I make a constant effort to call her and talk about how things are going. I will also give her mini assignments like taking 5 minutes in the morning to write a list of things for which she feels grateful or sending me 3 positive quotes she finds online and to which she feels connected.
However, she doesn't always actually get these tasks done or take the time to call me back to work on these things together. She reassures me that she will get back to me, but simply doesn't.
I wrote to her the other day:
"Positivity doesn’t come easily for anyone. It’s something everyone has to work towards and if people don’t put in the effort to be positive... then they most probably won't be. Most of the time, we are naturally prone to being negative. Every day you have to make a conscious effort to think positively. We all do."
I realized that perhaps I needed to hear this message myself. And not for any particular reason.
We all oftentimes let ourselves go. Then we get to that moment (if we are being at least half honest with ourselves) when we realize that perhaps we aren't putting in the effort to feel the way we want to feel.
And this goes with everything in life.
Want to feel happy? Do something that actually makes you happy. Put your phone down and go on a walk or work on a personal project. Do something that excites you. Remember to be grateful for what you already have.
Want to not feel lonely? Make sure you are actually interacting with people and not secluding yourself. Make sure you are hanging around the right people.
Want to feel motivated and get things done? Start small. Just 5 minutes. Give yourself just 5 minutes and I guarantee you will most probably work for much longer.
Want to stop being negative? Catch yourself in the act of being negative and think the opposite (positive) thoughts. Make a list of positive affirmations and repeat them daily. Surround yourself with positive people and if that's not an option then imbue positivity into your life as much as you can. Be creative. Be a source of positivity for yourself and others.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are putting in the honest effort.
You can change anything by just starting with you.
So get started.
Go.