How do you stay positive?

[Boring monologue following, keep scrolling.]

I seem to always focus on the negative things and it's miserable not only for myself but also the people around me. I think about doing things more than doing them. I'm in my own head a lot. It's difficult to let go. I mask a lot (i.e. try to act normal, to not be [or rather feel] judged).

I'm trying to change - from today - by not complaining anymore about things out of my control, spending less time online / more outside and doing more sports. It would probably do me good to find an outdoors hobby, ideally a social/cooperative activity with some physical activity.

I just needed to let this out. To write it down and commit it to the void.

What I have learned about myself thru meditation is that there is no need to stay positive as it is merely an emotion. I am aware that emotions change very rapidly as our thoughts do, and it would be impossible to stay positive all the time, so I make no effort to control them. Instead, I try to focus on that fact that I am not my emotions, but emotions are like a state which occupy my awareness temporarily. Idk if that’s all bullshit but it helps me out a lot…

How do you stay positive?

- That's the neat part. You don't.

With positive I didn't mean "always blissful", but rather "not be always negative about (almost) everything to a degree it makes the wife unhappy".

@Nanos

> This can be a good thing !

For something with high stakes, sure. But it can be a problem otherwise.. I believe for me it's maladaptive perfectionism (to cope with doing things too quickly in the past) and procrastination (thinking about doing something can be easier than actually doing it).

> I think for the most part, being negative is just spotting the world for what it really is.

But does it improve the world or my life? I'm very unhappy with the state of many things, but I feel there's almost never effective ways to change them (a lot requires political will). Those that ignore the issues (or aren't even questioning them) seem to be be happier..

> picnic

I would consider the physical activity of a picnic to be rather limited, but I guess that depends how much stuff you carry!