How to Stay Positive: 7 Things You Can Do Today

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One of my favorite topics is how to stay positive! In this post, I share seven specific, actionable things you can try today to stay positive and just feel good.

7 Ways to Stay Positive Today Illustration

One of my favorite topics to explore as I’ve gotten older is positivity and our relationship to it.

I’m not sure if I was just born with a tendency toward looking on the bright side, but looking back over my life I can certainly say that finding ways to stay positive and encourage others has been a strength of mine.

And I’m okay acknowledging that, even though sometimes we’re all hesitant to say things that feel a little braggy.

How to Stay Positive every Day

Truthfully, it feels like a little bit of a calling — to help people see the positivity in a situation, or feel levity when there’s just so much heaviness.

To share some of those good vibes, I jotted down 7 ways to stay positive today, so that you can exercise some of those happy muscles and have a great day (every day!). xoxo

Battle Negative Self Messages

For me, a sure-fire positivity killer is negative self messages.

You know the ones.

They sneak in when you’re full of doubt or disappointment and tell you untrue things about yourself. Some greatest hits might sound like “you can’t do hard things,” or “you’re not as great as that other person.”

When those ridiculous thoughts creep in, smash them with positive self messages right away. For every negative thing you think about yourself, text yourself two positive things.

I’m serious. Get out your phone and send yourself two positive texts about yourself. Big or small. Read them all day long.

Mom and daughter

Move Your Body

When I’m down in the dumps, I usually find that I’m also sitting around, kind of doing nothing. If that’s you too, part of learning how to stay positive is getting up and getting moving.

I’m not saying you need to head to the gym and go crazy (although a workout just about always makes me feel better), but just move your body.

Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Turn on some music and dance like a weirdo.

If you’re at work, just go outside for a second or take a stroll around the cubicles. Moving your body can short circuit the icky feelings and give you something else to focus on.

Pump Up the Jams

If you’re looking for motivation with a healthy dose of positivity, start with music.

Music is literally scientifically proven to enhance positive emotions and wellbeing (and it makes you smarter too, but I could go on and on. I used to be a music teacher, ya know…).

And aside from all that science, you cannot deny that putting some of your favorite tunes in your headphones and letting yourself get lost just makes you feel good. Take a deep breath, choose a song with lyrics that inspire you, and rock out.

Mom and her kids

Practice Gratitude

If there’s ever a practice that will shake you out of a funk, it’s gratitude.

And like anything else, being grateful for the things around you gets easier as you work at it. When you feel negativity creeping in, take out a sheet of paper or a pretty journal and start listing the things you’re thankful for.

I find that putting pen to paper makes them more real, and is more effective than just listing them in your head; it’s a really great part of how to stay positive.

Don’t censor yourself here — allow yourself to truly feel grateful for the things that make you feel good, whether it’s a laughing baby or a Diet Coke or an upcoming trip (or even just the flower that you saw on the way to work).

The Productivity Tool Kit

Set Up for Success

If you find that the negativity starts to creep in when your day just doesn’t go the way you expected it to, try to set yourself up to minimize surprises.

Plan your outfit the night before so you know that you’ll feel good in what you’re wearing. Make lunch or dinner ahead of time so you won’t feel stressed about cooking. Make a to-do list of a manageable number of items so that you’ll feel accomplished when you complete it.

If you tackle the things that are in your control ahead of time, the things that aren’t in control won’t feel so overwhelming when they don’t turn out as expected.

How to feel less stressed about planning for your kids' future

Be (A Little) Social

Isolation can be a downer, especially for an extrovert. I’m more of an introvert and even I get down if I haven’t had any social interaction recently.

This is one major piece for me on how to stay positive.

If you’re starting to feel isolated, reach out! It can be as simple as strolling over to a coworker’s desk to say hello. Or if you’re at home all day, invite a friend over who has kids the same age as yours.

Maybe you don’t need that much interaction and just a fun text conversation or Skype session will do. Whatever it is that will fill you up, reach out to a friend and have a chat.

