We all know the feeling: You have a pretty great week, yet had one negative interaction with a friend, family member, maybe even a total stranger when you were waiting in a line somewhere, and that negative moment is the prominent feature of your week. You focus on it and turn it over and over in your head, allowing yourself to fill with the draining sensation associated with upsetting incidents. While some people can brush those moments off in a matter of hours or days, for others they linger for weeks or even months and the results can be detrimental and hold us back from being our happiest.

An article in Psychology Today references the negativity bias, which refers to the idea that “even when of equal intensity, things of a more negative nature, have a greater effect on one’s psychological state and processes than do neutral or positive things,” and The Prospect Theory, “which evaluates the way people make choices when there is a known risk.” The article explains that “the negativity bias and the Prospect Theory advances the idea that people are more likely to choose things based on their need to avoid negative experiences, rather than their desire to get positive experiences. This phenomena has been examined by researchers such as Roy F. Baumister, Ellen Tratslavsky, Kathleen Vohs, and Catrin Finkenauer. These psychologists concluded negative experiences or the fear of them has a greater impact on people than positive experiences.” With all the evidence that people are more inclined to land on the negative side of the fence on most things, it can seem like a daunting task to stay positive. And although it does take a fair amount of work to do so, the payoff is definitely worth it. Here are our best tips for life to help you think positively even when it’s hard.

Surround Yourself With Positivity

One of the easiest ways to fall prey to negative trains of thought is to spend your time with others who choose to dwell on the bad. The old saying, “misery loves company” is one of the truest sayings I have ever heard and it’s important to be aware of the truth in it. When you’re surrounded by positive people, the effects are quite contagious and encourage you to see the silver lining in nearly any situation. However, when you’re surrounded by people who love to throw pity parties, it is so easy to fall in the habit of doing it yourself.

Keep Reminders of What You’re Grateful For

Whether you keep a journal or hang pictures of your loved ones on the fridge, try to keep daily reminders of the things you’re grateful for. It doesn’t always need to be profound, either. Some days, I am constantly aware of how grateful I am for my friends and family and my job and so on and so forth. Other days, I am simply grateful for a good show on Netflix, a delicious bowl of boxed mac & cheese and the comfort of my bed. Every day will bring new things to appreciate and present new challenges and that is totally normal. If you’re not used to staying mindful of the things you’re grateful for, then start small – every night before you go to bed, write down three things that made you happy or appreciative that day.

Get Active

Nothing complicated with this one – staying active is just plain good for you! It’s good for your body, obviously, but it is just as beneficial for your mind. Getting exercise releases dopamine in your brain, aka the happiness hormone, and staying regular with your physical activity keeps you from experiencing dramatic mood swings between the positive and the negative.

Find A Mantra

Ok, this one may feel a little bit cheesy at first, at least it did for me. I’ve never been one to stand in front of the mirror and tell myself positive things or give myself a pep talk before a big job interview. But over the years, after dealing with endless negativity at times, I’ve seen the light and understand the power in finding a mantra for yourself. It can be as simple as “today will be good,” or you can evolve it to express whatever works best for you! Bottom line is hearing your mantra regularly becomes like having a self-cheerleader – it is reassuring and supportive and can really help to combat the negative thoughts fluttering through your mind.

Fight the Negative Thoughts

Finally, you have to make an effort to see a negative situation from a different angle and find the positive. For example, I will use a simple analogy of waiting in a crazy long line for lunch. Most of you know the feeling – you are seriously HANGRY, only have a short break from work and you walk into Chipotle for a quick burrito bowl (yum!) only to find a line a mile long. Your initial thoughts might be, “this sucks,” or “I can just grab chips from the vending machine,” but realistically that line is probably only going to take ten to fifteen minutes for you to get through. And in that time, you can return a few emails, text back that friend you keep forgetting to reply to, or take care of an online order you’ve been putting off. There are a million things you can do in that line, usually from the convenience of your phone, that will give you a sense of productivity. Although this example may be vague, the point is every situation has a positive and a negative angle, it all depends on how you choose to see it.