Did life get you feeling down? Don’t you worry, I got you covered! Today I am going to teach you exactly how to manage your energy and be a master of how to stay upbeat under tough times.
If you haven’t lived under a rock in the past year or so, you know that the state of affairs across the globe is not looking very good.
The 2020 Pandemic has left millions in pretty bad shape.
Between the loss of life for some and income/jobs for others. And, with the loss of certain freedoms (Traveling, curfews, shutdowns, etc.) and loss of sense of safety, the majority of people are feeling very pessimistic and I don’t blame them.
To put it mildly, life has been anything but easy for most people.
That being said, in life, I learned that sometimes you get dealt a bad hand. And, while you can get upset about it, you still have a duty towards yourself to be able to remain functional when that does happen.
Take it from me, I grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and have lived through 3 wars before I was 18. From that experience, I learned that we always have a choice.
You and I can always choose how to respond to life!
Most people live a reactionary life.
So, they feel semi-content when things are going ok. Have moments of happiness when things are going well. But, when things start to go south, they become a ball of emotional reactions.
So, how to stay upbeat when it seems that everything around you is falling apart?
I can just tell you to focus on the bright side of life, but I know that is not enough. Especially given the circumstances that most people are under nowadays.
And, even if you’re the most happy-go-lucky person on the planet, it can be difficult to stay upbeat when you see most people are struggling to make it, barely.
However, you’re human and it’s a gift to be able to feel for those who are struggling. But, you can’t let that consume you.
You have a duty to remain calm and grounded during tough times, cause otherwise you’ll get overwhelmed by life. And when you’re overwhelmed, you’re less likely to be clear-headed.
You want to be clear-headed, especially during tough times, so you can make better decisions to get you out of those tough times.
Let’s dive into 8 tested and proven ways that have gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life!
Are you ready?
Let’s go:
1. Limit your exposure to negative media
The Media is both a blessing and a curse!
Within a push of a button on your TV’s remote control or few clicks on your computer, you can gain access to the latest movies, news, and entertainment that life can offer. However, with that access comes a great responsibility.
You see, most media is negative media.
The news mostly reports on everything that’s going wrong with the world. And when it comes to movies, most Blockbuster movies are violent or apocalyptic in nature.
Did you know that watching the negative media triggers your fight or flight response in your brain? That’s the part responsible for your survival. Check out this documentation about that.
So, if you want to remain upbeat about life, you gotta take matters into your own hand when it comes to media consumption.
I get it, you want to stay abreast of what’s going on in the world! And yes, the media helps you stay aware of that. But, binging on media at all times, most likely won’t leave you feeling optimistic about life in the long run.
Check out this training I created on the power of feeding your mind the right diet:
2. Celebrate the little joys of life
It’s extremely important to focus on the good in our lives especially when we are going through the worst of times.
Most likely, you have heard of the saying “Like attracts like”. If you haven’t? Well, now you do😊
Likes attracts likes is what the Law of Attraction is all about.
So, if life feels crappy and you don’t want to attract more of the same, I highly encourage you to start finding the good and focusing on it.
When we find the little joys in life, especially when things are not going well, we invite more joys to come into our lives.
During the shutdown, I made it my almost priority to find at least one good thing a day to be grateful for. That helped stay upbeat even when things didn’t look very promising.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of talking all the time about what’s not working in our lives. And trust me when I tell you, I am 100% ok with the “Art of Venting” but I don’t encourage nor do I practice the “Art of Dwelling.”
So, when things are not so pleasant, make sure to count your blessings, and not your curses😉
3. Disconnect/Unplug from the world from time to time
We live in such a plugged-in and connected world, and that’s marvelous!
In the palm of your hand, you have more access to info than you even know what to do with it.
If you are not 100% conscious, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of info that’s bombarding us 24/7.
So what’s the remedy?
Disconnect and unplug.
And, when I say disconnect, I mean DISCONNECT!!!
That means no phones, no texts, no social media, no email – just you, yourself and the universe!
Every weekend, I disconnect for half a day!
I put my phone on airplane mode to avoid distraction and go on a long hike in nature. I avoid listening to music or even an educational/entertaining audiobook, I simply give my brain a break from consuming content of any type.
