Tips on how to feel more confident and more positive about yourself
By Celeste Nevil
“Stressed older kids, such as those in high school, are more likely to show ‘rebellious’ responses: refusal to participate, cutting class, and deliberately undermining the test by answering incorrectly on purpose.” Said Tim Urdan, an assistant professor of psychology at Santa Clara University
At the end of the school year everyone starts to feel down. Finals tend to make people feel stressed and anxious but there are easy ways to keep theses feelings away.
1. Hang around positive people– “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” said Jim Rohn and it’s true so make sure those five people are positive. If you hang out with people who are always doubting themselves or feeling down about something you will start to repeat these behaviors.
“I used to hang out with really negative people,” senior Brandon Cape said. “Then I realized how much they influenced me and that I needed to find a new crowd.”
2. Wear bright colors– According to collegefashion.net the color orange is said to help put someone in a more positive mood. Yellow can put people in good moods as well but also helps people to feel more inspired. Green has a calming effect and helps to reduce stress. Blue is the color to stay away from, it is said to actually make people feel, well blue. Bright colors can actually be the brightest part of your day.
3. Listen to upbeat music– If you are like most people in this world then music can drastically affect your mood. Sad music, especially the kind that describes exactly what you’ve gone through, seems to make you think about all the things that aren’t positive in life. Upbeat music can make you feel inspired and in a more positive mood like the song Happy by Pharrell Williams.
“When I listen to upbeat music I just feel better,” senior Cierra Aguilar said. “It distracts me from feeling sad. Upbeat music makes me want to get up and go do something amazing.”
4. Set goals– It’s proven that when people set goals that they really want they tend to do a lot to achieve them. Whether it’s getting a job and stashing away money for the next time your favorite band comes in town or doing whatever it takes to go to another country, goals are great. What feels even better than working towards goals? Finally achieving them.
5. It’s okay to cry– Although the whole point of this story is how to be a more positive version of yourself, some think one of the best ways to achieve that is to let the tears go sometimes. Once people let go of all the bad feelings and the repressed frowns they start to feel new and better. We become ready to go back into the world and do things that make us happy.
There are always going to be things that make people sad and upset but it’s how they move on from there that really shapes them into better people. There are always obstacles in life but we get over them. By doing little things it’s easy to move on and become a more positive and once you become more positive you can make it through anything.