This past weekend it was in the mid 50’s and I had to celebrate by wearing a light jacket (and even taking it off to take pictures of my awesome shirt). To some of you that live in warmer climates that might seem crazy, but this girl has been in negative degree weather for the past month so the 50’s felt like a serious heatwave. Too bad its back to the low 20’s now. A girl can only hope for an early spring…
Winter is one of the times of the year where everyone is sick, cold, and miserable (the trifecta of serious misery). For those who know me, I’m pretty obnoxiously positive. Literally, I think sometimes I’m too positive. But that hasn’t always been the case. In high school, there were a lot of things that I thought negatively about. Whether it was mental, physical, or emotional I was pretty negative back then. Eventually, I started to rethink what type of energy I was putting out into the world and tried to fix it. Here are some of the things I tried along the way.
Shirt (DIY) | Pants (Romeo and Juliett from Marshalls Very Similar)
Shoes (Sold Out) |Bag (Similar)
Write down 3+ things you’re thankful for in the morning and night.
This is by far my favorite tip because this is what helps me remain so positive each day. It’s very easy to just come up with three things in your head that you’re positive about but it’s another thing to actually write down said things. By writing down these positive feelings, moods, or moments you’re creating a pattern that will help you remember these positive things in the long run. You can write them down on a small notepad and keep it in your purse or even a note section on your phone. Plus, you’ll have so much fun looking back on past entries on what made you happy. For example, I still have quotes from my freshman year of college from friends.
If you’re upset, mad, sad, or any other negative emotion write down how you feel, rip it up, and throw it away.
The fact that I have a blog that you’re actually reading is pretty telling that I love to write. Now, sometimes it may not make sense, I may spell something wrong, and the grammar may be all over the place. That is totally fine. When I’m frustrated with something, I write it down. If it’s really stressing me out I throw it away or cross out things, but most of the time I just leave it in my journal. I like doing this because it helps me really think about why I’m upset and then most of the times I can just leave that negativity on that page.
Smile: Fake it until you make it.
There is some truth to the idea that you can fake it until you make it. There have been many studies that show a correlation between smiling and being happy. The idea is that if you smile each day you can actually trick your brain into believing you’re happy. If that isn’t a reason to smile I don’t know what is.
Workout.
This one is a big one for me. Whenever I’m cranky or stressed out it’s probably because I haven’t been to the gym in a while. There is something about releasing a ton of sweat and breathing out my frustrations that calms me down. For some, high-intensity workouts like Tabata, Kick-Boxing, or Sprinting might help remove negativity while others might do better at mentally focused workouts like pilates or yoga. Personally, I like a mix of both. The work out will help you get your stress out while feeling better about yourself in general.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Surrounding myself with positive influences wasn’t something I really thought about until recently and boy, did it make a difference. Removing yourself from a situation where someone is rude or sarcastic to you allows you to not directly place that negative energy into your life. This is definitely the hardest tip because you want to give everyone the benefit of doubt. The sad reality is sometimes you need to cut the cord when you’re in a toxic environment. I talk more about this here.
Lastly, remember that you’re living the beautiful life.
If you speak Italian, you probably saw that coming. The shirt I made last week reads “The Beautiful Life” in Italian. This positive saying is a great reminder that you’re living an incredible life no matter what you’re going through. You can find happiness and positivity in the darkest times if you just turn on the light. By remembering that you’re truly fortunate really helps you put into perspective on what you should be positive about.
Don’t forget to check out how you can make this shirt here.
How do you remain positive in your day to day life? Let me know in the comments down below.
As always,
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