How to Stay Positive through Difficult Times

I know a lot of scary things are happening in the world right now. Recent events have made everything feel uncertain - our livelihood, our health, even our sanity. The only thing we can control is how we respond to uncertainty. I’m an optimist (almost to a fault), and I’ve even had some down moments through all this.

As creatives, I feel we are especially sensitive to changes around us. It’s a great gift to be so observant of our environments and receptive to changes around us, but it can also be a curse - affecting us easily when things in the world aren’t going well.

I’ve had to make a conscious decision to fight the negative circumstances and make this quarantine work for me, instead of against me. The best way I’ve been able to cope is to practice being present. All our worries about the future are just fictional stories we’ve made up in our heads. The truth is that no one really knows what’s going to happen. We can speculate all we want and go negative fast. However, there’s an equal chance that the future is bright, no matter what the media or your neighbors say. Until we invent a time machine, nothing is for certain!

No matter what you’re going through, no matter how tough, I would urge you to focus on today. Make today the best day you can. If you’ve been one of the unfortunate ones whose job has been affected, I’m incredibly sorry and my heart goes out to you. I know your first instinct may be to panic about what the next few months may hold, but maybe you can just shift your focus to the next few hours. The one thing freelancing has taught me is to focus on the now, and not obsess over the future (or else you’d go crazy). This is not a stable business to be in! When I quit my corporate graphic design job to start my own business five years ago, it felt like I was free falling. I had no idea what I was doing. I could get really anxious if I started thinking about the months ahead. The way I built up my business was just to take it one day at a time, one project at a time. Eventually, I far surpassed the income I used to make at my corporate job (something I never thought possible).

If your focus is always to make today better than yesterday, the future is bright, no matter what’s happening in the world. Maybe you’ve taken a few steps back in your career, but can you improve another area of your life - like your health or relationships? How well things are going isn’t determined by how we are doing in one aspect of our lives. If we had a great career a few months ago, but our health was failing, things weren’t actually going that well at all. Maybe this is your wake up call to be the best version of yourself.

To me, the best way to practice being present is to make things and get creative. Making art is the only thing I can do where the hours seem to pass without me noticing. I’m in the zone. If you are struggling right now, I truly believe in the healing power of making things. Being creative heals depression, and I really think it’s the secret to a happy life. The number one excuse people have for not being creative is that there isn’t enough time. If we put aside all the scary things we can’t control, we’ve actually been given a great gift that no generation has been given before - a break from life. This is the most time we will ever have - RIGHT NOW.

It’s a weird time to be a freelancer. Some of my client work has slowed down, but I’m used to the ebbs and flows by now. I’m just trying to soak up every minute of the slow days. I’ve been able to do so many things during this quarantine that have changed me for the better. I’ve had time to go on more walks with my husband and my dog. I’ve taken online classes. I’ve read books. I’ve made lots of art. I’ve had time to sleep, rest, eat healthy - all the things that are essential to the creative process. I don’t think I’ve ever been as fit as an artist in my entire life. I just wish the circumstances were different.

So what can you do to make today better than yesterday? Think of how much you’d have to look forward to if each day were better than the last! I’ve included a free Positivity Worksheet, to help you stay positive and focus on the things you can control. No matter who you are, or what you are going through, please know that you are not alone. Millions of people around the world are in the exact same situation as you (or worse). We will all get through this together, but we must stay positive. The world needs positivity right now!