“Think positively!” my science teacher said to me after I failed my elements quiz. Although it didn’t help right in the moment, having a good attitude did help me as I did corrections and worked to get my grade up. A positive attitude helped me try my best. And it’s not just me: Thinking positively can help people be happier.
The amount of stress a person has in 24 hours is a huge part of mental health. On a stressful day, you begin to think “how much worse can this day get?” You start to sulk in your own negativity to the point where it becomes unhealthy. This is where a positive mindset comes in. Picture two people going through the EXACT same thing. Let’s say this thing is something as simple as getting fired from a really good job. Person A views the bad news as an opportunity to find a better job or use this new free time to better themself. Person B, on the other hand, is thinking and saying “How much worse can life get.” or “Everything in my life goes wrong.” Person B goes home to spend their new relaxation time thinking about all the negative outcomes of life. Choosing to think positively seems simple, but can have a huge impact on your life.
What even is positivity? Well it’s in the name. Positivity is the practice of thinking the best in a bad situation or just being kind to yourself and other people. When you feel in a slump, doing things that take your mind off of your own thoughts can really pick you back up. Take some time to tidy up your room for 5 minutes, go for a walk, or at least get out of bed! Scientific research and other personal experience states that doing things that can make you (or even someone else) happy can help with hard times.
Mr. Curtis, a teacher known for being consistently positive, has been on a journey when it comes to thinking positively and doing positive gestures. “It took me a long time to fully comprehend that I can only control my own actions and thoughts,” Curtis said. “I never got joy or satisfaction from being mean or rude to people.I enjoyed it when people were kind to me and had good energy. I decided to be kind and positive with people when I began teaching 20 years ago because I liked it when people were kind to me. My parents always emphasized the importance of treating others as you’d want to be treated; aka the Golden Rule. It’s very important to me now as an adult because I have some influence with young people that are developing their habits with the choices they’re making. We are all here for a limited amount of time. There’s no good reason to fill that time with negative, hateful thoughts and actions. I chose to be kind and thoughtful instead. It’s a simple choice really.” Curtis has come a long way with his journey and encourages you to do the right thing today and everyday. We have 410 minutes in each school day. If we take Curtis’ advice, we should take that time to think positively about our school work instead of dreading it or complaining about it. We can take this time to be grateful we are getting a free education, for instance. We can reach out and notice who is hurting, and try to help them. The 410 minutes will pass either way, but doing things Curtis’ way will make our experience in them much happier.
Having a positive mindset is so much more important than many of us think. Positivity can change views on the negative, the way your reality goes, and just makes life better and fun! Your mindset is the key to how your life goes. Positivity works many wonders in any situation. You could be having the worst day, but if you can laugh about it and just think on the bright side of the world, it will be better than it would otherwise be.
Doing this and making it a habit takes time and work. Who you surround yourself with is very important. If you surround yourself with drama and stressful news you take in all sorts of negativity. Sandy Kauffman, the High School Wellness Coordinator, said “who you surround yourself with is a big part of the way you act, whether negative or positive.” Knowing this should make it easy to choose people who make us better–even though we know it is harder than that in reality.
Celebrity drama shows this: for example Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion. Megan simply posted a picture clearly only worrying about herself. Minaj took Stallion’s action horribly and posted and said negative things online and on live streams. So much negativity was put into the world by one person’s choices. This should be a warning for the rest of us. Even if we have fewer social media followers, we can still choose how we affect them, and what kind of energy we put out into the world.
To sum it up, Don Miguel Ruiz, in my favorite book, says “Nothing anyone does is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality.” Teenagers tend to take things the wrong way, but we don’t have to. Don’t take anything personally even if it hurts.To start your journey towards a more positive and happy life, I recommend reading The Four Agreements or Atomic Habits.
What do you have to lose? Your sadness. Take Elsa’s advice, and let it go.
