Feelings of loneliness, anxiety, sadness or stress are all feelings that usually worsen our mood. As a result of these feelings, some people may start to see things as negative and even hopeless. They may think efforts to combat difficult feelings are pointless or doomed to fail.
A skill to combat this tendency to focus on the negative is to practice finding the silver linings in different situations, a strategy first described in the “Managing worry over an unsolvable problem” segment of STAND Tips. Finding the not-so-bad — or even positive — aspects of any situation can help break the negativity cycle and lighten our mood. Consider the following, for instance:
- Being apart or far away from loved ones is sad. Whether because of a move, a break in the school year, illness or simply busy schedules, it is difficult to be missing those people and wishing to see them. On the other hand, there are huge benefits to living in a time when we have the technology that makes it so easy to communicate with people who are far away or hard to see.
- It’s hugely disappointing when you miss out on something you were looking forward to because of an unforeseen circumstance or conflict in your schedule. But consider that a break can give you time to focus on relationships you’ve been neglecting or projects you’ve been putting off. You might even take the time to practice some relaxing self-care.
Downloadable resources to use on your own
Information Sheet
Fillable Activities
