If you ask people who know me to list one strong personality trait of mine, a lot would say that I have a pretty hot temper. It doesn’t take much to get me fired up. Generally, the things that really get me worked up are when people are inconsiderate of others. Cutting cars off in traffic, being rude to waiters and sales clerks, and the like. It’s the self-absorbed, negative nature of people that really ticks me off. The fact that I have no control over their actions just makes it all so unbearable to me. Since I have no control in these situations, I realized long ago that I needed to find a way to make them impact me less. What I discovered was that if I made the effort to eliminate negativity in other areas of my life, I was able to deal with these situations better.

Seeing and hearing negative things all the time takes a toll on us physically and mentally. Every time we have to control ourselves and ignore a situation that we aren’t a part of or can’t have an impact on, it wears us down. Mentally, we use up our will-power and energy. Physically, we raise our blood pressure and find unhealthy methods of coping to reduce our stress like eating or smoking.

Snacking for comfort has always been one of my go to stress-reducers. It’s an incredibly unhealthy habit. In my efforts to try to live better and more healthfully, I have incorporated five methods to eliminate negativity from my life. I’m still working on the fifth one, as it’s  the most difficult for me. However, I find that the combination helps me to better deal with stress and remain more positive overall. Sometimes I still have difficulty, but I’m seeing great progress!

Below are the five ways to eliminate negativity I’ve used with success. Once you’ve adopted these five habits, you’ll be well on your way to living a more positive, uplifting life!

5 Practical ways to eliminate negativity in your life

1-Stop Reading news

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t watch or read the news. You can read why here. In general, the news is negative. There are small bits of positivity but overall it is overwhelming, depressing, and worrisome. By eliminating reading and watching news reports you will have taken a huge step to eliminate negativity in your life.

2-Engage music in your life

It’s no secret that music can affect us in profound ways. In fact, I post a monthly top ten list to help people include meaningful music into their lives. Music is known to increase happiness and promote positivity. Take the time to listen to music actively each day. Sing along, dance along, thoroughly enjoy it to get the most out of it!

3-Remove toxic people from your life

We all have people in our lives that don’t bring out the best in us. They don’t take our ambitions seriously. They don’t lift us up. Their presence in our life is often one of convenience and not desire. They might be family members, friends, or coworkers. Identify these people and do your best to spend as little time as possible with them.

4-Spend more time with people who love you

Once you’ve removed the toxic people from your life, replace them with uplifting people. Make a conscious effort to spend time with those in your life that are positive, motivating, and inspiring. They are the people that are always behind you, encouraging you. Figure out who these people are and increase their presence in your life.

5-Practice Self Care

It’s so much easier to let the negativity get to you and bring you down when you’re not physically and mentally at your best. Therefore, practicing good self-care will help you in your quest to eliminate negativity from your life. Make an effort to eat well most of the time. Strive to get 30 minutes of physical activity a day. Also aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Finally, if you have a lot of stress in your life, try finding ways to calm yourself. Practicing meditation or yoga are excellent ways to reduce stress and increase calm.

What do you do to eliminate negativity in your life? Let me know below!