There are a lot of great ways to find inspiration. You can search for stories on Black Love, you can pick up a self-help book, or you can watch a documentary. The problem is, when it comes to being more positive, it often includes lengthy or complex changes to your day-to-day life, and it can often take quite some time to reap the benefits of your new approach.
Although long-term techniques are effective, many of us could use a positive boost right now. That’s exactly what this list is about.
Those other methods for long-lasting positivity are worth undertaking, but if you’re looking for a quick fix and want to feel positive in an instant, check out these five tips.
Find Something to Smile About
If you are feeling particularly negative, you probably don’t feel like you have anything to smile about. That’s the very best reasons to smile.
You can actually use a smile to trick your mind into being more happy and positive, even if the smile doesn’t feel genuine. Just the act of smiling can set the ball rolling for a more positive day.
Need help finding something to smile about?
- Say hi to a friend who makes you smile
- Do something nice for someone else
- Think of a fond memory
- Listen to a favorite song
- Watch a funny video online
Fix Your Posture
Your mind and body are intertwined. Just as you can boost positivity with a smile, so too can you boost positivity with good posture.
It’s true that there are many medical benefits of fixing your posture. It can ease lower back pain, increase your energy levels, and improve your digestion, but it can also improve your self-confidence.
Good posture will make you feel more powerful and in control, which will increase your self-confidence—like you can take on the world. There’s no more positive feeling than that!
Eat a Healthy Meal
Food can greatly affect your mood. You know this already. It’s why many of us reach for a donut in the morning and a candy bar in the afternoon. There’s nothing like the taste of a little sugar to make us feel better in the moment.
The trouble is, you are actually sabotaging your mood for the rest of the day.
Although sugary snacks are enjoyable in the moment, they can affect your mood in a negative way for the rest of the day, or even longer. Connections between sugar, depression, and overall mental health have been well-established.
Instead, eat a healthy meal that includes plenty of veggies. Snack on fruit, if your sweet tooth kicks in. It’s true that fruits and veggies may not elicit the same drug-like response as dessert, but they will make you much more positive later in the day.
Rethink Your Gratitude Journal
You’ve probably heard of a gratitude journal before. Unfortunately, it often becomes another thing on your to-do list.
Gratitude journals can be a great way to foster positive thinking, but you have to rethink your journal. Only jot down things that truly bring you joy. A few ideas include:
- Draw, scribble, and use color to make entries more lively.
- Get specific about exactly why something brings you joy.
- Add pictures, cards, and other items that fit between the pages.
- Simply make a list, if you don’t want to write an in-depth paragraph.
The most powerful, and the quickest, part of having a gratitude journal is that you can pull it out and reread items on your list in an instant when you need a positivity boost.
Know the Best Way to Diffuse a Negative Thought
Adjusting your thought patterns can be a seemingly impossible task. That’s why taking the advice to get rid of your negative thoughts can be so overwhelming.
Instead, stop fighting your negative thoughts and learn how to diffuse them instead. When you realize you’re thinking about something you don’t want to think about, thank your mind for trying to protect you, but use imagery to let the thought float away. You can try singing your thoughts or saying them in a funny voice to get rid of them. Even identifying the fact that you can function in spite of that thought may empower you to have a better day.
Staying positive doesn’t have to be an uphill battle that takes months or years to master. There are plenty of things you can do to banish those negative thoughts and invite a little positivity into your life right now!