Starting From the Bottom- Part 2

                              

Back in April I wrote a post called Starting from the Bottom- Part 1. You can view it here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/04/starting-from-bottom-part-1.html

It's about moving up from a low place to feeling better, and also improving your life. I was originally going to write just one post, but I decided to split it into two parts. The first one focused on feeling better and this one is about more actively working towards improving your life.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so if you're having mental/physical issues please seek medical help in addition to reading this. :)

 

So, if you're feeling really down, please refer to Part 1. (And also get professional help if you can.) :) I also wrote a post on feeling more positive which you can read here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/11/feeling-more-positive.html

 

So now onto the main part of the post!

Changing your mindset  

Once you're feeling better, then you'll be in more of a mindset to start actively working on changing your life. One of the methods I like to use for improving my life is the Law of Attraction (LOA). I've also used more traditional self-help methods, like CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and spiritual healing.

If the Law of Attraction (LOA) is something you're interested in, check out these posts:

Law of Attraction (basic/intro post): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2013/08/law-of-attraction.html

LOA Round-up: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/04/loa-round-up.html  

Law of Attraction (LOA) 2.0 (more in-depth): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/08/law-of-attraction-loa-20.html

 

Something that I find hard is believing in good things happening. I've talked before about how we all seem to have a "negativity bias" or negativity effect. In my 2nd post on happiness (part of a series called Feeling Your Emotions), I linked to this post about it: https://isntthatcharming.com/the-negativity-effect/

You can also read more about it here: https://positivepsychology.com/3-steps-negativity-bias/

So, if as humans we're naturally "wired" to be on the lookout for danger and threats, and we focus more on negative things, that does make it harder to think positively. The article above provides some suggestions for overcoming the negativity bias, such as self-awareness and challenging negative self-talk, mindfulness and savouring positive moments. You can find a small section on mindfulness in my Manifesting and Mental Health- Part 2 post (LOA themed): https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/12/manifesting-and-mental-health-part-2.html

Sometimes we might have been starting to feel better and then something happens that brings us down again. Here is a post about staying positive during difficult times: https://itsallyouboo.com/how-to-stay-positive-no-matter-what/

The title is "How to Stay Positive No Matter What" but I don't know if these tips could apply in every situation. 

Also check out this post about positive thoughts to start the day with: https://chaptersofmay.com/positive-thoughts/

 

And here are a couple of videos about focusing on good things:

Only Good Things Manifest here (Leeor Alexandra): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLv1CnOECqc

Let Life Feel Good and MANIFEST EVERYHING (Dominee of Brown and Bendy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNpztXMnh2k

 

Working on it

If you're not quite there yet (which I'm not), you can try "realistic thinking" which is about taking notice of everything (the good, bad and in between experiences in life), while also working on seeing the positive more. The Feeling Your Emotions series I've written on here is about looking at and working towards accepting our different emotions. You can find all posts here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/search/label/Feeling%20Your%20Emotions 

Forcing yourself to focus on the positive all the time can be what's called "toxic positivity". I linked to a post about this in my Feeling More Positive post when mentioning this, but didn't actually list the link out, so here it is: https://www.jodiemelissa.com/2020/10/toxic-positivity-vs-helpful-positivity.html

And here's another post about it: https://lonerwolf.com/good-vibes-only/

 

Here is a good post about realistic thinking from psychologist Dr. Allison: https://drallisonanswers.com/happiness/dont-believe-positive-thinking/

 

And here is another one from Amy Clover of Strong Inside Out, about how she started looking on the bright side while "keeping it real":  https://stronginsideout.com/real-way-to-look-on-the-bright-side/

Two of her suggestions are having gratitude for what you have, while also acknowledging what needs to change. She also mentions accepting the things you can't change, at least not right now (which I know can be very hard, I struggle with acceptance myself!). Her last two steps are to do something about it if you can and ask yourself what else is possible.

 

Back in 2015 I wrote a post about believing things are possible (Law of Attraction themed). You can read it here if you like: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-is-possible-loa.html

This is something I still find hard, may do another post on it in future!

 

That's about it for now. I had some more ideas for this post but I've been going through quite a stressful time while writing it (then wasn't well these past few days), and can't seem to pull it all together! So perhaps I will do another post (or similar one later). I do feel there's more to say about it.

I'd just like to finish by sharing this post from Diana of The Chic Life about how you always have a choice: https://thechiclife.com/2021/07/you-always-have-a-choice-surprisingly-more-than-you-may-think.html

I know sometimes it feels like you really don't, so I found it helpful to read this perspective on it. 

 

Hope you found these posts helpful! :) Do you have any tips about feeling better and improving your life? Please share below! :) 

Photo: Brighton Marina. Moonsparkle 2021.