From time to time we all go through periods when life can get a little tough. Nobody sails through life without experiencing their fair share of hiccups. The key to coping is to take positive steps to overcome negative situations – and to have self love. 

Don’t be the person who hits a hurdle and gives up. Be the person that takes a knock, deals with it, and moves on. Here are some helpful hints to get you thinking.

Using Self Love to Overcome Negative Situations

Be kind to yourself

Most of us give ourselves a hard time on a regular basis. If something goes wrong, it’s automatically our fault – even if somebody else is actually to blame. If you’re guilty of doing this, stop it now! When was the last time you actually gave yourself a break? Are you the friend that everyone turns to when they need a pep talk or a shoulder to cry on? If so, offer yourself the same level of support and love. Speak to yourself in the same way you’d talk to your best friends. The last thing you need when things are hard is tough love.

Have some perspective

Now and then, things happen that are genuinely life: changing and tragic. However, most of the time, we tend to get ourselves worked up over issues that really aren’t that horrendous. Just because you’ve had a bad day at work, it doesn’t mean that the world is ending. Another awful date doesn’t mean that you’re destined to be single forever (even though I definitely thought that for a long time).

When you’re feeling stressed or upset, take a step back and think about whether the situation is actually as bad as you think it is. It’s natural to have emotional responses (I should know, I’ve been known to be a touch emotional) but try and be rational. 

Banish negative thoughts

Have you ever actively tried to think positively? Not all of us are natural optimists. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t stop thinking negative thoughts if you put your mind to it. If you dwell on the bad in every situation, you’ll fail to see the good. Even scenarios that seem terrible may actually bring positive outcomes.

Take a breakup, for example. You could convince yourself that this is the saddest life event you’ll ever go through and condemn yourself to a life alone. Alternatively, you could see the end of the relationship as a chance to move on, make a change and find true love.

Relationships end for a reason. If it wasn’t working, why beat yourself over it? Sometimes it takes failed partnerships to show you what real love really looks like. If you can teach yourself to be more positive, you’ll find that life is much easier and more pleasant. You can cope with bumps in the road more effectively and you’ll gain more enjoyment out of everything you do.

Have self love

At times, we all have to deal with negative situations. We’re all different, and we react in different ways. It can be hard to be positive at times when you think everything is tumbling down around you. However, there is always a way out and a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, these steps will help you to cope during difficult times and to adopt a more positive outlook on life and masses of self love.

This “Self Love” post was contributed to The Lady-like Leopard.