Unwanted negativity... Begone!

VERY few of us can tolerate a 'Grumpy Gus' or the wet blanket yet some of us find that the negativity gets more contagious than the flu and we start walking around with our very own gloomy stormy clouds over our heads.

While we don't mean to, letting go of negativity can be a lot of work but it only takes a little bit of sunlight to make a grey day gorgeous again.

A lot of the time, we allow external factors and our environment to bog us down. When we find ourselves constantly surrounded by negative people, we will eventually start gravitating towards similar feelings. Their anger slowly becomes our own and all you do when you get together is throw venom about and complain about everything under the sun.

Although venting out is a good way to get things off your chest, there still needs to be something constructive done to solve your problems. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in this perpetual loop of anger, resentment and disappointment. And by then it's a difficult hole to crawl out of. But it's not impossible.

The first step is to realise 'poisonous' company. These are people who are always negatively charged and almost appear as if they have nothing nice to say... ever! Bring it up with them and help them to see a more positive outlook in life. While they rant on about their problems, try to help them see the silver lining.

Hopefully when they realise that their negativity is affecting your well-being, they can start moving towards more positive and productive endeavours. Otherwise, you might have to start distancing yourself in order to minimise their effect on you.

The same goes for relationships. If you don't find your way out of a negative union nor seek to turn it around, you will see nothing but doom and gloom. Allowing another to berate you and abuse you physically, mentally and emotionally is no way to enjoy life.

For some, regardless of the positivity that surrounds them, they can still be bogged down by very negative thoughts and emotions that prevent them from being content, let alone happy!

When you wake up in the morning, are you thankful for yet another day? I've got plenty of friends who welcome the day, their friends and family on Facebook. Although at first glance, one might think "Is there nothing else to update these days?". But look at it this way... what better way to reinforce the idea of gratefulness than by sharing the thought with your loved ones? At the same time, it might help others to realise exactly how lucky they are to be able to watch the sun prance across the sky one more time.

The ability to do that every single day should be more than enough to make you appreciate life and not waste it hunched in depression and staring at the ground when you can stand tall and face the sky.

And when you lie in bed, ready for sleep, try thanking all the people who have helped you during the day. Think about all the events and incidents that made you smile and laugh. Keeping such thoughts should keep negativity at bay.

Maintaining a positive outlook in life may seem like a lot of hard work but anything that's worth it should be. At the same time, it's almost as easy as being aware of when you're being unnecessarily negative and stopping yourself from sabotaging your day. Instead of walking around with the expectation that something's going to blow up in your face, look out for opportunities that will make your day awesome! Carpe diem (seize the day), the saying goes but I'd add a carpe noctum (seize the night) to it as well since you never quite know when a good deal comes along! The Brunei Times