Proven Tips to Change Your Headspace with Positivity

Affirmation is emotional support or encouragement. It is a way to communicate and feel like we are accepted and valued in our families, workplaces, and in the world. Who doesn’t want to be liked? Whether it is being liked as a person, or getting likes on social media, we all have a desire to be accepted or affirmed. The feeling of being liked is enjoyed so much in our society that most social media platforms use some way to signal your approval for posts, and they often count how many you have. Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have likes, Reddit has upvotes, and Snapchat has favorites. So, what about day-to-day activities that are not digital or on social media? How do we show that we like something in person? Do we take the time to give a thumbs up, or high five to say we like whatever it is that made us smile? Most likely, we don’t. How can you change your headspace with daily positivity? Let’s take a moment to think about this and understand what we can do to improve our own headspace, our lives, and even the world in this area.

Most people don’t take the time to share how they feel in person as often as they do online. Why not? The number one reason people don’t share feelings face to face more often is because they think they do not have the time to stop what they are doing and show positivity or appreciation. In fact, the second reason people say they don’t usually stop, and share appreciation more often is because they are too busy with the tasks at hand that they didn’t even stop to think about it. In some instances, people say they think about sharing, but then jump to conclusions and worry about rejection, or negative comments from others around them. They might have thoughts preventing action that say, ‘will the recipient be offended, will they get upset, or will someone behind me in line say something rude to me or get annoyed’? While these are all valid feelings, what if we challenge these feelings and do the opposite of what we are most compelled to do? Whether you say thank you to the barista serving up your Mocha Latte this morning or smile at the nice person that opened the door for you when you brought groceries home in the rain, or wave at the patient driver (and fellow parent) that let you in front of them in car line when you went to pick up your kids from school, these are all small ways to pass on positivity and practice affirmation.

Have you ever noticed that positivity is contagious? Usually when we encounter it, we do everything we can to hold on to it for as long as we can. This is because life is meant to be celebrated. People are meant to be appreciated and accepted. Why not make an investment in what is good in life and in people and pay forward all the good you receive. It is actually much easier than you think! Are you having trouble finding the good that happened to you? It may be because, if you are like most people, you probably spend more time focusing on what went wrong in your day, or those moments when people hurt or offend you instead of what went right. In no way am I invalidating those feelings. Instead, I am saying use your strength and power to look and move beyond those negative and hurtful feelings and be what you want others to be. Be the example of hope that our world needs. Rise above negative behaviors and be a better example for our children, our society, and ourselves. The next time something good happens, don’t set it aside, notice it, remember it – react to it. It may take a few tries to remember the good over the bad instances, but you can retrain your habits with minimal effort and reminders.

To make a positive change and learn the art of affirmation all begins with attempting to be more intentional with our thoughts and actions. If you are reading this, you have already begun to try to live beyond yourself and be more positive. Celebrate that milestone and take it a step further. The art of affirmation requires us to respond vs. react to situations. If you do something with intention it simply means you do something on purpose. To do something on purpose means you can thoughtfully respond to what happened instead of quickly and thoughtlessly reacting to it. In the art of affirmation, to react means you do not think, instead you immediately act on your feelings and emotions to what happens. Keep in mind that in emergencies, we would not use this method of behavior because it would not be appropriate, and it could even be dangerous. However, in most day-to-day scenarios we want to have more positivity around, we can use this method safely. That is because to respond to a situation takes power, strength, and self-control. However, when we react to a negative situation, most often, we allow our negative emotions get the best of us, and we do not think or act on purpose or intentionally. We likely fly off the handle, lose our cool, and maybe even yell at someone because of it. What if we used the art of affirmation and stop, think, and respond instead?

Try to begin with a small step: even if you don’t feel like being nice, do it anyway. Use personal affirmations to coach yourself into being positive. Tell yourself, I am strong, I am good, I respect others. Find what works for you to diffuse the negativity in the scenario. At the same time, be aware that sometimes walking away is the best option. Try to be intentionally positive to make a change in the world. If you don’t do this for you, then do it for others. Take the time to measure the good that you receive instead of counting wrongs. Even if now the bad seems to outweigh the good, notice the good on purpose. Change starts with us, and it begins with looking in the mirror. We may not like all that we see when we do, but that is ok because we have the power to change whatever we want about ourselves. No one else can do it for us.

If we show appreciation for what we read, or what someone does for us, is a much-needed form of positivity. I challenge you to share what you appreciate today both online, and in person. It might be an easy thing for you to do, or it might be a bit difficult. Either way, it will always be worth it. A positive vibe not only makes the recipient feel good, but it also makes the giver feel good. This small act of kindness can go a long, long way. All you must do is notice you like something and react out loud. That’s right, just like you would react online with an emoji or a “like”. Use kind words, a smile, a wink, a high five, or take it further and verbally let them know you appreciate them or what they do.

The truth is you never know what someone else is going through. No one has the superpower of mind reading. Shouldn’t we be aware of this and try harder to make a difference? Even though we can’t understand others as well as we understand ourselves no matter how hard we try, we can all benefit from understanding the difference between what we can and can’t control in life. What we can’t do is change someone as a person, that is up to them to do. What we can do though is be the best and most authentic version of ourselves and show affirmation towards others. We all need positive vibes. We all need a little joy. Give it a try, take the time to be kind on purpose, with a purpose. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to add a “like” to our own personal platform – that is, our headspace.