How do you cope with situations in your life? Do you yell, scream, cry, celebrate? I’m not even talking about just bad situations, but good ones as well. I don’t know about you, but I try to find the positives in any and all circumstances.

I’m not writing this blog so that you feel “happy” for me. If anything, I think that happiness would be thinly-veiled jealousy because you may think that my life is perfect and I never have bad days or whatever. Let me tell you right now that is not the case at all. I have bad days like everybody else. I have days that knock me off my feet and drag me down. In fact, a couple days ago, I had two days in a row that I just hit my limit with. There was so much that made me frustrated and irritated. I wasn’t walking around with a smile on my face thinking “wow this is so great! I love having bad days!”

One thing that really helps me find the positive things in life is to write them down in a positivity journal at the end of each day. So going back to those couple of irritating days, I was able to put a spin on them to see them as a learning experience. Another practical example is this: I had a dentist appointment yesterday. Just my regular 6-month cleaning. However, I had a couple fillings that needed to be repaired. Technically, no new cavities, but still drilling and dental work to be done. At my dentist, the dentist himself does the drilling, and then has an assistant fill the hole. However, I think the person who was filling those holes was new. She did a lot of stuff that actually caused me more pain than the drilling did. After my appointment, I went to the drive thru at the Starbucks across the way and purchased my favorite drink and a sandwich with a gift card. So last night, I wrote in my positivity journal that I got Starbucks after my dentist appointment. The appointment itself wasn’t good because it caused me a lot of pain. But because I was in pain, I decided to treat myself with Starbucks, which isn’t something I do all that often. If I hadn’t been in pain, I probably would not have gotten Starbucks.

Positivity isn’t just for bad circumstances. It’s useful in good ones as well. Recently, I started working out every night before bed. I’m not doing anything crazy, just a few exercises like squats and push-ups and things like that. But you know what? I notice a difference in my body. I see more definition in a few areas of my body, and there is less definition in places that used to be bigger. As a result, I have a lot more confidence in my body. Like with anything else, it’s not always a good day. Sometimes, I look in the mirror, and I feel like I still have so far to go that this progress I’m making is minimal at best. But those days are few and far between. My self-esteem is not dependent on how I look, but on who I am. I am more than what I look like, and I know that. Nevertheless, it is still a powerful thing for me to understand that I am making progress and to actually see it in person.

Positivity is a powerful thing. I still get upset and emotional about things, but I’m also learning to put a spin on them to make them more of a learning experience. Or in the case of my dentist appointment, using bad situations to bring about good outcomes. I feel like putting a positive spin on my life like that helps me to overcome stress and frustrations faster and easier than I used to. One of my goals for 2018 is to learn to let go of/handle stress better. That’s probably not something that isis going to happen by a definite day, and that’s okay. But I think that’s a goal I have met because I am making progress on that. I’m learning and growing. Making things positive helps me keep my stress level down because I’m not getting frustrated as easily.

My advice to you, then, is to be positive. It won’t happen all at once, but you’ll notice that your life does improve. Mine did for sure, and it still is improving. But this doesn’t mean for you to completely brush off your bad experiences. Feel them, understand them, and use them. You can’t control the stress that happens in your life, but you can control how you react to that stress. I still have bad days. I feel them fully, let it overtake me for a little bit, and then learn from it. Positivity is such a powerful but underrated thing. It’s a superpower that anyone can wield.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or comments!
Love,
Kim ♥