How Do I Stop Being So Negative?

Last Updated on January 29, 2023

Becoming negative is human nature. We all feel down sometimes and we think we are a failure because we can compare ourselves to others. We usually feel negative about ourselves when we’re criticized, fail at something, or are too exhausted.

This might be part of becoming human. But becoming too negative can have a huge toll on your life. You become stuck into blaming yourself and you can’t achieve anything in life because you always see your bad side. The more negative you are, the more likely you’ll have a sad life.

This is why it’s important to answer the age-old question, “how do I stop being so negative?”

Not only will this make you happier. But this will also help you have a more productive and meaningful life.

What is negativity?

Negativity is an attitude where you always see the bad side of yourself or in others. It is a saddening feel that stops you from finishing tasks and trying out projects because you think you can’t do it.

This limits you from achieving more in life because you feel inferior or incapable of doing things even if you really can.

Experts even consider this as a debilitating mental condition that promotes laziness and unproductivity. Negative people always expect the worst situation to happen even if it’s very unlikely. They are also always skeptical about certain matters and always reject advice and suggestions.

This might come in handy sometimes. But it’s an unhealthy way to live life and develop productive connections with people.

Distance yourself from negative people

Avoid negative people because they can influence you with negativity. These people can be your friends, co-workers, or even family members. Be brave enough to show them you don’t want to be a part of their negative network.

It might hurt or cause minor commotions at first. But it will surely benefit you in the long run. This is important because you can stop being like them. You can then see the good side of yourself and other people if you aren’t anymore too attached to their negativity.

Also, monitor your feelings if you’re around people you suspect to be negative. Doing this makes it easier to determine if they’re worth being a part of your network or not.

Exercise

It might sound simple but exercising strengthens not only your physical body but your mental and emotional health as well. Regularly exercising motivates you to make use of productive time.

This gives you a reason to strengthen and improve yourself by working out your muscles and improving cardio resistance. You can then see the benefits of working hard even if it’s too tiring at first.

Exercising is all about being disciplined. And it’s in being disciplined that you become grateful for what you have accomplished. You then feel better about yourself and become confident about your capabilities.

Exercise also helps stop chronic depression because it increases your serotonin levels. This is the hormone that regulates mood, appetite, and sleeping patterns.

Notice the good things

Look at the good side of life and be happy about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a simple sunny day or if your kids just gave you a bar of chocolate. These situations and insignificant gestures are already huge things that you should be grateful for.

Be happy with your life and assess your accomplishments. Reassess your life back then and compare it to what you have now. You might still see some unaccomplished things. But you are most likely to see how your situation has improved.

Don’t feel too bad about your failures. Instead, think of them as a way for you to improve yourself. It’s all a matter of perspective. Approach things in a positive light, and you’ll surely have a positive life ahead.

Be thankful

Be thankful for what you have. And always show gratitude to other people. It doesn’t matter if they gave you a small thing or something which doesn’t count too much for you. Be grateful for it and express this as politely as you can to them.

Look directly into the eyes of the person who gave you something and thank them as genuinely as possible. You might find this too cheesy at first. But you’ll find this habit necessary and fulfilling in the long run.

It’s all about using your connection to also show how happy you have received something. This also improves your reputation with other people. And you felt good about yourself.

This is important to build up your self-esteem because you’ll see people happy with your simple gesture of gratitude.

Be satisfied with what you have

Be satisfied with the things you currently have. Don’t be too materialistic and don’t make it a habit to compare yourself with the financial situation of people. You can do this sometimes for practical purposes.

But don’t bring it to a point where you become envious of others just because you don’t have a good car or haven’t yet reached your first million dollars. Be satisfied with your life and you’ll feel happier and content.

You won’t feel any pressure on yourself and you’ll be more approachable. This creates a series of positive cycles that makes you appreciate yourself and your current life situation.

Compliment people regularly

Complimenting people is another way to avoid negativity. This is a very simple gesture, but it has huge effects on a person. Examples of this are saying that they’ve done a good job at work or that they look good with their new dress.

Anything that compliments a person is enough, even if it’s too small. Complimenting people regularly makes them feel special and good about themselves. And that will surely also make you feel good about yourself!

It’s an act of kindness that might be too insignificant for some. But has huge effects on the emotions of the person you address it to.

Practice compassion

Be compassionate to other people. This might again sound like an act of charity. But this shows that you have a kind heart ready to make people feel good.

You might think that this is about giving yourself to others. But what this does is that it improves yourself and makes you see the bigger picture of life. It’s not always about you, but it’s also about having the social responsibility to help others.

Relieving the suffering of other people makes you feel good about yourself. You then feel a purpose in this world and you don’t anymore just complain about yourself feeling stuck.

Talk about the problems of your friend and share some tips and advice that can help solve their problems. You might feel negative at first because you listen to sad things. But you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment once you see you’ve eased someone’s pain.

