Weekly Wellbeing: Finding the Silver Lining
11.09 Weekly Wellbeing: Finding the silver lining
This weeks well-being activity is about finding the silver lining in tough times. I want to preface this exercise by saying that finding the positives in a negative situation isn’t always easy! It’s a way of thinking that takes practise.
Turning negatives into positives is all about
- Defining your experiences and how you remember them
- Building capacity for positive thinking habits
- Reclaiming a sense of control in a situation
- Cultivating resilience
So how can we find the silver lining?
Some things to consider when trying to turn negatives into positives are..
- What have I learnt from this experience?
- What skills/understanding do I have now that I didn’t before?
- Can I help others using this experience?
- How can I find a creative way to express how I feel about this experience?
Activity:
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
Comments
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
I try to do this regularly, although I struggle with it quite a bit. For example, a negative I'm feeling at the moment is uncertainty about whether moving back in with my parents is the right decision or not. I'm really going to miss my best friend and I'm worried that we won't be as close when we're not living together. However, I'm looking at it as a strength: I've learnt that I can live out of home, and that I am an acceptable housemate. Plus, we've planned regular catch ups for when we move out, and I know I'll have more time to study when we're not living together.
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
I think I'm more resilient than I ever would have expected. I can be self-compassionate and gentle with me, and I can put aside what other people have said to me or believe about me in favour of what I feel/know to be true. I've learnt that I have a variety of coping strategies, and can always try something new to get through. I find it helpful to write fictional stories about stuff I've experienced - creative expression can be a great way to process.
such a pretty gif @Bre-RO !
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
This year of uni hasn't turned out the way I planned it to at all, and I've decided not to follow the route I've been planning for years. Tbh, don't know what i'm doing next year. BUT I've learned so much without the pressure of competing against my classmates and i've become a lot more flexible in the way i think about the future, so there's no regrets here 😄 it's been a period of growth 
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
I've learned that i'm more capable than i tend to give myself credit for at times
@drpenguin @lennycat2017 @ecla34
It's really nice to read back on how you all have been able to find the silver lining in a challenging situation. I think these responses really show that, in life there are crazy twists and unexpected turns that we can't control - but what we can choose is what we make of those challenges.
Honestly, all of you are stronger than this guys beard!!
I'm a little late to this weekly wellbeing but love this @Bre-RO - such a great exercise for feeling more positively about difficult situations.
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
To use an example from this year I was really nervous about going on placement this semester. I was fortunate to have completed a subject at University in my first semester of this year that had an assignment focusing on positive reframing where I was able to apply it to this situation. I reframed it as an exciting learning opportunity that was also an essential stepping stone to graduating. I also found it helpful to identify what elements of the situation I could control (Eg selecting which placement felt like a good fit, preparing my applications and for interviews, etc) and put effort into those.
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
I've learnt that I really value learning, new opportunities and that that I am more resilient and capable than I give myself credit for!
@drpenguinthanks for sharing - such a great mindset to take into future 🙂
@lennycat2017juggling different roles can be so tricky! I'm in a similar situation at the moment and I loved the way you positively reframed it.
@ecla34 so good to hear your year has been a period of growth and that you've been able to learn so much despite your change of plans for the future 🙂
HELLO!!!
This is a great thread 
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
I am currently struggling to juggle 2 volunteering jobs, my normal job and final semester at uni. The other day I said 'I really hate where I am right now' because I just never seem to have a spare moment and it is overwhelming. However, I have been given the opportunity to study, to work and to volunteer at awesome organisations. My negative moment of being too busy turned into a positive of having the option to do that when other people do not.
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
I am currently learning the benefit of sacrifice and discipline to get through difficult times. Although my work load is a lot right now, its a short amount of time and the end goal is going to be very rewarding.
What a great activity for this week! It definitely isn't easy to see the positive in negative experiences.
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
I recently moved back home from overseas after completing my studies as I felt that working over there wasn't right for me after all. I had been living overseas for several years, so moving back home was a conflicting experience since I would be leaving behind my close friends and coming back to a place where I barely knew anyone besides my family. Despite the somewhat negative experience, I tried thinking about the positives that would come from my choice to move back home. Some positives included that I would be able to come live together with my family again, make more new friends, and be able to see and talk to my old friends any time I wanted.
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
One thing I've learnt about myself through difficult times is that although some situations feel negative or difficult, they do help us build resilience the next time something similarly negative occurs, like a sort of mental inoculation.
I think this is such a great activity! Better perspective taking is something I know I've really struggled with recently so it's awesome to read about how others turn what can initially seem like a negative experience into something they can get something (no matter how small) positive out of 🙂
Tell us about a time you turned a negative into a positive?
Recently I got some feedback on a pretty major assignment that was a little hard to hear and made me feel like my work ethic was being questioned. This was pretty hard for me and quite upsetting at the time because I really value the opinion of the person who have me the feedback and have quite a close and ongoing working relationship with them. This experience was something I was actually able to bring up with my counsellor and they helped me to realise that perhaps the feedback wasn't actually as bad as I thought it was. My counsellor helped me to notice that person who have the feedback and I have very different communication styles and that I was quite sensitive to some of the things this person said but they didn't necessarily mean anything harsh by it. This experience has really helped me to be more aware of different language and communication styles and how these can be interpreted - which is a really helpful thing to remember when you think you'll hear something that could be a bit upsetting 🙂
What positive things have you learnt about yourself through difficult times?
I've definitely learnt that I am someone who can get quite easily overwhelmed in the moment but that I do have the strength to overcome these things, move on and be happy again. There have definitely been days where the thought of just getting out of bed is mentally and emotionally exhausting - but you know what, what goes up must come down isn't always a negative statement. I always try to remember that no matter how high my anxiety may rise, it can't stay up there forever, it will come, I will pull through this and smile again. The best is still to come! 🙂 and it's so awesome and reassuring to find strength in these moments
@_Star_Gazer_17_ that's such a cool interpretation of that saying! It really highlights how important perspective is too!
Hi @drpenguin, it sounds like you have learnt a lot from this experience, and understand your internal resilience I think the concept that we learn when we are challenged is a really important point. We would love to hear more about your experiences and get to know you better if you would like to share in a new thread
