We’re all in agreement that this year has brought its own set of challenges and anxieties. Whether you’ve been laid off, are home-schooling your kids, or are dealing with a sick loved one, 2020 has upped the ante on our stress levels. Anyone else looking forward to waving goodbye to 2020 and welcoming 2021?!

When life gets heavy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of worry, stress, and adopting a negative outlook. But even in uncertain times, we can still make the best of it and learn to stay positive. Having a positive attitude can make your days, weeks, and months a little brighter — something we all could use!

While it's been a challenge, we’ve tried to stay positive during these difficult times and have discovered a few things along the way. Here are our 3 best insights into keeping a positive mindset:

When things don’t go as planned, it’s disappointing. And many of us have had our fair share of disappointments this year: canceled trips, postponed weddings, holidays in isolation...this list goes on. It’s absolutely necessary to treat these disappointments as losses that we need to grieve. But we can’t hang onto negative thoughts forever. Something that we’ve found helpful is creating a positive “comeback” to our negative thoughts. For example, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and negative thoughts pop up, you can say something like “yes but, I’m healthy, I’m safe, I’m loved”, etc. While this takes time, creating a habit of saying to yourself “yes but...” can help you focus on the positive and silver lining of a situation.

One way to change your perspective is to take some time to focus on others rather than yourself. With the cooler weather and holiday season fast approaching, now is a good time to make donations to shelters and food banks to help others in need. But money isn’t the only way to help others. If you’re feeling your own financial stress, then consider what you can do to help others without the price tag. Volunteering your time to babysit for a friend is a great way to show you care without having to spend money. A listening ear is also a great way to help someone in need. By focusing on how you can help your friends, family, and those less fortunate, you’ll experience more gratitude, compassion, peace and positivity knowing you’ve helped and contributed some good to our universe.

Cancelled plans means nothing to look forward to. The pandemic has messed up a lot of our plans and that has left us feeling uninspired and frankly, unmotivated. But you can still look forward during this standstill. Set new short or long term goals for yourself. Want to advance in your career? Consider online learning or extra projects you can take on. Dream of buying a house? Create a plan to start saving. By looking forward and planning ahead, you’ll bring back the pep in your step and build a more positive outlook for the future.

There are only a few months left in the year... so how will you spend them? We encourage you to use these tips to help you adopt a more positive mindset, even during stressful and uncertain times. Spread positivity everywhere you go as you make the most of these last few months in 2020!