Turn weaknesses into strengths

We are all human, and we all have our weaknesses. But this doesn’t mean that we just have to accept that we are weak and incapable of doing some things. Instead, we need to turn these weaknesses into strengths.

Work on your failures and assess your citation so that you can come up with better alternatives. Study the process and do your best to learn a specific skill or technique. Knowing your weaknesses lets you see the things you need to improve on.

Don’t feel too bad about your shortcomings and failures. You should even be happy with them because you now know what are the things you need to work on with.

Rise from challenges

Rearrange your schedule and life once you’ve encountered major challenges. This might be a failure from an organized event or ending your connection with a certain person. Learn from your shortcomings and analyze the situation.

Then come up with preventive measures to ensure that you can succeed next time. You might think and feel that you’ve fallen from a ladder after these failures.

But what happens is you get the driving force to level up your game. Rise from your life’s challenges and toughen up to achieve more in life.

Avoid other people’s drama

Don’t be too consumed with the drama of other people. Yes, you can help them and sympathize with their despair. But don’t let it reach the point where they transfer their negativity to you. Helping them is good. But it’s a different story if you let their failures creep into you.

This lets you feel bad about yourself. You even become stressed, even if you don’t need to be.

Don’t engage in problems of other people that stem out of negativity. Just stick with your positive attitude and avoid them. You can also just decrease the time you spend with these people if you think avoiding them can hurt their feelings.

Surround yourself with productive people

Be with the right people. It’s best if you stick with productive professionals and business owners so you can make the most out of your time. Don’t spend too much time with people who have no goals and ambitions in life. Doing so increases the chances of you becoming like them.

Make it a habit to brainstorm with people and think of plans to make money through businesses. Assess different situations and come up with solutions to avoid failures. This helps maintain your happiness and improves your network.

You are the sum of the five people you spend time with. So make sure these people have positive outlooks in life. Emulate their attitudes towards business, work, and life as a whole.

Try out a new hobby

Trying out a new hobby helps you release stress and tension. It also gives you a new goal in life where you try to improve your skills. Not only does this help you improve your skills, but this also gives you a sense of accomplishment.

Nothing beats the feeling of winning a game after trying hard to practice! This boosts your self-confidence and makes you feel good about yourself. You then see things in a positive light and you trust yourself.

You don’t need to just work all the time. You also need some playtime to release the pressure of your career. And make sure you’re having fun with whatever sport or hobby you’re into.

Work on what you love

Stick to the career you are interested in. Don’t force yourself to work on something you don’t like. You can excel and have a more positive mindset if you are passionate about what you do. This is a simple piece of advice that can bring you to places.

An example of this is art. You won’t feel any stress and pressure in painting artworks if you love doing it.

Being in a job you aren’t interested in makes you feel lazy and unmotivated. So, work in an environment you are most comfortable with. Improving your skills and maintaining a positive attitude is easier if you love what you’re doing.

See criticisms as constructive feedback

Don’t take criticisms personally. Instead, use them to your advantage and treat them as suggestions and advice to improve yourself.

Analyze the criticisms thrown at you and learn from them. Assess yourself if what you do is right. Change it if you think it’s wrong and learn from what people say about you. Don’t feel down and think of yourself as a failure if you get feedback.

We’re all human, and we have our lapses and shortcomings. Make it a habit to improve yourself. It might be tiring at first. But look at the effects in the long run and you’ll see that it’s all worth it.

Stop complaining

Complaining is human nature. Unfortunately, you really can’t get anything from complaining. It just sucks the energy out from you and you just feel bad about yourself.

Complaining can be good sometimes because it lets you improve something. But expect to become a pessimist if you just keep on complaining.

Appreciate things instead and be happy with your situation. You can point out mistakes. But do it constructively. Don’t knit pick on the wrongs of others. Remember that nobody is perfect.

Avoid gossips

Gossiping is toxic behavior. Don’t get involved with people who enjoy this negative behavior. This will just cause you stress and can get you into unnecessary fights and ruined reputations. Break this habit to avoid negativity in your life.

Control your life

Be in control of your life. You own your body, so don’t let others control your activities and decisions in life. Make your own choices and go where you’re happy.

Decide on who you want to spend your time with and what you’ll do with your time. Just remember to productively use your energy and time around positive people.

Conclusion

There comes a time when we become pessimists and we become negative people.

That’s normal because we are human. But this doesn’t mean that we can just let this destructive behavior overcome us.

Instead, we need to learn the answer to “How do I stop being so negative,” to live a happier and healthier life.

Hopefully, this article answered this question. Just remember to surround yourself with positive people and efficiently use your time and energy. Experiment with new things and do what you love the most. When you do, then you’ll surely have a more optimistic future ahead.