When you’re feeling your best, you’re able to put positivity into the world. However, when life gets hard, it can be hard to stay positive. Being positive is just something you either have or you don’t, right? In reality, there are actionable ways you can project more positivity into your life. All it takes is a little practice. Check out these tips to stay positive, and put your best foot forward into the world so that you can be your best self. 

Write It Down

Even though life is hard, there is always beauty in the world around you. Consider what you’re thankful for and write it down. It’s easy to focus on the hard or bad things going on in your life and to forget about the good things going on around you. Putting your positive thoughts down on paper can help reaffirm those thoughts for you.

Accept What You Can and Can’t Control

Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows—and that’s okay! Change your way of thinking by identifying the things within your control, as well as the things outside of your control. Making a list of the things outside of your control can help you realize where you can take action. 

Talk Kindly to Yourself

Positive affirmations toward yourself can help you truly believe the positivity yourself. Practice telling yourself what you like about yourself out loud in front of the mirror. This may seem silly at first, but in order to put positivity into the world, you have to truly believe it yourself. Repeat your positive affirmations every morning before you start your day.

Meditate

Sometimes negativity can come from all of the factors surrounding us. Things like social media, pop culture or problems that others are having can influence how you’re also feeling without you even realizing it. Take time to meditate to block out the outside world. Use a guided meditation app or look up videos online to get started!  

Cut Yourself Some Slack

It’s an easy response when you’re feeling down to try to fix it immediately or think about how you should be doing something to fix it and you aren’t. This leads to a spiral where you are not only having negative thoughts, but you’re prolonging positivity by thinking about how you aren't being positive. Give yourself some grace. We’re all human, and we all have days where we aren’t productive, or don’t have it in us to do the things on our to do list. That’s okay! Tell yourself that you need the time to rest and recharge, and that you’ll be back better than ever tomorrow. 

Find Something to Laugh About

It’s true that laughing authentically isn’t something you can simply do on command. However, there are ways you can try to inject humor into your life. Turn on a show or movie you find to be particularly funny. Spend time with friends or family who make you smile. Attend a comedy show. Think about the things that make you laugh or smile, and make an effort to spend time doing those things. You’ll leave with a smile on your face and a newfound sense of positivity. 

Positivity is something you may not always possess, but there are ways to bring it into your life. Surround yourself with positive people, and remind yourself of the positive things in your life and the positive qualities you have. Take the time you need to rest and recharge. In order to do good for the world, you also need to be feeling your best!