There are days when I struggle to stay positive about my studies. When the setbacks are too much and the negativity gremlins start poking their head out.

But think what you could achieve if your study days (and everyday) were a bit more positive.   

3 Ways to Make Your (Study) Day More Positive

Positivity increases our motivation and helps us overcome the setbacks and challenges that are a normal part of pushing yourself.

So when you’re having a bad study day, try out these three things to make your day more positive.

1. Your words have power 

Without realising it, your self-talk may be sabotaging your success and stealing your happiness.

When you’re having a tough study day and feel like nothing’s going right it’s easy for those negative thoughts to creep in.

- I’m not that smart.
- I can’t do this.
- This is too hard. I give up.
- I’ve failed so I’m obviously not good enough.
- If I have to try this hard I can’t be that smart.

Can you see how limiting these thoughts are?

They immediately knock out your motivation and allow the negativity gremlins room on your shoulder. Of course you’re not going to feel positive if your self-talk looks like this.

The problem is, your thoughts become your reality.

Thoughts become perception, perception becomes reality. Alter your thoughts to alter your reality 
– William James

This means that if you keep talking to yourself in this limiting way, your success will become limited. If you don’t think you can achieve a high grade you won’t do the work necessary to reach it – a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, if you want to feel more positive, learn to recognise the power of your words so you can stop negative self-talk taking hold.

Learn to transform your thinking so you can transform your grades.

Flip your negative thoughts into positive thoughts that motivate you to keep going.

- I’m not that smart…I can become smarter with effort.
- I can’t do this…I believe in myself and will keep trying.
- This is too hard. I give up…This is hard but I’m going to persevere.
- I’ve failed so I’m obviously not good enough…I will learn from my failures and improve.
- If I have to try this hard I can’t be that smart…Trying really hard is the way to become smarter.

Here’s an image I’ve made to help you transform your thinking so you can feel more positive in your studies.

2. Look for the green lights

There are days on my drive to and from work where it feels like every light I get to is red. The journey is long and stressful as I’m hit with red light after red light.

This is how I feel in my studying sometimes. I come across tricky concepts and boring readings and essays I don’t know how to start. I start feeling really negative as all I seem to come across is red lights.

But that’s not true.

Sometimes I’m only looking out for the red lights and the problems, and not noticing the green lights or positive things that are happening in my day.

On my commute there are red lights. But there are also green lights, and other drivers who let me out, and pedestrians that say thank you for letting them cross, and cute puppies trotting down the street.

In my studying I come across problems. But I also write a really great set of notes, and understand a concept straight away, and get into the flow in my essay, and get good feedback on an assignment.

Sometimes we have to remove our negative glasses so we can see how many positives are around us.

So to feel more positive, stop looking for things that go wrong and start looking for the things that go right.

You could try tracking your achievements (with my study planner), completing a gratitude journal or just start being more aware of how you perceive your day.

Hopefully this will help you feel more positive in your studying. Or, at the very least, your commute should feel a lot smoother!

3. Allow the joy in

There are times when it feels like you need to chain yourself to your desk and not do anything but study all day. But these long slogs rarely result in positive days. And if you have too many negative days your motivation will take a nose dive and you’ll find it harder to study.

I’m a big believer in finding the joy in your day. Cracking a smile or laughing so much it hurts is vital for positivity. If you want your days to be more positive you have to actively make time to allow the joy in.

You’re never too busy to laugh for ten minutes.

So work out what makes you smile and laugh and find times in your day to let the joy in. Your mood will lift and your studying, your future success and your friends and family will thank you for it.

Here’s what’s giving me joy at the moment:

• Kevin Hart’s audiobook, ‘I Can’t Make This Up – Life Lessons’
• FaceTiming my adorable, giggling baby nephew, William
• Looking at Jessie Cave’s hilarious doodles on Instagram

• Watching Steve’s videos of life with his many senior rescue dogs, pig, rabbits, and chickens at Wolfgang2242.

I'd love for you to leave me a comment below - what brings joy to your study days?

What are the things you watch, read, listen to or do that light you up and leave you feeling more positive?