How to Remain on Top
When the Storms of Life
Threaten to Drown You
Life is about choices, but
decisions are not always easy to make. Not everything is black and white. A lot
of grey matter exists wherever you look. Think about happiness, for example.
Nobody guarantees you happiness even though it is more beneficial to you to
maintain a smile at all times. There are enough obstacles and saddening events
in life to steal your happiness.
The bottom line
You have to make deliberate
effort to remain positive despite the numerous reasons and excuses that life
gives you to be despondent. Actually, it takes a strong spirit to smile at the
storm. But one thing that is not in doubt is that every human being possesses
the ability to endure, if only that potential is harnessed.
Think about Nelson Mandela.
Twenty-seven years of your productive life are taken away by an oppressor who
locks you from the rest of the world. But on coming out of the torment of
prison life, you opt to forgive and embrace your tormentors. Mandela could have
chosen to revenge, but he decided to open a chapter of happiness and to enjoy
the days to live on earth.
What Mandela did is what you
should do whenever you are confronted with negative issues. You see, while some
people come out of a bad situation bruised for life, others choose to make
lemonade out of lemons as it were. It all begins with how you condition your
mind to view and react to unpleasant circumstances.
Here are six strategies for remaining optimistic and positive in
the face of life’s unpleasant situations (and you will face many of them in
your lifetime!):
1. Laugh your problems away!
Are your surprised that laughter can frighten away your
troubles? The choice is yours. You can decide to batter yourself with the whip
of blame and self-pity for landing into a negative situation. It is within your
right to call yourself stupid for getting into that problem in the first place.
On the other hand, you can decide to accept that you are, after
all, human and weak. You may want to look at the person staring back at you in
the mirror and laugh at them. You will be surprised at how fast the situation
appreciates when you laugh at it. Take the experiment a little further and
watch some comedy show or comedian.
This will spike your positivity and give you the mental,
emotional and physical strength to face whatever it is that is troubling you.
2. Reflect on your past triumphs
Your life is not all about negatives. There are moments in the
past when they gave you a standing ovation. Remember that time you did
something that brought joyful tears into your eyes? How about that business
deal you wrapped up for your organization and got a salary raise or promotion?
The fact that things are not working right for you today does
not meant that you cannot relive your glorious past. The fact that you overcame
adversity in the past means that even what you are going through will come to
pass. Use past triumphs to inspire you in present moments when the sun chooses
to hide behind dark clouds longer than you expected.
3. Be physically active
Inactivity and stress are bosom friends. Whenever you feel under
the weather or when your mood takes a plunge into the deep sea, you are likely
to retreat into your sofa or bed and pretend nothing is happening. We all know
this does not work in the long run.
Try this next time. Get on you bike and ride into the woods. Hit
the gym and stretch those visible muscles; the unseen ones will oblige. Give
yourself about 20 minutes of constant exercise that stretches out almost all
the muscles on your body. When you return to deal with your predicament, your
mind will be on the right gear and the solution will arrive faster.
4. Learn to shut your ears
By now you should know that it is part of human nature to pass judgment
on others. Experts opine that we use this as a mechanism of establishing the
level of risk in the environment. What is important is that you refuse to fall
victim to the notion that everyone who talks ill of you is worth listening to.
More often than not those who judge you lack conclusive evidence to back up
their claims.
5. Do what you can and let the rest solve itself
We often waste too much time worrying about closed doors that we
fail to notice the ones opening right in front of our eyes. We stand to live
more positive lives if we focus on that which we have the power to change.
Instead of fretting about a broken relationship, find ways to improve your
personality. If you lose a job, take that as a challenge and endeavor to get an
even better job.
6. Apple slow-motion mode
The world is full of hassles. It moves fast. There is a lot to
be done in a day and sometimes we feel overwhelmed. Resist the urge to hurry
with the universe at times. Engage in go-slow of some sort. Stop and reflect on
what you are doing. Do that household chore a little bit slowly. Listen to your
body as you slow down and you will begin to enjoy some tranquility, thus
helping you address the issues facing you more productively.
http://www.positivegate.com/6-evergreen-tips-help-stay-positive-tough-times/
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