Change Your Life With Intentional Positivity

I woke up this morning with a headache. I stumbled to the medicine cabinet for some Tylenol and 10 bottles fell to the floor. After I managed to calm down, I walked out of my room to discover my children had decided to make themselves breakfast. My head starts pounding again as I stare at my walls and carpet that is now smothered with peanut butter. 

I will not lose my head, I tell myself. Life happens. 

“Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” Dorothy M. Neddermeyer 

One of the most toxic mindsets to have (that I am constantly guilty of) is telling yourself the moment one bad thing happens: “Oh, so this is how my day is going to go.” And you know what the result is? The majority of the time you will be right. Why are you right though? Is it because that day was doomed from the start and you so clearly predicted it -or- is it because the day was going to be just fine until you decided it was going to be terrible?

Bree Maloney of Marquemedical.com refers to this type of mindset as “catastrophizing” which means to: believe that disaster is inevitable. In this same article, she further mentions how negative thoughts can have a diminishing effect on one’s physical and emotional well-being. 

We have all had days that started less than promising. Think about it. The last time you did―how did you handle it? Did you pull the ever so classic: “This is my sign that today will stink?” -or- did you go down the road less traveled and say: “This stinks but today will get better?” 

Believe it or not, your decision at that key moment can affect your perception of everything else that occurs throughout that day. If you are anything like me the negative thoughts are hard to erase; especially if it is a particularly stressful time in life. 

I would like to share with you some ways that I have managed to control negativity and turn it into more positive, enhancing thoughts. 

1. “Happy Lists” ―I am a list maker by nature. Even if you aren’t, you should try it. They can be very beneficial. Whenever you have a negative thought, try to write it down, and then directly underneath that, write down an alternative positive thought that counteracts the first. For example, 

I hate how my clothes don’t fit right. My body is so ugly. ✖

My body is strong, powerful, and healthy, even if it doesn’t always look the way I would prefer. ✔

2. “The Five-Second Rule” ―Now for me, this normally applies to something drastically terrible my children have done but it could be for anything that triggers an intense emotional response in you. When something like this occurs, instead of immediately reacting, close your eyes, take deep breaths, and slowly count to five…then respond as calmly and positively as you can manage. You will be surprised how much more control you have in a situation after you enact the five-second rule. 

3. “Eliminate Negative Nellys” ―The word eliminate here is purely metaphorical. I am not speaking in a Mortal Combat sense of the word so don’t get carried away. I just mean you need to distance yourself from being around people who are constantly bringing negative energy into your life and you know exactly who I am talking about! They are the people who are driving a brand-new car but complaining about traffic. They are the people who are spending all of their lunch break talking poorly about all of their coworkers. These types of people will undoubtedly influence your perception of things whether you notice them happening or not. In the past year, I have made a conscious effort to stay as far away from negative-minded people as I can and I have noticed a drastic change in my perspective. 

In short, I think my point here can be summed up with this quote by Wayne Dyer: 

“You can’t always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” 

The road to life is filled with potholes. It is up to you to decide whether those potholes will stop you from moving or propel you forward. Choose positivity!

By RPSV staffer Brittany G.