Positivity Can Be Exhausting
I’m a pretty positive person. I try to see the best in every situation and in all people, most of the time. I’m a big believer that positivity is an important skill and an asset to achieve your goals and perform well. But as much as I believe in the importance of positivity, I also recognize that being positive 100% of the time can be exhausting.
I’ve had some recent experiences that have left me feeling drained trying to keep my positive mentality and outlook. It felt exhausting to keep that outlook when I really felt bummed out. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it’s okay to have moments where we let ourselves feel what we’re feeling. The point is to make sure they remain only moments, and not thoughts or feelings that linger.
In these situations, try the following to help you work through the feels:
Determine an amount of appropriate time to allow yourself to feel the feels, even if they are negative. Remember, the only way out of the emotion is through it.
Within that time frame, process your feelings and thoughts without guilt or judgment. Simply feel. This is called FEEL AND DEAL. Set a timer if it helps.
Once that timer goes off, ask yourself a the following questions:
Why might I be feeling this way?
What did I/can I learn from this experience?
Shift your thoughts back to positive ones using a trigger word or phrase, or a mantra that has proven to be effective for you. For example, something like “let it go”, “time to move on”, or “this is just one moment” can be helpful.
If you need an extra layer of support, write down your negative thoughts or feelings and then throw them away. This signifies to your mind that you are ridding yourself of these thoughts. Next, write down your positive statement(s) to keep with you.
Is positivity important? Without a doubt! It is the foundation that will take you to where you want to go and who you want to be. Positivity is a choice, and there are positive take-a-ways from every situation. Those who reach their optimal performance maintain positive thoughts, even when things aren’t going their way. But those same people don’t ignore the negative thoughts or feelings they have. They process them, learn from them, leave them and move on. They FEEL and DEAL. And you can do that too.
If this topic resonates with you and you want to continue the conversation, reach out and let’s talk!
