Maintain a Positive Attitude in Stressful Times as an Entrepreneur
Life can come at us hard and we need to be able to stay grounded. Here’s how I’m able to maintain a positive attitude in stressful times.
Quick Links:
- TIP: How to maintain a positive attitude in stressful times [Infographic Download]
- Episode Overview – How 5 Travel Disasters Reminded Me to Maintain a Positive Attitude in Stressful Times as an Entrepreneur
- Personal Note from Jenn Neal on maintaining a positive attitude in stressful times
- Episode audio [Podcast on Spotify]
- Blog Post – How to Maintain a Positive Attitude in Stressful Times
- Related Posts
TIP: How to maintain a positive attitude in stressful times
Time needed: 5 minutes
TIP: How to Maintain a Positive Mindset
When something goes wrong or stresses you out, identify what actually happened and what you learned from it. Then let it go. Here are some ways to help you do that:
- Celebrate
the good things in your life
- Get outside
connect with nature
- Move
your body
- Try
to not set expectations
- Enjoy
the journey as it unfolds
- Make
someone else happy
- Meditate
and talk to yourself
What’s In This Episode
As an entrepreneur it can be really tough to maintain a positive attitude, especially in stressful times. On a recent trip I had 5 major things happen which could have ruined the trip or started a negative spiral. Instead, I looked at how to stay the course and enjoy the journey. I focused on the importance of goal setting and looking for the positive and discovered that keeping the entrepreneurial and business motivation starts from these things. Join me on site as I share how I cleared my mind and focused on staying motivated even during tough times and maintaining a positive outlook.
Jenn Neal on maintaining a positive attitude in stressful times
And here I am six months in and haven’t traveled at all. So I felt like it was absolutely time to make that happen, and so you should travel too.
-Jenn Neal
Travel Disasters & Mindset: How to Maintain a Positive Attitude in Stressful Times
2020 thus far has been a year like no other. Never did I expect we’d be in the middle of a long, mind blowing lockdown to “flatten the curve”. Many of us have found ourselves stoved up, stricken with cabin fever, and in serious need of some good old-fashioned leg-stretching. If that describes you, you’re not alone. If you’re thinking of taking an extended vacation, having a quick jaunt around the block, or something in-between, the first thing I’d say is go for it!
However, if you take a look at the video that led to this blog post (check out the YouTube video above!), you’ll see that travel doesn’t always go off without a hitch. During my adventures, following the lockdowns, I found that the little hiccups that came my way really threatened to ruin my ability to enjoy my vacation. So I sat down with myself and said, “Okay, am I going to let this sabotage my entire trip?” Of course, the answer was No way!
Here, I’m going to share some of the insights that I picked up from fellow travelers and teachers on how to stay positive in the face of turbulence, both real and figurative. Let these lessons correspond to every aspect of your life and business.
As an entrepreneur, are you going to let setbacks, disappointments, and losses stop you from being a success in your business? Of course not! Use these tips to help you maintain a productive life and business while being happier, and healthier. Let’s get to it!!
Maintain a Positive Attitude
“This too shall pass.” So goes the familiar adage. The wisdom behind it is just as reassuring as it is sobering. The idea is, when trouble rear its ugly head, to remind yourself that this moment of unpleasantness is not going to last. It is not representative of life as a whole, and you can expect life to return to its median. Naturally, the idea applies to the good things in life as well. With wisdom, we can think of this phrase during good times to remind us to appreciate them and to not take them for granted. This is a simple way to get a big mental health benefit in one easy move.
Meditate for Positivity
I know, a lot of people think it’s wishy-washy. But, meditation has been proven to make people less depressed, less anxious, and able to perform better under pressure. It’s a way to turn the wisdom embedded in the phrase “this too shall pass” into a kind of mental posture that we can learn to take on at any time and place. I admit, I’m no expert, but the science is pretty solid. And, I’m fairly sure it hasn’t been around for thousands of years for nothing.
Change Your Self-Talk
We all have what’s called automatic thoughts. More times than not, these automatic thoughts are negative. They are usually about unpleasant things that happened in the past and possible unpleasant things that may happen in the future. You can’t turn these things off. It’s a biological function of the brain. But, what you can do is interrogate those thoughts and correct them when they are unpleasant or unkind.
By tapping in and paying attention to your thoughts, you can identify when you’re having unpleasant thoughts or speaking to yourself in a negative way. In turn, you’ll turn the negative thought into a positive one. By simply stopping and acknowledging your negative thoughts and turning them positive, you’ll start to re-wire your brain to think more positively.
Always remember, speak to yourself as you’d speak to a friend. You wouldn’t speak to a friend in a negative manner, would you? Be kind to yourself. Standing up for yourself when these thoughts are negative. Correct them, remind them to be kind- and whatever you do- do not believe what they say! Negative thoughts lie.
Eat Higher Quality Food
I know it’s tough, especially when you’re on the road. But the quality of the food you eat can make or break your ability to handle stress. That being said, don’t be afraid to indulge yourself once in a while. Our self-control is like a muscle, and when it’s worn out, we have no defense against temptations. So, give your self-control a rest once in a while, just to keep enough self-control in the tank to avoid going completely off the rails.
Fuel your body with healthy food. Providing nourishment will in turn help you function on a higher level. Believe it or not, eating a healthy diet will also help you to be more positive. When you feel better inside, you’re more apt to be more positive! Better health and a better mindset? Absolutely!!
A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way
No, you don’t need to become a gym rat or run marathons. But, getting regular exercise can improve your health and mindset in a huge way. Research shows that a little bit of daily exercise is as good or better for anxiety and depression than medication! It could be just a few minutes of jogging in place each day, or better yet, a brisk walk outside in the fresh air. (Fresh air and sunlight are natural antioxidants, after all!) It could be a happy dance you do after you get out of the shower. Just get the blood moving each day. You’ll be happier, feel better, and will progressively want to do more!
All in all, leading a healthy, more positive lifestyle will absolutely help you have a better quality of life. There will always be things that happen in life to throw us a loop, and not go as we plan. However, it’s no reason to allow those little things to take over our entire experience. With a little bit of positivity and forgiveness to ourselves, every negative can be turned into a positive. And the more you strive to be positive, the easier it will become! I promise, just simple little changes can change your entire life!
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