Friend crush

List Your Radness

This one can be a challenge for lots of us, because we’re not used to thinking of ourselves in positive terms. So often we’re conditioned to belittle ourselves or our accomplishments, in an effort to be humble or finesse certain situations.

This is your chance to let yourself be loud about how incredible you are.

Get a pen (again, writing helps!) and jot down five things you love about yourself. If you really need practice, do it every day for a week.

At first it will feel weird and you’ll probably have to really think hard to find things that you love about yourself. But after a few rounds of practicing, you’ll become more comfortable and it’ll start to flow.

Keep these things close to your heart as you travel throughout your days to remember your radness.

Woman and daughter on Kauai beach

P.S. If you like our graphic above on how to stay positive, you can download it for your smartphone right here! Set it as your wallpaper or lock screen for some positive reminders. xoxo

DOWNLOAD POSITIVITY WALLPAPER

Bonus Ideas for Staying Positive

We have some other great posts around positivity and helping yourself toward it in a healthy way. Check these out:

Just One More Thing

Always remember — these are recommendations that can help for lots of people, but positivity is neither one-size-fits-all, nor is it appropriate for every moment.

As we think about how to stay positive, we’re not striving for that “sunshine and rainbows” toxic positivity. It’s a healthy thing to feel negative feelings as well, and we need a full range of feelings to have the human experience and acknowledge that we are complex.

Also, if you are struggling with depression or anxiety, please talk to someone. Reach out to a friend, family member or counselor who can help you explore what you’re going through. There is help available and you are worthy of it! xoxo

How to Stay Positive: 7 Things You Can Do Today

How to Stay Positive: 7 Things You Can Do Today

Yield: Good Vibes
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Seeking positivity is a state of action. Try these seven ideas for staying positive today.

Materials

  • journal
  • music

Tools

  • pen

Instructions

Try these seven ideas to stay positive today!

  1. Crush negative self messaging. When a negative message comes into your head, write down two positive self messages in its place.
  2. Move your body! Walk, dance, play, run - whatever you love.
  3. Play some tunes. Music is scientifically proven to enhance positive emotions and wellbeing, along with so many other benefits.
  4. Start a habit of practicing gratitude. Each morning, jot down 5 things for which you are grateful (even if it's hard at first).
  5. Set up for success. Look at your day tomorrow and do everything you can to prep for it to avoid roadblocks.
  6. Be a little social. Isolation can be a positivity killer, especially for extroverts. Call a friend, write a letter, invite someone over.
  7. Make a list for yourself of all of the things you love about you. Keep it and add to it whenever you need a pick me up.

Notes

Always remember -- these are recommendations that can help for lots of people, but positivity is neither one-size-fits-all, nor is it appropriate for every moment.

We're not striving for that "sunshine and rainbows" toxic positivity. It's a healthy thing to feel negative feelings as well, and we need a full range of feelings to have the human experience and acknowledge that we are complex.

Also, if you feel that your issue goes deeper than just a few positivity tips, please talk to someone. Reach out to a friend, family member or counselor who can help you explore what you're going through.

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10 Comments

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  3. I adore posts like this! Positivity and happiness have become very important topics to me also, and I always try to encourage other people to do more things that will bring happiness and peace into their lives.

    Practicing gratitude is something I try and do daily, as I’ve got my own share of battles just like everyone else, but I also know how much worse it could be, and I need to feel appreciative of everything I DO have.

    Pumping up the jams is also a fool-proof way to cheer me up! I love a good, uplifting song ☺️

  4. I love these so much, Chelsea! Esp the music and dancing one. I always need to remember that’s a great way to turn a bad day around.

  5. Thank you for sharing your experience, it’s really appreciated! Inner harmony is a special state of calmness and serenity. But in today’s world it is very difficult to find it. And without it, the course of life, health, and relationships with others are disrupted, it is difficult to cope with difficulties and accept yourself. This is a lot of work on yourself, the main thing is to understand where to direct your strength in order to do it really effectively, at one time I discovered a lot of useful things about positive mindset here https://www.pure-woman.world/