Lemons Into Lemonade: Turn Negative Events Into Positive Expression

The fact is, many of us rely on creating to express our emotions. All of us on are especially familiar with this process. Creating to express our emotions in any form has potential to be a healthy and life-giving experience.

We can use art and creative writing as a means to turn our negative feelings into a reckoning for positivity. Here are some thoughts about negative experiences and how we can write them into a corner when they try to bully us.

The Dangers of Holding in Our Pain

Our culture glorifies the idea of holding in your emotions. Men are often called weak for being expressive, and women are called crazy for expressing their emotions in any way. Neither of these is fair, as emotions are simply a part of the human experience, and there’s nothing weak about admitting to what you feel.

Here’s the fact: suicide rates are on the rise. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the suicide rate in the United States increased 24 percent from 1999 to 2014. The amount of adolescents — and we are talking early adolescents — that contemplate ending their lives or do end their lives as a result of cyberbullying has increased as well. In a recent UK study, 26 percent of respondents had suicidal thoughts, as a result of cyberbullying.

We have to normalize emotions and offer people practical ways to handle their trials in life. Even social work professionals admit we need to start thinking out of the box. I propose one of the best outlets for pain is through creative writing.

Write It Off

There is something so satisfying about forming the perfect sentence to describe what you’re going through. As long as you’re doing it for you and not to impress others, I think being able to work hard on this transfer from mind to paper is therapeutic. By writing about your negative experiences, you can process them, and learn from them. If you’re comfortable with it — share and relate it to others.

Here are some suggestions to turn your negative experiences into lemonade, through the power of writing.

Poetry Exercises

Poetry, lyric writing, and the like are the best places to employ your artistic license, due to the common “show don’t tell” mentality that’s so popularized in these communities. I personally find it useful to use poetry prompts in order to challenge yourself. The point of doing these exercises is to force you to write down your thoughts in a different way than just “I feel sad” or “I am angry.” You also are usually writing less — but it’s harder to get a good flow going. It’s a new form of expression for a lot of freelance writers and similar creatives and can influence your other writings as well.

Descriptive Nonfiction

This is something I struggled with originally due to my past writing song lyrics with metaphors. I had to drop all of that — which I now consider being mostly fluff — and switch to describing the actual scenes around me. Descriptive nonfiction lives in “show don’t tell,” more strictly than poetry does.

Retell your story. Use color, shape, and other physical descriptions. How red was your face from embarrassment or hurt? What were other people doing? How they moved, their facial expressions, and how did their face change and move as well? What words were they using? Of course, “show don’t tell” can also make for a traumatic retelling of a hard time, so gauge yourself and see if you can handle it first.

Letters to Yourself

Years ago, during one of my first breakups, I found myself writing letters late before bed. These letters were addressed to me, oddly enough. I never called it journaling or felt like I was writing a diary. I was very clearly writing a letter. Even though I was the recipient of these letters.

Physically writing my thoughts down on paper felt like I was transferring my emotions — like they were physically leaving my body. This was one of my initial experiences with the therapeutic effects of writing, and since then I’ve used writing to help myself through other breakups, loss of friends and family, and stressful life events.

Freewriting

It has been said that “bad writing is good for you,” and this may certainly be the case in your situation. Freewriting offers the comfort of no restrictions – just straight up word vomit until you need to eat again.

Some find this to be a positive and freeing experience. It offers them a way to put some elbow grease into releasing their emotions, but they don’t have to worry about anything else. This isn’t typically the writing you show people, but certainly, you can if you would like. It’s your lemonade.

Get a Little Abstract

Use weird prompts and exercises — and by “weird” I mean unusual to you — to stretch your writing and give you new ways to express yourself. The thing with writing prompts is that they work like writing games. You have to use them to finish a piece based on rules and restrictions you don’t typically adhere to. Some of the most satisfying pieces of writing I’ve done have been based on odd prompts, and it always feels like a new way to express my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

How To Encourage Others

As I mentioned earlier, we need to normalize negative emotions. Make them something to talk about, and make it usual to talk about them. Let’s innovate a bit and give struggling people healthy and positive ways to handle their pain.

We must live by example first, because telling people to talk about their issues doesn’t shut out the voices — external or internal — that make them feel uncomfortable doing so. Being encouraging and transparent, ourselves, can do that.

Now, how much more as a writer can we share our experiences tangibly, especially with other writers? We all struggle with life, so writing them down for others may actually give them something to lean on, and maybe vice versa. Make your own lemonade from life’s hardships.

Ultimately, transparency begets transparency

With that in mind, let’s strive for honesty and humility with each other, so we can destigmatize depression, formulate it into something positive, be it through writing or whatever other form of creation you choose, and gain something from it rather than lose everything to it.

How have you used writing or creativity to cope with bad experiences? Let me know in the comments below!

