Turning Negatives Into Positives
At the suggestion of Lightuptheworld, I thought I'd start another 'Turning Negatives into Positives' thread like there is on the old forum. Below is a quote from Antria who started the thread on the previous forum which I think explains the idea of the thread quite well.
"Sometimes it can be helpful to turn our thinking around and begin to challenge the way we look at things. Turning negatives into positives is a way of doing this! Basically, think of something that happened today, this week, this month or at some other time that felt negative and see if you can find a positive in it (or that came out of it)."
I find posting in this thread really helps me to look at things in a different way or see positives that I might not have noticed if I'm in a negative headspace. I'll start the ball rolling:
Negative: My friend didn't turn up to class this morning and I was worried I would be alone because I don't really know anyone else in the class.
Positive: It gave me a chance to sit with new people and get to know them better 🙂
Over to you!
Positive: The getting real session today has calmed me down and made me feel a lot less alone.
Negative: I got fired
Positive: Just means I'll have more time for TAFE next year
Negative: Been feeling the pressure to succeed the past few weeks. It seems to really be getting ontop of me again. I feel like I'm fighting an army of expectations and pressures, where it's 1 against a million.
Positive: I'm holding in there. I'm continuing to fight, because I know there is only a short time left.
Negative: Despite there being only a short time left, a part of me is feeling like the pressure is just way too high.
Positive: I'm surviving. I'm slowly fighting through it 🙂
Negative: I'm feeling rather overwhelmed with the concept of the exams next month, it terrifies me!
Positive: I know I'll be fine. I'll walk in and do my best. That's all I CAN DO. If I flunk out, I do. I'm going to try and not overstress myself out too much 🙂
Negative: Got into another fight with a close peer today. I wanted to avoid this exact thing!
Positive: I was doing what I felt best. (And I guess I made the wrong call by walking away during lunch, but I maintain that there was no use in me sitting there in the cafe as there was no conversation going, it was them two talking over their Ipod.) I did what I felt was best for ME.
Negative: Haven't been feeling the best mentally recently. I've not been able to concentrate, it's like I've lost the ability to do basic things with school again. I'm staring off into space. Concentration shot. Blergh. This scares me with HSC exams next month 😕
Positive: I know this is because I've over stressed, burnt myself out. I should recover enough to study before exams and do my best. Whatever happens, happens. I can't beat myself up if I don't do extremely well, I will have done my best which is all that really matters. I just need to remember to RELAX everynow and then. 🙂
Negative: Today's meeting didn't go very well and we may have 'burnt a few bridges'.
Positive: We did the best we could given the situation. We were honest and true to ourselves and we did the right thing.
- Hopeful
Positive: At least I'll probably find out why I've been having these breathing/chest problems.
Negative: I'm super scared of the test I'm having on Monday.
Positive: I need to have, it might show something, it might not.
Neg: Feeling a HUGE amount of pressure to have everything sorted by the time I start university... I honestly don't think I will have it all sorted... which makes me more anxious and it's just this huge vicious cycle.
Pos: I have a huge amount of support. It's really quite great.
Neg: I only have one shift this week. I'm already super broke.
Pos: I'm applying for another job that's closer to home. It's a photography job with is AWESOME! *fingers crossed*
Neg: I have to wait 2 more weeks until my kitten is ready to come home...
Pos: I'm actually getting a kitten.
Negative: realised I was just sitting here staring at the work to start my IP for drama
Positive: I moved on from my IP and onto Australian Drama and theatre work
Negative: Just realised I was sitting here crying, not sure what I'm crying over but I feel horrible and yeah
Positive: I've come online to try and take my mind off it so I can get on with yesterdays work
Negative: I feel a bit bad because I haven't done any of my school work yet, and I've got a fair bit to do
Positive: I have been looking after myself both physically and mentally!
Negative: Negative thoughts keep poping up to every positive I try and write - almost like I'm fighting with myself 😕
Positive: I'm not going to write them. I have taken actions the past couple days to look after myself both physically and mentally and it should be enough.
Negative: Dad told me a friend rang up while I was out getting another logbook for drama... I haven't spoken to her since our fight and really not wanting to talk to her... And I can't help but think that she'll either blast me or that she's just wanting help with something she's stuck on...
Positive: If she rang she must be wanting to sort it out? She actually wants to talk to me?
Negative: My arm is now kicking it's feet in the their and being sore, I did too much and haven't taken panadol and have ditched the sling
Positive: It's done fairly well, it's not as sore as what it was yesterday and even though I have done a few things I'm doing well without the sling 😄
Negative: Feeling a bit down even though I've written all these out and have tried to bring myself up...
Positive: I've done really well, I have 2 whole days where I didn't emotionally cry! I went 2 whole days without looking on teh negative side of anything! I went a whole day with an extremely sore arm in a sling that was too low, hurting my shoulder blade and choking me, where I was positive about everything! And even though I was sore I wasn't upset because I tripped and missed school. I was okay with what happened and was really optimistic. So in contrast, feeling a bit blue now could be because I've just come off a whole day and a bit of being on panadiene... I should be happy with how I have handled things these past couple days 🙂 Little steps
Negative: Fell over last night and suffering today because of it...
Positive: Nothing is broken, I'm taking pain relief regularly too 🙂
Negative: The sling they gave is uncomfortable and I'm so uncomfortable
Positive: The sling is helping suport my arm so I guess I should be grateful 🙂
Negative: I can't take any more pain relief for another 2 hours and feeling like the pain relief I took a couple hours ago was useless 😕
Positive: I'm going to be okay, I just need to distract my mind from the pain & I should be good then 🙂
Negative: Brought up the topic of wanting to defer for another year with mum... let's just say it didn't end well...
I just feel like there's too much pressure to get everything 'right' before uni, adding to stress and blehhh.
Positive: Still working on that....
Negative: Didn't cope too well through today....
Positive: There was a couple good bits
Negative: After another blow up with J, I honestly felt like just going home and crying
Positive: I hung out with B again, we both felt the same way and had the same questions, we are more alike than I fIrst thought 🙂
Negative: According to J the blow up was my fault
Positive: I spoke it out with B and hung out on our wall 🙂
Negative: I wasn't copping too well a bit into drama, I was ready to walk out of the classroom.... We had no teacher, which is what caused me to feel that way in the first place...
Positive: There was a knock on the door and a note for me... I got to leave the room
Negative: It was the school counsellor that wanted me...
Positive: I got a little of my chest...
Negative: I froze, I couldn't think and went completely blank... she has a really odd way of doing things...
Positive: She gave me some links to look up and She said she'd write me down to see Mrs K on friday... So all is not hopeless....
Negative: I lost it as I reached the school gates
Positive: I was greeted with a hug from a friend than from another... and I got time to myself with walking home.... walking home also brought a friendly chat to my neighbour too, which calmed me right down and brought me back to current time
