Life gets rough at times. You may be experiencing personal challenges, surrounded by negative people, or inundated with bad news, but that doesn’t mean you need to let it get you down.

As I write this, our country and our world are full of conflict. People against people. Religion against religion. And, politics as a free for all.  It breaks my heart that words like “hatred” are part of our everyday news. It’s hard to stay positive with so much ugliness going on.

I want to stay informed, but limit my exposure to the news. I don’t have cable TV and only see regular newscasts in the morning at the local recreation center as I exercise. I do read headlines online from several different news sources and click on the stories I want to learn more about. I don’t feel guilty for limiting my exposure to the news. It keeps me balanced and able to support my friends, family, clients, and local community when needed.

You and I may not be able to resolve the challenges in the world, but we can stay positive and make a difference in our circles of influence. Being angry or depressed about the news or other challenging things in life does not serve anyone, especially not you. 

When the world has gone crazy, fill your heart with love that you can share with the people around you. Set peaceful intentions and model what being a good, loving, wholehearted human being looks like. If you can help one person smile or feel better you have impacted the world.

In order to be a positive influence or just stay sane, you need to take care of yourself. You must guard your internal well-being and embrace a world view that reminds you of all the good people on this Earth and alleviates any fear, sadness, hopelessness, or anger you feel.

And so, I am sharing some ideas with you today that might support you in this. Most of them are simple and easy to do. Simple and easy sound good right now.

Here they are:

1. Listen to uplifting music, maybe even have your own personal dance party
2. Go for a brisk walk
3. Vent your frustrations on paper and then destroy it in some way
4. Pray
5. Watch cat, puppy, or baby videos
6. Stop watching the news or at least limit your exposure to it
7. Watch a funny movie or do anything that makes you laugh
8. Spend time in nature
9. BAM what upsets you (bless it and move on)
10. Snuggle or play with your pets or children
11. Start writing daily in a journal
12. Surround yourself with people who lift you up
13. Volunteer or find someone worse off than you and help them
14. Take a little extra time with your appearance and wear something you feel great in
15. Read something uplifting
16. Watch children play
17. Avoid challenging conversations about politics or other issues
18. Expose yourself to good news and happiness tools like Good News Network or Happify
19. Do something loving for someone else
20. Give and receive hugs
21. Smile – it literally puts your brain in a more positive state
22. When you catch yourself focusing on negative thoughts -gently shift them
23. Do something special to nurture yourself, like a bath or massage
24. Bring a beautiful bouquet of flowers into your living space
25. Write a daily list of blessings, magical moments, or things you are grateful for

I hope this list supports you and would also would love to have you share any of your ideas in the comments below.

Let’s stay true to ourselves and not let these negative outside influences impact who we are, how we feel, or what we do in the world. 

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