Negativity. That blackhole of despair that can suck you down and trap you in.
We all feel negativity, but how do we escape it?
I know personally that it’s very easy for me to slip into a negative mindset. One second I’m happy, but then one tiny thing goes wrong, and I begin to feel like I am drowning. All I can do is think about the bad things. But I know how to escape those thoughts. I’ve been going to therapy for almost four years now, and one of the first things my therapist taught me was how to deal with negativity. I was being bullied at the time so the only thing I could seem to think about was that. And what she told me really changed my life. She told me that when I start thinking about all of those things, that I’m giving them my energy, and they don’t deserve my energy. She told me to imagine a big eraser and just imagine it erasing those thoughts, and it has helped me ever since.
Now, there are obviously other ways to deal with negativity. Another way that I like is that when I start thinking about the bad things, I make myself stop and instead think of all the good things. For example, I had a roommate coming into Auburn, but Auburn didn’t end up being the right place for her, so she left. I’ve lived alone ever since and I find myself starting to feel lonely and hopeless sometimes; but when I do that, I always manage to turn it around. Yes, I may live alone now, but I won’t next year. And I’m not alone, I have wonderful friends that care about me and talk to me, and I get to do the things that I love. When you think this way, you find that the good always outweighs the bad.
Not being negative feels impossible sometimes, and it has honestly taken me forever to learn how to deal with it. There is a way, you just have to work for it. So, next time you feel yourself being swallowed by that blackhole, just remember that you can always light a candle.