Views expressed in guest blogs are the author’s own. 

Positivity can be helpful in relation to a person’s mental health and also be used to benefit those around them. The ability to not allow negative events to affect one’s headspace is not always easy, but a useful skill. That being said, the goal here is not to inflict toxic positivity but encourage a push towards a better mindset.

Toxic positivity needs to be acknowledged because often it results in someone feeling like their emotions are invalid when they are legitimate. This can happen when people are told, “don’t worry, everything will be fine” or “just shake it off”. While it is beneficial to try to maintain a positive mindset, it is important to not dismiss the emotions of oneself or others.

A year ago, I didn’t know how to take any meaningful steps forward. Though every situation is different, I hope these three tips can help you find positivity in difficult times – like a pandemic.

STEP 1: Find someone to talk to. Even if you may not think that your challenges are extreme, your feelings are always valid and should not be lessened by the idea that others may have it worse. Everyone can benefit from seeking help whether that be therapy or finding someone trusted to confide in. In order to benefit from therapy, you must be open to receiving help. Personally, I learned that finding a therapist can be difficult, draining, and expensive – so it’s ok if you choose a different outlet or path. Even confiding in a close friend or family member can be calming and help you refocus. In this strange, virtual space, I found that keeping consistent contact with loved ones helped to provide a sense of normalcy to balance out the uncertainty of these times.

STEP 2: Highlight the positives. When things were tough, I found myself overwhelmed by the ugly. To try to pull myself out of what started to feel like a never-ending dark hole, I started what I called a “positivity journal”. For this practice, I would set aside about five minutes every morning and record statements of gratitude, self-affirmations, and hopes for the future. Before I even checked my cell phone notifications, I wanted to gift myself a little positivity.

This concept is similar to a diary. However, I didn’t just record all my thoughts and feelings of the previous day. Instead, my positivity journal enabled me to focus on and extract out positives in life, even when times felt fairly bleak. Looking back at my journal, I wrote about being grateful that the Oregon sun came out, appreciating the calmness of morning, and even threw in a few self-affirmations (“I can graduate, I can pass this test, I am powerful”). The writing sometimes felt purposeless at first, but looking back, the days, weeks, and months of bite-size positivity helped me to persevere through the tough times. Whether you do this at the beginning or end of your day, it can help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression.

Excerpts from my positivity journal

STEP 3: Incorporate movement into your day. When I started my self-help journey, I found it difficult to dedicate time for my mental health. By blocking off time to either walk, work out, perform grounding exercises, or stretch daily, you are simultaneously bettering both your physical and mental health. These activities allowed me to take some desperately needed time away from screens, virtual college and internships, along with specific stressors in my life – replacing that with a new perspective. Additionally, if you are able to do these things outside, your body will appreciate the sunshine and fresh air.

As we experience a new phase of the pandemic in 2021, it can be hard to pull yourself out of the rut of the past year and a half. For many of us, our environment has been limited to four walls and a computer screen. Change is scary (even if you’re not a recent college grad starting a new chapter of your career in a new city). Trying just one of these tactics suggested above, or finding one that works better for you, could make a great deal of a difference for your mental health. Who knows? A single entry in a positivity journal could evolve into your own storytelling journey. You might just realize your story is even brighter than you gave yourself credit for.

Views expressed in guest blogs are the author’s own.

This past year was not what anybody expected. It is definitely not what I had pictured for the second half of my junior year and full senior year of college. I thought this period of my life was going to be full of excitement, socialization, and personal growth. Instead, I – and the rest of the world – was greeted with unprecedented fear, grief, and loneliness. During this time of immense uncertainty and fear in the world, I knew I needed to be grateful for the health and safety of my friends and family. However, as time went on, I found it difficult to maintain my positivity without an end to the pandemic in sight. In the fall of my senior year, I made a conscious decision. I was going to dig myself out of this rut, improve my headspace, and take small actionable steps every day.

Positivity can be helpful in relation to a person’s mental health and also be used to benefit those around them. The ability to not allow negative events to affect one’s headspace is not always easy, but a useful skill. That being said, the goal here is not to inflict toxic positivity but encourage a push towards a better mindset.

Toxic positivity needs to be acknowledged because often it results in someone feeling like their emotions are invalid when they are legitimate. This can happen when people are told, “don’t worry, everything will be fine” or “just shake it off”. While it is beneficial to try to maintain a positive mindset, it is important to not dismiss the emotions of oneself or others.

A year ago, I didn’t know how to take any meaningful steps forward. Though every situation is different, I hope these three tips can help you find positivity in difficult times – like a pandemic.

STEP 1: Find someone to talk to. Even if you may not think that your challenges are extreme, your feelings are always valid and should not be lessened by the idea that others may have it worse. Everyone can benefit from seeking help whether that be therapy or finding someone trusted to confide in. In order to benefit from therapy, you must be open to receiving help. Personally, I learned that finding a therapist can be difficult, draining, and expensive – so it’s ok if you choose a different outlet or path. Even confiding in a close friend or family member can be calming and help you refocus. In this strange, virtual space, I found that keeping consistent contact with loved ones helped to provide a sense of normalcy to balance out the uncertainty of these times.

STEP 2: Highlight the positives. When things were tough, I found myself overwhelmed by the ugly. To try to pull myself out of what started to feel like a never-ending dark hole, I started what I called a “positivity journal”. For this practice, I would set aside about five minutes every morning and record statements of gratitude, self-affirmations, and hopes for the future. Before I even checked my cell phone notifications, I wanted to gift myself a little positivity. This concept is similar to a diary. However, I didn’t just record all my thoughts and feelings of the previous day. Instead, my positivity journal enabled me to focus on and extract out positives in life, even when times felt fairly bleak. Looking back at my journal, I wrote about being grateful that the Oregon sun came out, appreciating the calmness of morning, and even threw in a few self-affirmations (“I can graduate, I can pass this test, I am powerful”). The writing sometimes felt purposeless at first, but looking back, the days, weeks, and months of bite-size positivity helped me to persevere through the tough times. Whether you do this at the beginning or end of your day, it can help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression.

Excerpts from my positivity journal 

STEP 3: Incorporate movement into your day. When I started my self-help journey, I found it difficult to dedicate time for my mental health. By blocking off time to either walk, work out, perform grounding exercises, or stretch daily, you are simultaneously bettering both your physical and mental health. These activities allowed me to take some desperately needed time away from screens, virtual college and internships, along with specific stressors in my life – replacing that with a new perspective. Additionally, if you are able to do these things outside, your body will appreciate the sunshine and fresh air.As we experience a new phase of the pandemic in 2021, it can be hard to pull yourself out of the rut of the past year and a half. For many of us, our environment has been limited to four walls and a computer screen. Change is scary (even if you’re not a recent college grad starting a new chapter of your career in a new city). Trying just one of these tactics suggested above, or finding one that works better for you, could make a great deal of a difference for your mental health. Who knows? A single entry in a positivity journal could evolve into your own storytelling journey. You might just realize your story is even brighter than you gave yourself credit for.

Megan Lewis

She / Her / Hers 

B.S. Business Administration | University of Oregon

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