Holding on to positivity and optimism is something that has become the foremost struggle of modern generation. You have everything that you need to live a happy life but there always exists a desire to have more. While dreams and ambitions are important to give you the much needed push in life, they sometimes become the reason why you keep straining yourself more than you need to.

Each one of us is carrying a baggage of expectations that keeps us on our toes throughout the day. With everything that goes around us, it looks hard to be able to hold on to a positive mindset and to stop witnessing things in a negative light.

Of course, not everything in life can be perfect all the time. To have ups and downs forms the essence of living and none of us can ever escape the struggles that life comes with. But how to shed away those negative thoughts that stick around with you even though everything is going fine?  Is it really worth troubling yourself with feelings of pessimism and negativity when you have everything going great in life? NO!

Here are some very useful tips that can help you get rid of those negative thoughts that are occupying some unnecessary space in your mind and to finally fall in love with yourself:

1. Surround yourself with positive people: People who we spend most of our time with often determine our thought process. If a colleague of yours has a habit of judging people from their dressing sense, you are bound to feel conscious about your own dressing sense when you are around them. Similarly, when you are with someone who doesn’t have a habit of fault-finding and always manages to appreciate little things in people, you will feel good about how they make you see things in a positive light.

Energy, negative or positive, spreads fast and you don’t want to be wasting your time sitting amongst those who aren’t helping you in beating negativity.

2. Cut down on distractions: Distractions act as a catalyst in encouraging negative thoughts and can barely help your brain rest for some time. With internet at your disposal and a billion questions racing in that mind, it’s easy to be distracted and find yourself off-path.

It’s important to cut down on those distractions to calm down your mind. Avoid multi-tasking and make it a habit to sit and relax every now and then.

3. Practice brain dump: Brain Dumping is a form of psychological Self Care that gives you a feeling that you can free yourself of negative thoughts by writing them on a piece of paper. Negative thoughts find a way to creep in when the mind is cluttered with all kinds of thoughts. You need to declutter your mind in order to make space for positive thoughts to set in. Brain Dumping is one of the most useful ways to get rid of the negative thoughts and clear your mind.

4. Don’t revisit the negative thoughts again and again: Revisiting the negative thoughts will only enhance the feeling of negativity which is why it’s important that you divert your mind towards something else every time a negative thought comes in. Read a good book, watch movies and engage yourself in some activity that will keep your mind occupied and away from worries.

5. Be in and around nature: If there’s anything that gets me going when I’m feeling low, it’s the nature. Merely spending a few minutes on a beach or in a park can do wonders for your mind and body and just a bit of fresh air can be enough to make you see things in a positive light. Step out for a walk outside, have a sunbath or play with your pets to feel all that is beautiful and soothing to your mind.

6. Meditate: This is given and something that you might have heard of a hundred times. Yoga, concentration exercises and deep breathing are some types of meditation that can help clear your mind of negativity. While meditating, take deep breaths and think about everything positive that’s happening in your life. Conscious breathing and meditation work wonders if done sincerely and on a regular basis.

7. Start a gratitude journal: If you want to get rid of pessimism and the feeling of ungratefulness, start maintaining a gratitude journal. Every time something good happens in your life, even if it’s small or insignificant, scribble it down in the gratitude journal. This journal shall become your escape to positivity when you are trying to get away from your negative thoughts.

8. Dance or Sing out loud: Sometimes, complications of the modern world form the sole reason why our minds turn negative. When feeling low, dancing or singing your heart out is all it takes to shake off the feelings that are holding you back. There’s no better activity to set your soul free and remind yourself of the simplicity with which you need to live your life.

Many a times, negativity makes you believe that the problem lies within you. But the fact is, it’s how you allow yourself to feel that determines what your mind will eventually think. If you feel happy and grateful about everything that you have, negativity can come nowhere near you. Get over the feelings of regret, hate, jealousy and sadness and you will find yourself feeling more alive and positive.