The Power of Positivity

Courtesy of Northern Exposures

Hi there and welcome to another moment of the mania! I'm Ann Shannon, the manic writer. I blog about PTSD, encouragement, and write book reviews and romantic fiction. I love that you stopped by, grab a drink and make yourself at home. Leave a comment or find me on social media, I'd love to meet you and get to know you. My passion is military veterans, especially those with PTSD and their caregivers. 

I had a kitty called Oreo, he was black and white. Did you guess that? And very fat. I'm not kidding we sometimes referred to him as a triple-stuff. 

He was also a very negative cat. He didn't like being handled at all. It's strange really because when I first brought him home he was tiny, just 7 weeks old and we handled him all the time, but over the years he began to dislike it more and more. It finally got to the point that I was the only one who could get near him. He loved me, but not as much as he loved the dog. I guess I know where I rank... 

That's a hundred-pound lab he's sleeping with!

He would crawl into my lap and sleep for hours on it. This wasn't always comfortable for me as he weighed close to 25 pounds, but I put up with it because I loved him. Making the decision to put him down was very hard for me but it was best for him, he was very ill and in a lot of pain.

Is there anyone in your life that you feel this way about? You love them but loving them hurts you sometimes. They are a weight in your day that tends to make body parts fall asleep.

I am not suggesting you euthanize them!

I am suggesting you talk to them about their negativity if you can. Tell them how their negativity affects you, help them find things to be positive about in life. If you can't talk to them then you need to take steps to protect yourself. Limit your contact with them, or increase your contact with other more positive people to balance them.

Distancing yourself from negativity is a kindness you can do for yourself. Negativity lowers your motivation, and ambition. By distancing yourself, you create space for positivity in your life. You can choose to surround yourself with positive people who will encourage you, and believe in you. You can believe in yourself and encourage yourself. And in the process you can help your loved ones caught in negativity as well because you will be the example they can follow.

Oreo was a special kitty in my life. He came into it at a time when I needed something cute and cuddly. Over the years, he distanced himself from others but I think he always had a special place in his heart for me. He allowed me to the be the positive influence in his life that he leaned on. Although I never got him to life the others again he always loved me and I cherish those memories.

Is there someone in your life who brings you down? What steps have you taken to minimize the damage? Have your own attitude changes reflected on them and helped? Share your story in the comments below, I'd love to learn how you've dealt with negativity in your life.

It is my goal to end the stigma that comes with PTSD. I blog about PTSD once a week, searching the mountains of information out there and bringing you the best of what I find. I review a book on PTSD every other week and I publish a weekly encouraging reflection and tweet encouraging quotes for PTSD survivors daily, follow me to be encouraged. Together we can make a difference.

When I'm not blogging about PTSD or trying to encourage those of you living with it. I'm an author. I write romance. I just finished my first book and I am revising and editing it. With any luck, it will be published later this year, in the meantime you can get a sample of my work on the web. Original work can be found here, and fanfiction can be found here. Let me know what you think, and tell me how you found me!