How to Stay Positive in Difficult Times

This is a subject I have written about before from different angles and the reason is simple...the more positivity that you can create each and every day, the more productive and happy you will be in your career.

Do remember that in the face of life's challenges, maintaining a positive outlook can feel like an uphill battle. Difficult times—whether related to work, relationships, health, or unexpected setbacks—often bring stress, frustration, and negative emotions.

However, cultivating positivity is not about ignoring these challenges but learning to navigate through them with resilience and an optimistic mindset.

You simply have to keep trying harder each and every time - it gets easier with practice... trust me I've tried it from every angle myself!

Positivity is not about suppressing negative emotions. Rather, it’s about processing them in a healthy way. When challenges arise, acknowledge your emotions—anger, sadness, frustration—and understand that these feelings are valid. Allowing yourself to feel and process these emotions is the first step toward finding constructive ways to move forward. Suppressing feelings can lead to burnout and may make it harder to stay positive in the long run.

I have found journaling can be a useful tool for this. Writing down your feelings can provide an outlet for emotions and offer clarity about your thoughts, helping you identify patterns or specific triggers that may be causing distress.

Reframe negative thoughts

When dealing with a challenging situation, our minds often default to negative thinking. Phrases like “I can’t handle this” or “This is the worst thing that could happen” can easily dominate our thoughts. Learning to reframe these thoughts into more positive ones can change your perspective.

Instead of focusing on what you can’t control, focus on what you can. Replace “I can’t handle this” with “I’ll tackle one step at a time.” Or change “This is the worst thing” to “This is difficult, but I’ll learn from it.” Reframing negative thoughts helps to shift your focus from limitations to possibilities, fostering a mindset more conducive to finding solutions.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful tool for managing positivity. When facing challenges, it’s easy to overlook the positives in our lives. Practicing gratitude helps you shift your attention away from what’s going wrong and toward what is going right, no matter how small. Studies have shown that regular gratitude practice can increase overall happiness and improve resilience.

Each day, write down three things you are grateful for. It could be as simple as a warm cup of coffee, a good conversation, or even the opportunity to learn from your current struggles. With time, gratitude can help you develop a more positive outlook, even amidst challenges.

Set realistic goals and take action

Sometimes, the sheer weight of a challenge can make positivity feel out of reach. Breaking down the challenge into manageable steps and setting realistic goals can help you feel more in control and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed. Each small accomplishment, no matter how minor, can boost your confidence and bring a sense of progress.

For example, if you’re facing financial challenges, create a budget and set small savings goals. If you’re dealing with a stressful workload, prioritize tasks and tackle them one at a time. By setting achievable goals, you create a roadmap that gradually brings you closer to your desired outcome. The progress, however small, will help you stay positive and motivated.

Surround yourself with positive influences

The people we surround ourselves with can greatly impact our mindset. During challenging times, seek support from friends, family, or colleagues who encourage and uplift you. Positive influences don’t necessarily have to be people who dismiss your problems or push you to “just cheer up.” Instead, they are individuals who provide comfort, perspective, and constructive advice when needed.

Engaging in supportive communities, whether online or offline, can also provide encouragement. Sometimes, hearing about others who have overcome similar challenges can be incredibly motivating and remind you that difficult times don’t last forever.

Develop a growth mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that skills, abilities, and intelligence can be developed with effort, learning, and perseverance. When you approach challenges with a growth mindset, you view setbacks as opportunities to learn and improve rather than as personal failures. This mindset shift allows you to embrace challenges as part of the journey toward growth.

For instance, if you experience a setback at work, instead of viewing it as a failure, try to identify what you can learn from the experience. By focusing on personal development rather than immediate success, you create a positive association with the process of overcoming challenges.

Recognise the power of small wins

During challenging times, celebrate small victories. Small wins could be anything from completing a task, having a productive conversation, or even maintaining a positive attitude in difficult moments. These small accomplishments provide a sense of achievement and help build momentum toward bigger goals.

Acknowledging small wins shifts your focus from what you lack to what you’ve achieved, providing motivation and positive reinforcement. This can be a powerful way to keep a positive outlook as you navigate through challenges.

Accept that positivity isn’t constant

Finally, remember that maintaining positivity doesn’t mean you’ll feel positive all the time. There will be difficult days, moments of doubt, and times when you feel anything but positive. Accepting this and being kind to yourself during these moments is key to building resilience. Positivity is not a fixed state but a practice, one that ebbs and flows.

Being gentle with yourself during tough times allows you to bounce back quicker. When you approach positivity as a journey rather than an expectation, you free yourself from the pressure of being “happy” constantly, which in turn cultivates a more genuine, sustainable optimism.

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future by merely changing their attitude." — Oprah Winfrey

"Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you’re going to live your life." — Joel Osteen

"In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact."— Les Brown

Managing positivity against challenges is a lifelong journey that requires practice, resilience, and a willingness to grow.

By acknowledging your feelings, reframing negative thoughts, practicing gratitude, and setting realistic goals, you can foster a positive mindset that endures through tough times.

Remember, positivity isn’t about denying challenges—it’s about building a resilient, optimistic outlook that helps you face them with courage and grace.

Here's to your ongoing success.

#mindset #momentum