How To Stay Positive in a Negative Situation: 10 Powerful Coping Tips

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Imagine a life without sickness, pain, hurts, hatred, evil, poverty, and even death.

Oh, what a paradise!

That’s the kind of world I want to live in—a place of uninterrupted happiness and perfection.

A world devoid of negative situations and circumstances.

I’m sure you want that too.

Who wouldn’t?

But, newsflash, guys!

We live on planet earth!

We live in a world riddled with negativities in different forms, such that you sometimes don’t know how to stay positive in a negative situation.

People have different negative situations they deal with—sickness, bad diagnosis, loss of job, loss of a loved one, stress, a difficult spouse, a troubled marriage, guilt and regret of past mistakes etc.

Whatever negative situation you’re faced with, you can still be positive and happy.

I agree that staying positive in negative situations is no cakewalk, but it’s also not impossible.

Below are helpful tips for staying positive in a negative situation or a negative world:

HOW TO STAY POSITIVE IN A NEGATIVE SITUATION

1. Stay Away from Negative News

I used to love reading the news to stay up-to-date on happenings all over the world.

But I soon realized that reading the news only filled my mind with negativities because there seemed to be only a smattering of good things being reported.

When I read the news in the morning, I end up feeling moody throughout the day.

Bad news sells faster than good ones and we are constantly bombarded with them by the media.

Oh yeah.

Bad news grabs more attention than good news.

So, even if good things are happening for real, the media doesn’t report them.

To preserve my sanity, I became intentional about the news I consume.

I may not be able to control the news I come across because of the unpredictability of the media, but I have the power to choose the information I consume and dwell on.

If you want to preserve your sanity in a world full of negativities and know how to be positive in a negative world or if you’re faced with a negative situation, be intentional about the news you consume.

The eyes and ears are the windows to the heart.

What you feed your ears and eyes with determines the content of your soul.

You don’t have to click on every news headline.

You can’t feed your ears and eyes with negative news and know how to be positive in a negative situation.

Don’t read or listen to news that fuels your anxieties or drain you.

2. Discover What You Love Doing and Enjoy It

Not many people have the privilege to get paid for doing what they love.

Monday is a dreadful day for a lot of employees, that’s why they look forward to Friday to scream TGIF.

Many people hate their jobs!

Not working a job you love is one of the negativities of life many have to deal with.

How then can you stay positive if this is your case?

One of the ways to stay positive even if you hate your job is to discover your passion or find a hobby.

Doing what you enjoy will help strike a balance in your life.

Your entire life doesn’t have to be miserable because an aspect of it isn’t the way you want it.

Discover what brings you pleasure and do it or do it more if you’ve discovered it.

It could be:

reading

writing

drawing

painting

sewing

braiding your hair

dressing up and taking pictures

talking

encouraging others

helping someone in need

volunteering etc.

Whatever it is, enjoy it.

3. Stay Away From Toxic People

If I don’t mention this, then I’ve not written anything.

You cannot be better than your association.

It’s unfortunate how we downplay the influence our association/relationships have on us.

People carry different spirits and moods, and moods are contagious.

If you want to master how to stay positive in a negative situation, associate with joy bringers and encouragers, and not complainers who dampen your spirit with their whining.

Anyone whose presence in your life drains your peace and joy doesn’t deserve a space in your world.

No relationship should be more important than your wellbeing.

You don’t need negative people around you if you’re dealing with a negative situation.

Only stay around people who give you positive vibes.

4. Create a Positive Atmosphere Around You

Atmospheres are powerful and they set the tone for our moods.

You can create an atmosphere of positivity and joy even in negative situations by playing music, listening to encouraging podcasts, watching/listening to people’s success stories etc.

Don’t give room for negativity in your environment and don’t drown in your negative situation.

As a Christian, one of the ways I create a happy atmosphere is by listening/dancing to gospel songs and listening to sermons.

Oh, this lifts my spirit and put me in a great mood all day.

5. Focus on The Future

It’s difficult to stay positive in a negative situation if we are stuck in the pain and regrets of the past.

Stop dwelling on “if I could turn back the hands of time”, because you can’t.

The past is past and there’s nothing you can do about it.

You have no power to change the past but you have the power to create the future you desire.

And this can only happen if you take your focus off the past and focus on the beautiful future ahead of you.

6. Enjoy the Present, Enjoy the Moment

Yes, I said to focus on the future and not be stuck in the past.

However, you shouldn’t be so focused on what is ahead of you or the future you want to create that you forget to enjoy the present.

You’ll do well to enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going.

You cannot know how to stay positive in a negative situation if you expect things to be perfect before you enjoy the present.

Another painful fact is this—there’s never going to be a perfect world. Life is full of positive and negative events; good and bad times.

You have to learn to enjoy the good times and endure the bad times.

7. Don’t Lose Hope

You need hope to cope in life.

No one can survive this life without staying hopeful.

Please, guard your hope jealously.

Never lose it for any reason.

Hope that things will get better and you’ll come out of whatever negative situation you are in.

As a matter of fact, hope is what helps you to stay positive in a negative situation.

It’s impossible to be positive without hope.

8. Confess Positive Words

It’s good to have a positive mindset but that’s not enough.

You need to confess what you believe.

People who are spiritual know there’s power in the tongue.

If you know how much power your words carry, you’ll be careful what you say about yourself even when you’re in a negative situation.

Some people think confessing your problem is you being realistic.

I used to think so too but I know better now.

Confess what you want to see in your life, and not what you’re going through.

Don’t say with your mouth whatever you don’t want to experience in your life.

Strengthen your mind with your words.

Your words can either strengthen your spirit or break it.

9. Seek Help

One of the ways to know how to be positive in a negative situation is to seek help from the right source(s).

Who is more likely to help you out of that negative situation you’re in?

A friend, a spiritual leader, a colleague, your boss or a therapist?

Don’t underestimate the power of seeking help from the right sources.

10. Read

Sometimes, the solution to getting out of your negative situation is knowledge.

They say problems don’t exist.

It’s ignorance of the solution to a problem that is a problem.

Aside from the fact that reading broadens your horizon, you can garner valuable insights from reading books.

Nothing is new under the sun.

Someone has definitely experienced that negative situation you’re in before and has written something about it—especially how they overcame it.

Don’t let your ignorance be the reason for your suffering.

Equip yourself with knowledge.

It’s priceless.

No matter what you’re going through, I hope this article helps you to stay positive.

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