This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you choose to purchase through links I provide.
Before you are able to remove negativity from your life, you need to identify where it is coming from first. In this post, I will identify 7 places and habits that are a source of negativity.
Once you become aware of what is creating negativity in your life and take the right steps to remove them, you’ll be on your way to a happier and more positive and joyful life.
7 Ways To Remove Negativity From Your Life
1. Set healthy boundaries and learn to say no.
Do you have trouble saying no to your friends, family, or work colleagues?
I’ll admit I used to be a big people pleaser. I would say yes to things because I didn’t want to disappoint others or create conflict.
Does this sound like you?
The funny thing is when you say yes to things for the wrong reasons, it still creates disappointment and conflict. It’s just been internalized. Instead of disappointing your friend, you get upset with yourself.
It’s easy to get caught up in saying yes when you’re trying to be nice. But saying yes to everything without concern for what you want is really unhealthy. In the longterm, this behavior is just going to lead to resentment and negativity.
If you consider yourself a yes person, you need to learn how to say no.
It will be easier to say no when you set some guidelines for what you will give your time to and what things don’t make the cut.
Related reading: How to Do More of What’s Worthwhile
2. Stop negative self-thought/self-talk.
If you’ve been caught telling yourself that you aren’t good enough or that you hate the way you look, that is negative self-talk.
If you wouldn’t say something to a friend, you shouldn’t say it to yourself.
Remember to be kind to yourself and remind yourself daily that you are enough.
Once you get into the habit of uplifting self-talk, you’ll be a happier and more positive person.
3. Don’t compare your life to other people’s lives.
They say comparison is the thief of joy for a reason.
When you compare your life to someone else’s it is easy to think they have it better. You think they have the perfect house and the perfect job.
You start to feel less about yourself and then start harboring negative feelings toward your friend that appears to have it all.
Despite what it may look like, no one is perfect. What you aren’t realizing is that you are only seeing part of the picture. You don’t know the past hardships that they might have endured or the issues that they’re currently facing.
When you find yourself jealous take a step back. Understand that your life is different and that is okay. Plus you never know what greatness is in store for your future.
So instead of comparing yourself to other people, look within and compete with yourself.
4. Understand that Instagram is just a highlight reel.
Social media is only a curated version of someone’s life and is just a highlight reel.
That beautiful clean living room that was shared on IG looks great, but you don’t see the mess that is just out of frame.
Maybe you see pictures of cute kids and wonder why your children don’t behave. But what you don’t know is that they are being bribed to smile or that it took an hour to get one usable picture.
If you’re constantly feeling bad about yourself or your life after spending time on social media, it might be time to unfollow or mute accounts that don’t lift you up.
5. Remove negative/toxic people from your life.
Cutting connections with toxic people is a huge way to remove negativity from your life, but it is a hard one. This is especially true if those toxic people are friends or family.
If you feel like you’re constantly being taken advantage of, dragged down, manipulated, lied to, and treated horribly, you should re-evaluate whether that person belongs in your life.
6. Stop depending on others to make you happy.
There are two sides to this one.
First, don’t think that is someone else’s responsibility to make you happy. It isn’t your spouse’s job to make you happy. It isn’t your friends’ job to make you happy. It is your job to make yourself happy.
Second, don’t think you’ll only be happy if you have a boyfriend. Or you’ll be happy once you make a friend. Yes, relationships can make you happier but you need to be happy with yourself in order to attract the right people.
7. Remove negativity in your life by complaining less.
Do you know that person that is always bringing things down by complaining? Or the person that always has it worse than everyone else?
Don’t be that person. Nobody likes a complainer.
Instead of complaining, try to see things from a different perspective. Know that even if things aren’t going great that others are also going through tough times.
Also know that no matter how things feel, you have so much to feel grateful for. When you find yourself complaining, stop and take a moment to practice gratitude.
Final Thoughts On Removing Negativity
If it feels like you’re stuck in this never-ending cycle of negativity, you can always do something about it by setting boundaries and cutting out the toxic thoughts, habits, people, and behaviors that are bringing you down.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for living a positive life, I recommend that you check out my post 25 Positive Mindset Quotes.