Author’s Bio

Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions. Avery lives in the United States.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Lemons Into Lemonade: How to Turn Negative Events into Positive Expression

How to Discover Your Why to Get Opened to Success

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s work has often been misquoted and misinterpreted. But let’s stick to this specific quote for now… It triggers something in you, doesn’t it? When you know where you’re headed, you will find the strength to stay on the right path. No defeat has the power to shake your world.

How do we find that why, so we’ll stay strong in the how?

We live, work, and have relationships. Also, have friends. None of it feels exactly right. We’re often exhausted, angry, unmotivated, confused… practically helpless. Do you know what the reason for the negative state of being is? Having no clear reason for our existence.

Most of us haven’t discovered our why because we’re afraid it might be too challenging for us. So we remain in that zone of comfort, living a life that doesn’t make us happy.

How do you make things right? It all starts with discovering your why. Let’s see how you can do that.

1. Define Your Own Vision of Success

How do you envision success? When you perceive someone as successful, you surely don’t feel that way just because they have money. Success is more. Is about traveling and seeing the world? Or about doing the thing you love? Is it about starting a beautiful family? Maybe it is about having a cozy home?

Define what success means to you. From there on, you’ll be able to start to discover your reason for living.

2. Define Your Current Priorities

  • Are you happy with what you have now? If yes, what are the things you’re happy about? If no, what are the things that make you unhappy?
  • What makes you successful or unsuccessful?
  • Would you change something in your life?
  • What current priorities should you abandon? What priorities should you set for your future?

Don’t cheat! Be honest with yourself. The answers will help you get on the right track.

3. Find Your Current Passion

Maybe you were truly passionate about your profession before, but you lost the enthusiasm somewhere along the way. It happens. Our passions may change over the years, but that change doesn’t happen with our true calling.

Look for the one thing you’re into right now. Don’t be afraid of revealing your current passion. Find ways to move things in that direction.

4. Ask and Answer the Right Questions

Did you discover a specific goal through the above-listed methods? Here are few more questions for you to answer:

  • Why do you want to achieve this goal?
  • What do you hate about your current way of life, your position in it, and your job?
  • Will your life get better once you achieve this goal?
  • Do you have to sacrifice anything to achieve the goal? Will you find the strength to do it?
  • What are the things that you’ll gain as soon as you reach this goal?

These questions will lead you to the answer to the ultimate question: is this your why?

5. Write a Personal Essay

You often forget about the brightest ideas when you don’t note them down. That’s why it’s important to write about your goal.

A personal essay will open your eyes to what your why is and how you can start living in accordance with that calling.

“Personal essays have the power to reveal the thoughts and feelings we’re hiding from ourselves”, agrees Paul Clarkson, a writer at AU BestEssays. “In fact, I recommend writing plenty of them. If possible, write one every day. It doesn’t matter how well you can write. This will be a personal practice that no one will grade. It’s all about understanding who you really are and what you need to do now to change for the better.”

6. Look for the Meaning

How does your job fit into society? How is your role important not only for you but for other people as well? Is that meaning valuable?

A teacher has a meaning. They are educating different generations of students and they are bringing them into the real world. Every profession has its meaning, but it’s important for you to find the purpose of what you do. Do you believe in that role, or would you like to do something else with your life?

7. Stay Confident

Set all doubt and disbelief aside. When you’re looking for your purpose in life, you’ll definitely face doubts. No matter how strong they are, they shouldn’t stop you from giving your why a try. Think about it: you might have discovered your purpose. That deserves your commitment.

Identifying your calling is not the easiest thing in the world. Even when you find your why you’ll face many challenges on the journey. But guess what: it’s the only right thing to do.

Author’s Bio

Lynn Adamsen is a freelance writer and editor from Edinburgh who has helped individuals and businesses with their writing challenges for almost a decade now. Now she is taking full advantage of the web copywriting course. Feel free to get in touch with@lynn_adamsen.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

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5 Steps To Train Yourself to Be More Positive Every Day

Everyone in the world would like to be positive and optimistic in their personal, professional and social life. People used to say a lot of times with others and also to themselves that they are positive and optimistic. However, they become negative when they face some bad situations in their life. Keep in mind that successful positive thinking people were effective to deal with their bad moments in life. They always consider that horrific moments are good means for them to taste the real feelings of good moments and also consider that bad moments are a way to develop their personality, skills and many more.

According to Winston Churchill, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” If you are negative to the difficult things that take place in your life, you can take this quote to your heart because you can get inspired from it and become a positive person. Being positive in your life offers you a lot of benefits like ability to take any risk, develop positive mindset, control your emotions, control your overall life, manage negative situations effectively, face challenging situations with ease, offer better health, boost your motivation, avoid stress and worries, build meaningful friendships and great relationships, etc.

