Positive Outlook

Having a positive outlook in life is crucial. Stress and negativity does more harm to us than we can ever imagine. I was under a lot of stress since my papa passed away. I even had anxiety attacks a couple of times. Things just did not make sense. I was always blaming myself or someone else for the situation I was in. The world seemed pale. I always felt either sad or mad and dragged myself to function every day activities. Some days were better than others but most were cruel. I have hardly ever been this anxious and stressed earlier in my life so I did not have an idea how it feels but now I somewhat know how it does. It feels like as if you are caged in our own thoughts, you try but you can’t get out of what your mind is consistently thinking. We, as a society, don’t take mental health seriously but our body actually cannot differentiate between mental and physical trauma. I struggled but eventually took over my anxiety issues and the following things helped me the most:

Talk, talk, and talk: When we feel sad, we often take the silent road. It is very important to take your time and to start talking about your feelings. You can confide in your best friend, family, or spouse. You can even consult a therapist if you feel that no one in your social circle would understand how you are feeling. You can zot down your feelings on a paper, that helps equally. As Anne frank said, “paper is patient”. For a long time, I was hesitant to talk about my papa. Slowly I realized that I must forget the trauma but should keep his sweet memories alive. He gave me so much so smile and laugh about so why not. So, talking about or around the source of your trauma helps you heal.

Cry when you feel like:  I struggled the most with the crying part. I just could not cry and hence things kept getting piled up in my heart and mind. Remember that crying is okay. Crying is for the tough ones. It takes courage to allow yourself to be vulnerable and fragile. Let the emotions flow.

Forgive and forget: Bygones are bygones. What was supposed to happen; has happened. There is no way you can change your past; hence, the best way to deal with it is to accept it peacefully. Forgive yourself and others. Blame no one. Forget about the things that went wrong and focus on the present and future. Let go of the trauma and negativity. Give yourself and the world benefit of the doubt.

Engage yourself: Keep yourself occupied. Pursue your hobbies. Do not sit idle and let your overthinking strike. Keep your mind and body engaged. Get out and take the fresh air more often. Meditate. Go cycling. Exercise. Do more of what makes you happy. Spend time with people that make you happy. Surround yourself with positivity.

One day at a time: Remember that a journey of thousand miles begin with that one tiny step. Take one day at a time. Deal with one feeling at once. Allow yourself to be patient with your feelings. Celebrate when you find yourself at the end of the day without feeling anxious. Start afresh the next day. This one helps the most and you get closer to your goal each passing day.

Conclusively, I feel that nothing is impossible. Your mind basically works as you train it to work. We can’t stay positive and feel energetic all the time. In the most vulnerable times, we got to be patient-let it pass-and then must engineer our mind to get back to the positive outlook in life. The reason behind our anxiety might vary but the path to recovery is almost similar. Remember, there is always a way out if you dare to take the first step. Life is beautiful and we must try our best to live every day.