Here’s a picture from one of my latest adventures:
If you’re new to this concept, I invite you to give it a chance. Maybe half-day is a bit of a stretch for you, so do it for half an hour for a day (any day you’re able) and see how you’ll feel.
This is by far my favorite way to rechage my batteries. Give it a whirl, you’ll thank me later!
4. Do more things that make you smile
One way to remain upbeat during difficult times is to find things that you enjoy doing and do more of them.
By doing so, you take your mind off of the chaos and help you experience calm even if its temporarily.
One thing that kept my sanity during quarantine was doing puzzles. I did so many I can’t even keep track.
That activity helped me remain grounded and reminded me of simpler times when I was a kid. As a child growing up in Iraq, I was surrounded by chaos, but I always found a reason to smile.
Truthfully, when I was a kid, it was easier to find reasons to smile. But, as an adult, while it’s a bit harder, it’s not impossible.
So, in my case, it was doing puzzles that gave me a reason to smile.
What might be your thing? Do you like to read books? Maybe you enjoy watching documentaries about nature. Or you enjoy fixing things or DIY projects.
Whatever your thing is, find it and do it!
Take the time to figure out what makes you happy and then use these things during the tough times to stay positive and upbeat.
5. Laugh your butt-off and do that often
Laughter is the best medicine! So, whenever you find yourself feeling down, find something that makes you laugh.
If you have nothing to laugh about, fake laugh! Your brain won’t even know the difference. Here’s the science to explain it if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
Try it out, just laugh for no reason. Do it!!!
But, if you don’t want to look like you’re crazy, no pun indented, then find something to watch that’ll make you bust out laughing.
For me, it’s watching re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S or Seinfeld (Wow, that statement is revealing my age lol)
So, find whatever brings your belly a big laugh and just go bananas!
6. Practice Mindfulness Meditation
I can’t recommend meditation high enough, especially during hard and tough times!
As I mentioned earlier, when we are going through hardship, our fight or flight response gets activated. And, meditation is a great remedy for that.
Mindfulness meditation in specific helps to strengthen your mental stamina and makes you less reactionary.
Jon Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as: “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.”
Meditation with practice can become a place to process your emotions and can be explored and used for self-discovery.
If you already practice meditation, then keep up the great work! If not, start one today and you can find good pointers in this article here. And I beg of you, please don’t wait till tough times are upon you to begin a meditation practice.
Also, I created a guided meditation for beginners, you can downloads it below (You have no excuse to begin😃)
>> Free Instant Access <<
7. Practice Positive Affirmations
This is one of my favorite tools!
There are thousands of positive affirmations to pick from.
A quick google search will yield a ton of different affirmations for different purposes. Here’s a list of all the posts I wrote on affirmations to aid you with your search.
Spend a few minutes today to figure out your favorite affirmations and then repeat them to yourself whenever you’re feeling down.
Repeat them silently or aloud (I prefer aloud in front of a mirror but that’s me).
Standing in front of a mirror and looking yourself in the eye is a great way to let those affirmations seep into your subconscious mind.
8. Spend time with people who uplift you
Friends are like an extended family!
Make sure the people you surround yourself with are those who bring out the absolute best in you.
The people you continuously surround yourself with can play a major role in your state of happiness and joy.
If you’re always around pessimistic, negative and upset people, then don’t be surprised if you’re not feeling that upbeat.
So today, I want you to take an inventory of the top 5 people you spend your time with(in person or online) and ask yourself the question: do these people uplift my spirit, or do they bum me out?
Be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid to course correct if you find yourself in a heavily negative environment.
If you want to neutralize negativity around you, raise your vibration to a higher frequency! If you want to learn how? Watch this session I created for you below:
In summary, it is tempting to just crawl under the covers and shut the world away when going through difficulties. But, with little attention you can still find ways to keep a healthy and upbeat aura around you even during tough times.
By limiting your media/news intake, focusing on what’s positive, disconnecting from life’s distractions, surrounding yourself with things and people you love, smiling & laughing, practicing mindfulness meditation, and using positive affirmations, you can stay on the sunny side of life even during the cloudiest days.
I hope you enjoyed this article! If you did, please share with friends & loved ones.
Much love💖
Zane
P.s. Let me know in the comment section below which of these 8 ways is your favorite to stay upbeat? Also, if you have your own way to lift your spirit, please share that with me in the comments, too.
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