library or shop, switch off your mobile phone, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

Apart from the ideas above, playing with kids, walking down the street with your wife (or someone else’s, if you are lucky) or killing enemies on play station could also help you relax.

10. Reminisce.

Whenever you feel like the future is ‘hopeless’, think about happy memories. It will help make you feel better and remind you that in the future, there will be good things, too. Think about all the good things you’ve experienced, felt, and achieved, and consider how many more good things could be waiting ahead. There will be many great moments in your life – don’t let a few obstacles get in the way. If you don’t have any happy memories, this is relative – don’t judge them by things other people think of as “happy memories.” Think of the moments it wasn’t as bad, even if those were only in solitude.

11. Don’t stop yourself from feeling the joy.

It’s okay to step back once in awhile and just enjoy the moment. Even in tough situations – it’s important to smile and laugh here and there. Don’t restrict yourself from doing things you love because they’re “not important” or because you think you’ll be criticized for doing them. Let yourself enjoy life even if you’re not at the best place you could be. You only live once – make the best of it.

12. Develop a gratitude journal.

It’s pretty simple. At the end of every day, write down five things that have made you happy or appreciative that day — not necessarily big things, even small ones count. For example: nice weather, being praised by my boss for getting an urgent errand done, my playful dog, kids and hubby kissing me goodbye before they went to school/work, a hilarious joke a mate shared, etc.

13. Do Something Out Of Your Comfort Zone.
We all have our comfort zones.

We do things in a certain way and never think of going out of them. It gives a sense of security and comfort, but is dangerous for your growth. When you do something that you’ve never done before, it boosts your confidence and self faith, which in turn helps you become more positive.

14. Stay Focused on What You ‘DO’ Want.
It’s easy to lose focus when facing difficult times. You start thinking about the things you DON’T want. For example

I don’t want to fail.
I don’t want to suffer.
I don’t want to stay behind.

Have you ever visited a restaurant where waiter comes and asks you “Yes sir, what would you like NOT to have?
Well, no such restaurant exists. The waiter is supposed to ask “Yes sir, what would you like to have”. You go through the menu card, decide what you want and place an order. Simple!

Life is also about placing an order with your thoughts and actions. If you use the right thoughts and actions, you get what you want. I know it’s quite difficult to focus on what you want when everything seems to fall apart, dreams look like illusions and nothing seems to work. But, this is your test. Be persistent.

15. Spend Time with Positive People.
It’s better alone than in a bad company. Sure, there are lots of negative people around, but that doesn’t mean you have to be with them.

Spend time with positive and vibrant people instead. It’ll help you see the world from a new and positive perspective. (Hanging out with a bubbly and positive girl for even 15 minutes is more empowering than spending a whole day with a boring and dead negative person)

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