Following are some of the steps or tips to help you to train yourself to be more positive:

1. Believe In Your Abilities and Skills

One of the first things that you should have in your life to become more positive is developing a faith in your skills and abilities. If you don’t have believe in your abilities, skills, knowledge and capabilities, you will automatically develop negative views about you. Believing in your abilities and skills gives you a lot of self-confidence and assurance about you. Train yourself to have ample faith in you, so you will be able to face any challenges and difficult situations in your life. It is also a great way to dig deep within you to overcome your unnecessary fears. If you believe in you, you can never let any person to bring you down.

2. Create Positive Thinking

If you would like to train yourself to be more positive, you should make sure to create positive thinking. People who have negative thinking in their life can never become a positive person. Negative thinking people will always think negatives and will not be able to take a step forward with confidence. Train your mind to reflect on what you want in life, and keep away from thinking about what you don’t want. Negative thinking depletes your energy and it is destructive. You can never find a good thing even in a positive thing if you maintain negativity in your life. So, think positive, take action with a positive state of mind, move forward in your life with positive mind, and never let negative aspects come into your mind under any circumstances.

3. Train Yourself to Smile

Smile can cure almost every bad feeling that you have in your life. If you maintain a smile in your face and if you could spread the same smile in your all activities every day, you will never think about negative things and be more positive. With a smile, you can face challenges in your life, take terrible things lightly, overcome difficult situations with ease, manage hardships in your life, and more importantly, influence the lives of people who are negative in their life. Keeping smile with you denote a happy, clean, pure and perfect mind where there is no negative or pessimistic thoughts. You can track your mind into being more positive is through smiling. Give a smile to the challenges, hardships, and many issues that occur in your life daily.

4. Forget Past and Live In The Present

You can train yourself to be more positive by forgetting past and living in the present. The best parts of people who are negative thinkers live in the past and they never ever try to forget bad or bitter things that occurred in their life. Forgetting bad and bitter things that happened in our past life is a great skill because it let you to live happily as well as peacefully. It will also aid you to think positively in your life and do things that are necessary for the moment. Thinking about past things will hinder your growth and stop you from doing even important things in your present life.  So, delete or format past events and live in the present to be more positive.

5. Share With Others

Sharing is a crucial thing in order to be happy and positive in our life. If you show the courage to share your personal matters with a person whom you can trust gives you more relief and energy. It will also aid you to rub out your negativity and develop a positive mind that is pure and spotless. When you share your matters with others, he or she can aid you to think positively and guide you to erase your negative feelings. Stress, tension, panics and worries can contribute to your negative thoughts.

Sharing will let you to avoid your stress, tension, panics and worries. You should also aim to be friends with positive people because others thoughts can influence your life greatly. In order to keep up their positive mindset, positive thinkers only surround themselves with people and things that will aid them to flourish positive attitude.

Author Bio

I am Robert Lynch I have been working as a freelance writer for the past several years now. One of the main reasons why I chose freelance writing career is that it gives me ample chances to bring out my skills and knowledge. Presently, I work for a best custom essay writing service online and it offers me to expand my writing skills and knowledge. I also love writing articles for different blogs online. I have also written contents for many websites and online publications so far.

Positive Words Research – Train Yourself to Be More Positive in 5 Steps

Train Yourself to Be More Positive in 5 Steps - create positive thinking

12 Tips and Tricks on How to Start New Life In Spring

Start New Life – Have you ever felt tired of your regular course of life? The routine lifestyle! And, if you are a university student, then attending college, finding best research paper topics, running after professors for looking into your work etc. make you frustrated and tired many times during the phase. Imagine if life would have been as planned and sequential as a properly drafted Bibliography APA. You have an APA BIB generator and things get done. But, sorry! Life isn’t that simple.

Every one of us at one point wishes we could start it all over again. Yes, we can do that any moment wish. It is all about picking a day and declaring how it is going to be your new year. It could be the loss of loss and pain over the pain that you have come to the moment you feel like starting all over again. For some reason, it can stand as a new identity for your new life.

Actually, at this point, you must be open to taking up some help in revamping the army in you.

Here are a few tips and tricks on how to start a new life in spring:

1. Get to the peace point

We all know the kind of pace our world runs at this point. But a clear mind is mandatory to start a new life. The efficiency your brain can show is exactly the amount of speed you will see the recovery. You might miss opportunities you have been given at the present if you keep dwelling on your past and/or the problematic situation. Keeping the pain constant is all in your hands.

2. The Open Mind Strategy

No matter what the given situation is, make sure to keep your way open to fresh thoughts. This is the primary step to starting a brand new life. The reason is that the new thoughts can show a drastic impact on your intention to bring a change.

