People love to be negative. I get it. Sometimes it is easier to just see things for how it is and not work to shift your mind. Life can be frustrating too. Sometimes taking the easy way out means throwing in the towel and shutting down. But here’s the thing, what if you could shift your perspective and find the good in the bad? What if you could train your brain to see setbacks as setups for something better? It sounds cheesy but changing the way you think can actually change how you live your life. I am the type of person that can get really irritated and frustrated really fast. I just shut down. One little thing sets me off and my whole day will be spent alone not talking to anyone (yes I know a bad character trait). But lately, I’ve been learning to shift my perspective. While yes, when things don’t turn out as you thought can be frustrating, nothing is ever really that serious that you need to have a mental breakdown over. 

It’s so easy to dwell on the bad stuff, think about what went wrong, where it went wrong, regrets, going back and changing it all, but one of the easiest ways to shift your mind and just reframe. Take whatever negative thought you have and flip it into a more positive or at least a neutral perspective. A good example is the traffic example. Being someone who commutes to school, I know how easy it is to get annoyed about being stuck in traffic. Your mind might jump to thoughts like this is the worst start to my day, I’m going to be late, my day is ruined. But in reality you have to remember that being stuck in traffic is just something that is totally out of your control. You didn’t decide to be stuck in traffic, it just happened. So turn your music on, enjoy the ride, and if you’re late, don’t let a silly little traffic jam ruin your whole day when it’s just starting. 

You’ve probably heard this one a lot, and it may be annoying to hear again, but it’s all just so true and works. Be grateful. This doesn’t mean ignoring your problems or pretending everything is fine when it’s not, it just means  acknowledging what’s good, even when things aren’t perfect. There can be so much bad all around and maybe you feel like you’re on a streak of bad looks but if you look around I can guarantee there is at least one thing in your life you can be grateful for. And once you realize it and point it out, eventually one good thing will turn to two and two to three. So next time you order a coffee and it’s not how you like it, well at least you can say you still can get that little caffeine boost. 

I think a big thing is the environment and people you surround yourself with. If you’re around negative Nelly’s all the time that complain about everything under the sun, eventually, whether you like it or not some of that will rub off on to you, or worse, you will just get irritated by them!  If you’re always around negative, complaining people, it’s easy to fall into that same mindset. But if you surround yourself with people who carry a contagious positive attitude, then life will probably be looking pretty good. This doesn’t mean you should cut off friends who are going through tough times (we all have our moments), but be mindful of how certain relationships affect you. If someone is always bringing you down, it might be time to set some boundaries.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can be a total control freak. I mean it’s not a crime to be in control right? Well, not a crime, but it can just cause more unneeded stress and anxiety for sure. You waste so much energy worrying about things that are completely out of our hands. The key to peace? Learning to let go. At the end of the day, you aren’t going to be able to control every little thing around you, so why let everything bother you? I love a clean space, but it feels like every single time I clean the kitchen or my room someone comes in 10 minutes later and it makes it all dirty, and honestly, if that’s just something that is out of my control, then why let that take control of how I feel? 

You may not realize it, but the way you talk about yourself has a bigger impact that you probably could ever imagine. How do you talk to yourself when things go wrong?  If your inner dialogue to yourself is mean then that’s how you know it’s time to change the conversation. Would your best friend, partner, or family member talk that way to you? I sure hope not. So why talk that way to yourself? At the end of the day, you should be your number one cheerleader, so instead of bringing yourself down, lift yourself up. I promise it will not only help with having a more positive mindset, but it will also help with your confidence too. 

Life is always about perspective. There are two sides to every story and the way we can flip things from negative to positive can truly make a difference in your life.  Bad things will happen, that’s unavoidable. But how do you respond to them? That’s up to you. So, next time you’re faced with a challenge, challenge yourself to think differently. See things for the good that they have in them, even if it is very small. Because sometimes, all it takes is a little shift in perspective to turn a bad day into an opportunity for something even better.