I think this might be one of the hardest parts of finding happiness: how to stay positive when you’re bombarded with negativity.
Whether it be your living space or your workplace, Kyra from The Millennial Mindset is sharing her top 7 ways to stay positive in the most negative of circumstances.
Be sure to see more about her work at the end of the article!
How to stay positive around negative people
Let’s get real.
Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive around those you love.
After a day of feeling upbeat, there’s that one person who mentally drains you, and brings down your mood with one word. This person can be your friend, colleague, classmate or a family member.
And I TOTALLY understand how this feels.
For many years, I was someone who was controlled by other people’s feelings. As an empath, it was normal to internalise other people’s feelings, until it affected my outlook on life. It wasn’t until I got into the working world when I realised how much I was controlled by other people’s feelings.
From my experiences, I learnt how to deal with a toxic environment and how to stay positive around those who emitted negative energies.
What are the effects of being around negative people?
According to INC, there are many effects of being around negative people, but to name a few, here are some effects:
- High Blood Pressure– which links to serious health conditions, such as a stroke.
- Anger– which is one of the primary reasons behind stress, linked to a poor immune system.
- A negative outlook on life– which links to mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety.
You may be thinking, how can I avoid these effects and stay positive around negative people?
In this post, I will share five amazing ways to stay positive around negative people.
Let’s get to the post, shall we?
Identify your triggers
It’s important to know who brings negative energies into your life since you will then be able to use the next important tips below.
These are warning signs that will help you handle the situation before you’ve faced them.
You can easily identify the person or people who bring negativity into your life, by keeping a mood tracker and an activity log.
By keeping both trackers, you will be able to identify who’s around when your mood changes for the worse, and you can act quickly before their negativity affects your own wellbeing.
Distance yourself
You may have heard that it’s never good to avoid a situation.
I’ve realised that instead of allowing my mindset to suffer, limiting myself from the exposure of negative people has massively improved my mindset.
It doesn’t mean that you have to cut contact with your family or friends immediately. It can involve you spending less time with them until they have improved their own mentality.
Sometimes, you can only do so much for someone, and it’s for them to improve their own mentality.
And distancing yourself from them will allow you to have more time for the activities and people who help you stay positive.
But, there is something important you should know.
Negative people can be found on your social media feed as well.
A great way to deal with negative people on social media is to unfollow the people who ruin your positive mentality and limit your time on social media to a couple of minutes in a day or week.
Surround yourself with positivity
Have you noticed that being around negative people brings negative energies into your life?
It’s true that similar energies attract one another.
By surrounding yourself with those who bring positive energies, it will help you maintain a positive mindset; which is key if you want to move further towards a life full of true happiness.
Without support, you will fall into the trap of never-ending negativity which will affect many aspects of your life, including your relationships and work life.
That’s why it’s important to evaluate the people you’re surrounded by every day.
It will make a difference in your life in the long-term.
Release your negativity
My favourite way to deal with a negative environment is to come back home and do the activities I love.
According to Very Well Mind, having hobbies can reduce your stress levels. As I had mentioned before, stress is one of the main indicators that you are living a life full of negativity.
That’s why it’s important to have a hobby which can distract you from the negativity you had experienced throughout the day.
Your hobbies can include anything from physical activities, such as yoga and kickboxing, and less physical activities, such as painting and reading.
It should be something that you love and can separate you from the negativity you had experienced on that day.
Speak up
When I worked in a negative environment, I regretted not speaking up when I needed to, but luckily I learnt from my mistake and now apply it when I need to.
Spending time in a negative environment is unhealthy, and it can cause yourself to release toxicity to those around you; even your loved ones.
You can easily speak up by pulling the person aside and telling them how their negativity has affected you and other people.
Remember, if the negative environment is impacting work performance and your wellbeing, you have the right to say something about it. Otherwise, you will be stuck in an environment you will grow to hate.
Think about all the good people you have in your life
As I had mentioned many times, gratitude is a special tool that everyone should apply to their everyday life.
By allowing yourself to think about the people you are grateful for, such as your family or friends, it will help you maintain your positive mindset which is key if you want to live a life full of true happiness.
This will help you stay positive around those who spread negativity around you.
Learn from your experiences
Learning from your past experience will help to prepare you for similar situations.
You must ask yourself, what did I learn from being in that situation?
Maybe you learnt new coping mechanisms, or you learnt how to present yourself to others? Sometimes, you will learn how your negativity can impact others.
Although this situation is temporary, you will learn so much from it.
Summary:
Your positive attitude is determined by how we react, that’s why it’s extremely important to apply day-to-day activities that will help you release the negativity.
I hope that these seven ways will help you stay positive.