Staying positive in Nigeria is proving to be difficult as the days go by, with the country in such disarray. It is perfectly normal to see everything in life from a negative and pessimistic point of view.
During this period, it is crucial to ensure our mental and psychological health is stable. There is always bad news on every platform.
I am sure we have all heard the advice “stay positive”. Sincerely, this is easier said than done. They say “stay positive” like it automatically would make you positive.
With this article, I will share tips on how I graduated from “complaining about the thorns on roses to celebrating thorns has roses”. To be honest, this journey is a bumpy one but trust me; there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Staying Positive In A Negative World
Tips On Staying Positive In Nigeria
Smile And Work Hard To Find A Positive Side To Everything: Smiling tricks your mind into believing that you are happy. We obviously cannot control the things that go on around us, but we can control how we react to those things and, most importantly, control the news we digest.
Develop a Grateful Heart
Count your blessings, sometimes we need to slow down and think of the things we missed, the fact that we are still alive, the food we eat, the water we drink, the internet you are reading this with.
Counting your blessings would make you realize that you possess things some people only dream of.
Create a positive environment: Your environment would always influence your attitude and personality, so it is vital to control the people you let into your life and always surround yourself with positive people and people who make you happy.
It would help if you also considered unwinding, take a relaxing bath or shower, light a candle, read a book, watching your favourite show on TV, pour a glass of wine, or take a walk; get involved with activities that would make you escape reality for a while.
Exercising And Meditating
These activities are highly underrated. Exercising is more than just a physical activity; studies have shown that exercising helps people with a lot of ailments, even depression.
It also releases good mood endorphins, which would keep you in a good mood. Meditation is an activity to train your attention and awareness to the present; it is vital to both the physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Giving Back To The Society
Giving doesn’t just leave the receiver happy it, in turn, leaves the giver satisfied. Knowing that you helped someone out of a situation or put a smile on someone’s face is one of the most surreal feelings and it’s therapeutic. Giving doesn’t necessarily mean giving physical possessions, it could be a bright smile, or a simple “how are doing?”. Always aim at being the sunshine on someone’s cloudy day.
Live Consciously
Make every action you make thoughtful and purposeful, let every breath you take count. Notice the blue sky, the green grass, the birds in the air, this would make you pause and have a grateful heart. Purge out negative vibes; it is advised to let go of the tension you feel and there are different ways to do that. I’d advise you to vent, journal or call someone just to talk about how you feel, it’s therapeutic. Endeavour to call on a friend, therapist or a family member.
There would be times you would want to embrace negativity and there would be times would not be able to monster the energy to be happy and this is perfectly normal. “Positivity is a muscle that needs to be regularly flexed and exercised to be maintained”, we sometimes need the negativity and anger to inspire the changes we have to make in life. Choosing negativity every day is unhealthy. Fight the darkness!.
