Face it. We all have bad moments, or even a bad day or two.
Every human faces unplanned obstacles. We don’t control all events that happen around us, and therefore we will at times be filled with non-positive emotions like anger, sadness, frustration, and helplessness.
With a goal to be positive, reciting positive thoughts in your head will not make these situations change for the better. However there are steps we can take. Here are five things that can help you regain a positive attitude.
1. Relax. When we let stress control us, our emotions become amplified. Small issues become big. Larger issues look insurmountable. When you feel your positive attitude slip away, breathe deep and relax.
2. Look for the bigger picture. Many times in emotional situations, we find ourselves focused intently on the negative. This is when you need to slow down, and look at the world as a much bigger place. At any given moment, there are people that have faced the challenge you have, or even much bigger challenges.
3. Focus on your values. The intense emotions we feel in a stressful moment can strip our values away. We feel compelled to act on impulse. Our values become lost in a whirlwind of feelings. Staying true to your values can be a challenge. Attempt to redirect your focus on how you should ideally react based on your values.
4. Ground yourself in reality. When faced with bad stressful moments it is easy to imagine the worse possible outcomes. Think about what must be done now, at this moment, not about what may come. Plan step by step how you can handle the situation at hand based on real facts. Understand that the facts are out of your control, and the only thing you can effect is how you react.
5. Begin to change your attitude. Taking action in the right direction should breakdown moments of helplessness. Once you are taking action, begin to focus on the positive. In time, you will be able to regain your positive attitude.
It is great to have a goal to remain positive all the time. In reality, we need a strategy for how to face those moments that destroy our positive attitude.