3. Set Goals and start new life

Without fixing your destiny, there is no point in moving forward. Moreover, setting a proper goal ensures your self-esteem is maintained and the control you can gain over the situation will be great. This will again help you regain your lost confidence. Furthermore, the goal you set must be reasonable. If you are setting sky-level goals and don’t be able to achieve it, that could eat back your good feelings again to make you feel depressed.

4. Accept it

This could be said easy and when you do it, it could take you ample time and too much pain. Plus, this way cannot be skipped. There are quite a few losses in life that have happened and it cannot be changed. If you are continually looking for solutions to the irreversible loss, then it is of no use you are doing it. That will put you through countless tears and not a solution.

5. Engage

This process is all about you feeling good. So make sure you engage with new people and new conversation to bring the sparkle back.

6. Give up the negativity and start new life

When you engage in a new life, pulling some negative tone between conversations or just any situation is something that happens normally. Be cautious about not letting go of the good in your situation.

7. Take proper help

If you wish to make a career ahead or this is the point where you have an opportunity in front of you, visit a therapist to actually get over the negativity. They would help you bring up the good in a much faster way possible. Make sure you don’t ignore the pain but overcome it.

8. Observe and Appreciate

When you put in so much effort and no one looks into your eyes and say ‘you did it’, then it isn’t fulfilled. Observe your progress, keep a track of it and appreciate the progress in yourself. In such situations, you are the only person who can actually feel the progress. So whenever you take one more step, be proud of yourself.

9. Concentrate on a positive end

Have quotes posted on your wall that will motivate you to keep moving forward. After all, it is about taking one another step and then you will see yourself flying colors. Take a bad habit and work on it to destroy it. Ending a behavior that is bad will lead to you showing space for something good and new.

10. Be precise about your need

You wish to start a new life. If you are not clear about your needs, there isn’t a way you will find one. Stay stable and take a decision. Find clarity and that is your immediate relief. This could be hard but this step is 2 jumps at a time concept.

11. The New Decisions to start new life

New life directly means new decisions. There is no corner in life you will not be given a decision. Take bold decisions. You know what you want and what not. It is all about just tossing a coin and when the coin is in the air, you will know what you badly need. Go for it. Nothing is stopping you. Likewise, be brave to face the consequences of your decisions – be it good or bad.

12. Believe in positive and start new life

This is not spiritual or anything. Good after a big loss or you are trying to disappear completely and re-appear is a happening thing. Expand your growth as wide as you can and believe in it. Ask the deep questions you have always wanted to ask and go ahead.

These steps are easy ways to start a new life, yet we fail to notice them. Remember starting simple says it all. These are not going to cost you any yet will leave you on the other shore of your life. Now, moving ahead or leaving the dirt is your choice.

About the Author

Matilda Nash is an amateur writer. She collects tips on how to succeed in writing graduate works. Her life motto is “You can’t study the darkness by flooding it with light.” ― Edward Abbey

start new life

This Week’s Positive Word is LOVE: Love Yourself And Others

This week’s positive word is

LOVE

You may be thinking this is quite an obvious word this week, but you’d be amazed at how many people miss the opportunity to show love.

Ask yourself, how many times in a day do you show love?

When I first heard about the Law of Attraction, it was the love element that struck me first. ‘The Secret‘ came into my life when I needed it, when life seemed to be throwing challenge after challenge at me. If you haven’t watched, The Secret, I highly recommend it, especially if you haven’t heard of the Law of Attraction, or are just starting to learn about it. The Secret is a great place to start.

At this particular time in my life there was so many challenges; financial, relationships, family … you name it, it was all very challenging … like a snowball effect! There was just one things after another. I didn’t understand why all these things were happening to me, I had negative view on life and would ask myself constantly, ‘Why me???’

However, when I changed my feelings around, turned anger into love and looked outside of myself and my own world, good things started to happen. It’s not only about the words that are spoken, it’s about the actions that are taken, the thoughts that move in and out of our minds constantly.

LOVE

Now, don’t get me wrong, it took effort to turn my thoughts around, it was a real effort in what seemed like utter darkness with no light at the end of the tunnel. But sure enough that light came, not just a dribble of light, not just a small glow, it was a whole load of party lights, fireworks and more!

It becomes an addiction sending out love to people. A good addiction. I receive so much love back now I often find it overwhelming. Plus, the initial effort it took to turn my thoughts around, is just natural now. My thoughts and actions are always full of love. I know this, because of the love I get back. The world would be such an amazing, fulfilling place if everyone could be more loving.

It’s one of the reasons I qualified as a Law of Attraction Practitioner, because I wanted to teach others have marvellous it actually is. The more love you give out there, the more you receive back. So go on, this week your task is to show as much love as you possibly can and reap the rewards.

Positive Words Research – This Week’s Positive Word is LOVE