This is a contributor’s blogpost …

 

A negative experience shouldn’t own you. Unfortunately, this is precisely what a lot of people allow to happen. Whether it’s something as ‘simple’ as failing to fulfill a given task or goal or something more profound, such as the end of a relationship or even the passing of a loved one, a lot of people allow the weight of the negativity to crush them for a very long time.

So how do we deal with bad experiences in ways that allow us to actually move on from them? We’re going to have a look at a plethora of things that could help you. Of course, these sorts of experiences affect everyone a little differently, and there’s never any guarantee that the advice of a simple blog post will work for everyone in the same way. But, with any luck, this should help you take some more positive steps forward.

 

Photo Courtesy of Stock Snap via Pixabay

 

Find meaning and silver linings

Sure, you could make the argument that there’s no real meaning in any negative experience. (Or positive experience, for that matter.) But let’s not get into deep philosophical arguments here. Just consider what you’ve learned from this experience – more often than not, there is a lesson to be learned. Even if the only silver lining you can find is that it helps accentuate your happy experiences and makes you treasure them more, that’s better than nothing. In fact, that’s pretty fantastic, given how often we take the positive parts of our lives for granted.

 

Photo Courtesy of BK via flickr

 

Try anything that may help

Such advice, of course, can be taken the wrong way. If someone were to say “booze and drugs will help!”, then we’d have to backtrack slightly and make some exceptions. What we’re talking about here is keeping an open mind about reasonable, harmless (and legal!) things that might help you bring positivity or closure in your life. That could mean traveling more. It could mean moving house. It could mean visiting a psychic medium if you’ve lost a loved one. Keep your mind open – otherwise, you’ll shut yourself away from experiences that could help you.

 

Remember others who count on you

Most people have others who rely on them – family members, close friends, lovers, people we help through our job or volunteer work, etc. One of the best motivators for staying strong and positive is that this will ultimately help you help them. We’re not saying you should shut off negative emotions for the sake of others. If you need to grieve, either the loss of a relationship, a business, an opportunity, and – of course – a loved one, then do it. But picking yourself back up is vital because others need you to be up.

 

 

Exercise

You’re probably sick of hearing “exercise” being suggested for pretty much anything these days. But exercise helps you take your mind off things. It helps you keep up strength and vitality that might otherwise be lost if you allow yourself to fall into a depressed state. It also helps boost positive feelings. The thing about bad experiences is that they can fill you with a sort of energy – it’s adrenaline more often than not, but still. That energy can – and should – be poured into exercise!