Keep It Positive: Top Tips For Changing Your Outlook On Life

 Disclosure: This is a partnered post. Please welcome today's contributor.

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

From time to time, it can be hard to maintain a positive mindset - whether that means you are navigating your way through a relationship breakdown or finding it hard to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. If this is the case, it’s important to remember you are not alone. While it may not seem that way, nobody has a positive mindset 24/7.  However, you must find a w

ay to lift your spirits and ensure that negativity does not win.

With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to banish negativity and change your outlook in life for the better!

Don’t dismiss your feelings. We are often taught to bury our feelings away as opposed to openly expressing them. However, while this may mean that you appear your usual happy self on the outside, feelings of stress, anxiety, and sadness could continue to worsen under the surface. By keeping these feelings to yourself, you are limiting your ability to heal. Talking openly and honestly about how you are feeling can help you work towards a quicker resolution and bring positivity back into your day.

Ask for help when you need it. Asking for help, whether that means reaching out to someone you trust or even a medical professional, can be incredibly difficult. After all, it means that you yourself must acknowledge that you have a problem. However, it is also the first step towards recovery and can help you change your outlook on life considerably. Opening up and speaking to others can show you that you are not alone, no matter how you may feel. There is always somebody ready and waiting to listen, and together, you can begin to work on your healing journey.

Spend time with those who lift you up. Not everyone in your life is there to help you. We’ve all known that friend or relative who seems keen to put you down, diminish your success or simply make you feel bad about yourself. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to let them do that to you. Instead, focus on spending time with those who love and support you - who bring positivity into your life as opposed to negativity.

Seek out inspiration. Whenever you are having a bad day, keep an eye out for sources of positive inspiration that can help lift your spirits accordingly. For example, you could find your favorite loving hippie quotes and display them in your home or set them as the background on your phone. Seeing inspirational messages of love, positivity and hope regularly can help change your perspective on the world around you.

Practice positive affirmations. Whether you are looking to feel more comfortable in your body or boost your overall confidence, practicing positive affirmations is a great way to change your outlook for the better. If you have never practiced affirmations before - don’t worry, it’s much easier than you think. It’s simply a way of being kinder to yourself and offering yourself praise. To begin, stand in front of the mirror each morning and recite three/four things that you like about yourself. This could be things such as your smile, your sense of humor, or your determination. Reciting positive things about yourself (and out loud) can help you realize just how amazing you are and give you a much more positive outlook.

Spend time outside. Spending more time outdoors can make you both happier and healthier - meaning that it can also provide you with a much-needed boost of energy and positivity. How you spend your time outdoors is entirely up to you - whether you go for a run or take your favorite book to the local park and sit outside and read - either way, you are sure to reap the benefits.

Worry, but worry wisely. Sometimes, worries and anxieties are unavoidable. While we cannot go without them entirely, we can change how we respond to them. For example, whenever you encounter a problem, ask yourself if you will be affected by it tomorrow? Then, if you will still be affected by it in a week or two, or a month, or even a year? If the answer to all of the questions is yes, then you can begin to work on a solution. If not, you can start to let go of whatever is troubling you, as it cannot matter that much.

Follow your dreams. In order to truly begin ‘living your best life,’ you need to give yourself permission to chase your dreams - both personal and professional. For example, sometimes, we may begin to develop a negative mindset as we feel unappreciated at work or because we work in an industry that we are not passionate about. Taking yourself out of that situation and finding a new job that excites and challenges you can transform your mindset almost instantaneously. Don’t be afraid to take a risk!

Celebrate every victory - even the small ones. It’s all too easy to focus on the negatives in life - however, you can begin to change your mindset by trying to focus on the positive things that happen instead, even if they are relatively small. At the end of each day, write down three good things that happened to you in the past 24 hours. This could include small acts of kindness, such as a stranger opening the door for you. When you begin to actively look for the positive moments in your life, you will realize they occur much more frequently than you realize.

Be prepared to make changes. Sometimes, in order to make room for more positivity in our lives, we need to be ready to make some changes in our lives. For example, it may be that you simply need to stop spending so much time working and give yourself a well-needed rest. If you don’t take the time out of your routine to perfect your work-life balance, then the negative feelings you are dealing with will never go away on their own.