With our busy days, it’s really easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of negativity. We all have bad days that put us in a little funk for a day or two. That’s life.

If you’re surrounded by negativity often enough though and can’t find an escape, this can lead to a mild depression. Everything starts to feel ‘meh’ and you’re not really inspired for anything.

Then it snowballs into bad eating and laziness. Next thing you know, a few pounds pack on. Then a few more….

No one likes that!

“You’re always so damn positive!”

I’m always being complimented on being positive. I am definitely an optimistic person and look for the silver lining, but when people compliment me, I feel a little surprised.

I guess it’s because I’m not one of those bubbly, giggly girls. I’m not always whistling dixie and not all rainbows and kittens.

I have a practical side about me. I smile when I’m not always feeling it. And I’ve been known to throw out a “Nice blinker, jackhole!” while driving.

At my deepest level though, I know I am a positive person and I also do some work to keep it that way!

How to Be More Positive

I have implemented some simple little tricks though that decrease the amount of negativity I’m exposed to and increase the positivity in my day. This helps me feel lighter throughout my day.

Nix the News

I very rarely watch the news. Our news media is all about ratings and the money behind them. The majority of the stories are sensationalized and negative.

If someone is hurt on the north side of the metro area, my heart goes out to their family, but I don’t want to live in fear because of something I saw.

When there is a big news event, I can choose to go research online and form my own opinion. This eliminates watching the negative news stories right before I go to bed and absorb all of that into my subconscious as I sleep.

This may make me a little naive in current events or political discussions, but I find that it doesn’t add much value to my day. I focus on making my own circle of influence a better place! Tweet that!

All About Visuals

Studies show that our brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than reading text.There is a line in an article titled “The Power of Visual Communication” by Mike Parkinson that says “The ability of visual stimuli to communicate and influence is undeniable and unescapable.” I have all kinds of positive things around my house that make me happy in general. Even when I’m not thinking about it, I am absorbing these constant positive messages.

Here are a few examples of my positive visuals:

• Planted daisies in my back yard. These cheery little flowers make my day in the summer time.
• Totally silly, but have a Scrub Daddy sponge on my sink. I love having this little smiling guy looking back at me as I’m working in the kitchen! Not to mention, it’s one badass little sponge!
• Artwork with “Dream the Impossible” on it. Yes, it’s text, but it’s big, bold, and eye catching.
• A cloth banner with beautiful drawings of the chakra symbols. When I glance at this, I am reminded to stay grounded, be intentional with my energy, and continual work on my spiritual practice.

Thoughts are Power

I am a big believer in thoughts become things.When you start your day getting your thoughts in alignment with what you want to create that day, you’ll be more positive and optimistic. Tweet that! You can do this a number of ways. Read something inspiring, say a mantra or positive affirmation, or express gratitude.

I start my day with reading a small paragraph in a book called “Creative Ideas: A Spiritual Compass for Personal Expression.” by Ernest Holmes.

There will generally be a sentence that resonates with me and I make that a little mantra for the day. The one today was “I am now open to new ideas, new hopes, and new aspirations.”

You can see how a simple little phrase like this keeps me open to new experiences and leaves me hopeful and positive for my day to begin.

Circle of Influence

They say we’re influenced by the five people we spend the most time with. An interesting spin on this I heard recently is that we’re MOST influenced by the person with the highest energy.

If one person in your circle of five is absolutely toxic and outspoken, you’re more likely to absorb their energy over the other 4 positive people in your circle.

While we can’t always cut ties with everyone, we can try to limit the amount of time or influence a particularly draining relationship has on us. When you do reduce your exposure along with things that make you happier, the negative people will have less of an impact.

Social Media Suction

This goes along with the “Circle of Influence” and “Nix the News”. With the amount of time most of us spend on social media, it’s easy to get sucked in to someone’s drama or be bombarded by negative news.

Not to mention, it’s easy to feel ‘safe’ venting and whining to your friends when you’re quietly sitting behind the shield of your computer. No bueno! (At least not on a regular basis.)

I make it a point to not ‘Like’ every page that’s suggested to me. I pick the ones that I truly want to see content from.

Do I like Target? Sure! But I don’t want to be bombarded with ads. Even though they aren’t negative, it adds to overwhelm and your mind will naturally think “I need to go to Target to get that before the sale ends on Sunday”. This adds another To Do on your long list and creates pressure for something that you don’t really need.

Using the brilliant security of Facebook, you can also be friends with someone without having them appear in your News Feed. This allows you to hide those Debbie Downers without burning bridges. When you’re ready to see what’s going on with them, you can head on over to their wall for a quick catch-up!

Take Action Now

Ready to start making changes to be more positive? Use this checklist “25 Ways to Take Charge of Your Happiness” and get started TODAY! Tell me in the comments below what action you’re going to take IMMEDIATELY!

Photo credits: © Tami McVay