Positivity: The Struggle Is Real

I know. Yes. It’s a new year. We are just coming off the holiday season with all the good vibes and good tidings. However, if I have to be honest and sincere I am not feeling the positive spirit at this moment. It’s my first blog of 2023 and I always write from the heart so how can I bestow positivity when the juice just isn’t flowing. Reasons and circumstances seem less important than trying to learn to push past this negative cloud that seems to be hovering over me.

Here is what I have been trying to do with some effectiveness:

Do or say something kind for another: Sincerity is the key here. It must always be the key when being kind. Make someone’s day—or even just a moment—with a gesture or kind words. Take the darkness inside and transform it into light for someone else. Do for another what sometimes is so desperately needed for yourself. The reward will spark a light inside.

Find a good deed that others have done each day: It really is not hard with the internet these days to be bombarded with negative stories. Conversely, it is also easy to find kind things that other people are doing for each other. They are not called ‘feel good moments’ for nothing. It really can make you feel good and help you smile.

Play your favourite / uplifting music: It is said that music can calm the wildest beasts. Well it can also uplift the darkest moments. Play those 80s tunes or those soothing sounds of rain or the ocean. Dance around or be still and let the vibrations engulf your every being. Allow the music to lift your mood. Be present. Be the moment.

Call / chat with a friend: They don’t need to know you are feeling low. Sometimes chatting about old times or listening to them as they express their own struggles can help remove yourself from your low mood by helping them through theirs. It’s a similar principle as ‘do something kind for another’, but in this case it’s for someone you know. Oftentimes even talking about sports or the latest news can help put you in a positive mood. A good laugh is sometimes all you need. I often call one of my uncles who lives abroad when I am feeling down. He is an elderly man, well into his 80s, but making him laugh or chatting about old times always puts me in a better mood.

Be active: I know it’s hard to be active when you are not feeling all that positive about life. Just a walk around the block and being with nature, or walking parallel with others down a busy street, can sometimes make you feel less lonely in the world and remind you that you are a part of the human thread. You belong here and you are needed here. You are uniquely you and it’s what is so desperately needed right now.

Write/Paint/Read/Journal: Express yourself in whatever way speaks to you. Even if you haven’t done it in years or think you are just no good at it. Give it a try. Take all that is inside and put it onto paper or canvas and allow the process to excite you. Often just the act of trying something new is enough to make you see the world in a more positive light.

Cuddle up with a pet: It doesn’t have to be yours either! Call a friend up who has a loving animal and offer to take it for a walk or animal-sit for a few hours. You know Luna is my best fur friend, she is my animal soulmate! When I am feeling down she gives me extra cuddles.

These are some things I do that help me change my negative mood into a more positive one. Truthfully, sometimes I like to wallow in my own misery. I know, counterintuitive to everything I just wrote right? Wrong! Sometimes delving deep into the low mood somehow fully expresses itself and the acknowledgment—in turn—is rewarded by a rebound good mood. The smile starts to return after binge watching Netflix or sitting in a dark room alone reading a good story. Even a good cry can help resurge those positive vibes. So stay connected to yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with yourself, and be sincere with your true feelings.

Remember, you have been through this before and you will get through this again…