Negativity is a toxic force. It’s the most proletariat of all mental states, and yet it affects probably everyone you know, including yourself. It surely includes me. I’ve been trying to tell myself for years that I’m not a negative person and that I can make any situation a positive one whenever I want to. However, sometimes even trying to convince yourself that you are something that you aspire to be isn’t enough. Sometimes you need to be real with yourself—don’t falsely tell yourself that you’re perfect and that you should bundle your feelings in a snuggly blanket of denial. Be honest with yourself and tell yourself it’s ok to be negative some of the time.
Although this advice might be lost on some, I find that if you accept your flaws and allow yourself to be a little unhappy now and again, your life will go on. The only way negativity gets dangerous is when you spiral, which happens to everyone. During times of stress or sadness, it’s normal to be a little bit negative. Things aren’t perfect! It’s okay! Buuuuut, once you realize that you’re getting into a rut and need to spin the situation, it’s time to crawl out of your hole, throw off the snuggly blanket, and take a deep breath.
Recently I found myself in a situation where I realized my negativity was becoming an impediment to my daily life. Although this sounds severe, I was able to overcome my internal monologue by acknowledging my feelings. Once you are able to understand that feeling a little bit negative about your life, you can take a step back and reassess the situation.
Let’s say you’re studying for a test and you realize that you have way more to do than you remember. You are stressed, you have tons of other stuff on your plate, tons of due dates for papers and projects, you’re gonna fail a class, not get into med school, live on the street like a bum, and lose your legs like that war hero in Forrest Gump. Your life is a mess and you can never make it better. Ever.
WAIT! You just remembered that you can check off that pesky email you needed to send to a professor about an extension. Phew. He granted it! One thing off your plate—not so bad, right? That’s the start to turning things around. One thing at a time, it will get easier. Just remember to take a step back from your spiral, acknowledge the negativity, tell yourself it’s normal, and start climbing out of that hole, my friends!