Is toxic negativity ruining your life? Do you wish that you could be more positive and happier? Does every day seem to be worse than the one before?
Does this sound like your life? It’s time to make some drastic changes to improve your outlook. Being constantly negative can eat away at your soul like cancer. Life is hard enough without you putting additional pressure on yourself.
Some experts suggest that you pick a personal mantra to motivate you. Others suggest that you need a pet to help you ease the stresses of the day. What works for one person certainly won’t work for another, but there is something that you can find to help you.
20 Ways to Kick Toxic Negativity to The Curve
To be a more positive person, you will need to take inventory of your life, friends, and overall habits. Are you ready to make such a change? Well, here are 20 habits that can help you kick toxic negativity to the curb.
1. Avoid Pessimistic People
Your inner circle will say a lot about the kind of person you are inside. Remember the old saying that “Birds of a feather flock together?” Well, if you surround yourself with negativity, then you will be negative. If necessary, make new friends.
2. Practice Positive Affirmations
Start each day with a boost of positivity. Using positive affirmations is a powerful way to change your mindset. A study was conducted at the GEMS Wellington Academy in the UK. They talked to plants both positively and negatively.
The plants that were spoken to in an uplifting manner thrived, while the ones that were talked negatively were in poor health. Use this as a lesson and speak positivity into your soul.
3. Listen to Uplifting Music
Music can put a boost in your step and help you get through the day. Forget all those songs about lost loves and people that have passed on. It would help if you had something to get your toes tapping.
Music is a great motivator, and did you know that music is often used to calm animals or help Alzheimer’s patients who need to relax? There have been many studies on this topic, and it’s all positive research. Find some tunes that speak harmony to your soul, and it can improve your mood.
4. Set Realistic Goals for Yourself
One problem that many people have is that they set goals for themselves that are completely unrealistic. You’re not a superhero, and you can’t manage it all. Make your goals more achievable so that you can have time for yourself.
5. Get Adequate Rest
How much sleep do you get each night? If you’re not getting at least 6-8 hours, you are doing yourself a great disservice. It’s hard to be positive and feel good when you have a sleep debt.
6. Change Your Diet
If you’re consuming fast food, sugary sweets, and processed junk, then it’s going to make you feel horrible. If you want to be a positive person, then you need to feel good. When you start eliminating some of these things from your diet, it will make a huge difference.
7. Hit the Gym
One of the reasons why you may experience negativity is because you feel horrible. When’s the last time you hit the gym? The University of Turku in Finland did a study on the power of exercise on depression and anxiety. They found that working out increases not only your serotonin and dopamine levels but also releases feel-good hormones.
8. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness helps you to stop looking at the big picture and live in the moment. Life is stressful enough without trying to worry about your tomorrow during today. Try to stay present in the here and now and leave tomorrow’s troubles for another day.
9. Incorporate Journaling
Journaling is a great way to get things off your chest. You can write whatever you want in this journal, and no one ever must see it but you. Journaling can be a therapeutic process that helps to get what’s inside out.
10. Change the Way You Look at Things
If you change the way you look at things, it can help transform your toxic negativity. Stop viewing the glass as half empty when you still have half a glass to go. Your perceptions mean everything when it comes to your pessimism.
11. Give Back to Others
Nothing can kick toxic negativity to the curb than giving back to others. When you see how others must live, it helps you put things into perspective. It’s kind of hard to be melancholy when you see people who don’t have a roof over their head or anything to eat.
12. Make Your Home A Haven
Change your home to make it into a haven where you can rest. What can you remove or add to your space to make it feel more tranquil? Adding water and fire elements are a great place to start, so get a fountain and some candles to enhance the ambiance.
13. Practice Gratitude
Are you thankful for all that you have in life, or are you constantly complaining that you want more? Learning to practice gratitude can change your attitude. There’s no reason you need to “keep up with the Jones,” as you have no idea the struggles; they must pay all their bills.
14. Keep Your Work and Home Life Separate
One big issue that can cause toxic negativity is not keeping your home and work life separate. When you bring the stresses from the day into your home, then you’re going to take things out on those closest to you. Remember, when you leave work for the day, remove the negative emotions that come with it.
15. Stop Being So Hard on Yourself
Give yourself a break! You bring much of the negativity on yourself because you’re so hard on yourself. If you can only learn your worth, you would treat yourself a little bit differently.
16. Reward Yourself
First, you need to make sure that you have time for self-care. An empty pot cannot pour into others, so you need to make sure you’re replenishing yourself. Additionally, when you try something new, like getting rid of negativity, you should reward yourself.
Rewards systems work great for adults and kids alike, and you deserve a little treat now and again.
17. Build Good Relationships with Coworkers
Since you must spend at least 40 hours a week at work, why not build good relationships with the people you’re around? Sure, there are negative Nelly’s that you want to avoid, but you can select good coworkers who will make your day way better.
18. Quit Dwelling on The Past
Why do so many people think that their past is a life sentence? What happened yesterday is not nearly as important as what will occur tomorrow. If you need counseling to deal with trauma, then get help. Stop letting the past dictate your future.
19. Learn Meditation
Meditation is one of the best ways to clear your mind and rid it of negativity. Something magical happens when you learn just to let everything go and focus on being more positive. It will change your entire life.
20. Stop Multitasking
It was once thought that multitasking was the component of a good worker. However, the evidence is now showing that those who are multitasking regularly are confusing their brain. According to the Cleveland Clinic, multi-tasking gives divided attention to many things when you could accomplish more by focusing on one task.
What about texting and driving? That would be an example of multitasking that not only doesn’t make sense but is quite dangerous. Please focus on the road ahead rather than the cell phone. While other instances may not be as serious, they can be just as chaotic to your brain.
Final Thoughts on Toxic Negativity
It’s hard to be positive in a world that is so full of hate and toxic negativity. Thankfully, you can learn to turn over a new leaf, and it will change your entire life. You’re extensively known by the company you keep, and it may be time to re-assess your friendships.
Some friends drain the life right out of you with their toxic negativity, while others are a breath of fresh air that gives you hope. Choose your friends wisely. Another prominent bone of contention with most people is their job. If your job makes you miserable, then life’s too short to stay in a career that makes you unhappy.
There are plenty of jobs out there, and when you find the right career for you, working won’t seem like such a chore. Today is the right time to make a change. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when you release what’s been holding you back.
Community
