5 Ways to Make a Negative Experience More Positive

“The road to positivity is strewn with the abandoned vehicles of the faint-hearted.”
~Peter McWilliams

Each of us experience setbacks in life, all of which provide us with valuable lessons about the human condition. It is not the setback itself that influences your future, but rather how to react to the negative situation. You’ve heard the adage many times about turning lemons into lemonade, right? Well, this sentiment is absolutely true and can tremendously improve your quality of life.

Turning a negative experience into something more positive isn’t always easy. In fact, some of the most tragic moments in our life seem never-ending when we are experiencing them. However, there is always a way to take a bad situation and extract something positive from it. Below are five ways to do just that.

1. “This too shall pass.” That is what you should initially tell yourself when something bad happens. Repeat those words in your head and even aloud if it helps. The important thing is that you do not panic, as this will only exasperate the negative experience. Every bad moment in your life will end, which can be a comfort during the worst of times.

2. Find purpose in the experience. Some people believe that everything happens for a reason. While you may not buy into that philosophy, you can at least giveeach experience a purpose. Try to think of a lesson that the experience has taught you. Did you meet a new friend while going through this time? Did you learn how not to do something?

3. Keep your sense of humor handy. This applies to everything in your life. Almost every situation allows for a bit of levity, so remain humble and try seeing the humorous side of things. Even if it isn’t appropriate to joke about something aloud, you can make humorous observations in your mind to keep you on a positive track.

4. Don’t dwell on negative moments. You will not help anyone by stewing in a moment that has already passed. Whether you were hurt, embarrassed or both, the negative emotions you felt before should not remain fresh in your psyche. If you continue to dwell in the negative, you will never find your way out again.

5. Set a new goal to work towards. As I said before, you should never dwell in your past negative experiences. Sometimes it is hard to get out of a funk, however. The best way to rise up from a bad experience and move on from a situation is to set new, positive goals to focus on. This will give you something good to strive for and will take your mind off whatever has occurred.

This article was contributed by Heather Johnson.