Sometimes I get sucked into a vortex of negativity. Most of the time it's my own fault (more like every single time) and I beat myself up over it. Does that ever happen to you?

Here's what happens to me: I let a situation (that I have no control over) ruin my mood. I stress about it. I talk about it. I don't stop thinking about it.

And it gets to me.

Big time.

If you're still reading, I'm thinking you sometimes struggle with staying positive too.

Maybe you have someone in your life who is a negative-Nancy and you're starting to feel that way too. Or maybe you are the negative-Nancy.

Or you've lost your job. Or had a huge life-changing event happen.

Either way. Whatever situation you are in, I want to tell you, it's normal to feel blah, to feel sad, to feel negative. Sometimes.

If this is you every single day, that's not a good thing.

And you might want to reach out to others for help if you can't snap out of it.

How to stay position when you feel like you can't

1. Stop comparing yourself, your work, your life

I truly believe comparison is the thief of joy.

When you compare yourself to someone else you are robbing yourself of happiness! Don't do that to yourself.

Comparison creates pain whether you want it to or not.

I've found that practicing gratitude for everything and everyone in my life is a great way to combat the comparison trap. I either write what I'm grateful for or I pray and thank God.

2. Talk to someone you trust and get a reality check

My trusted person is my husband. He knows me. He can tell when I want to vent and when I really need advice. And he's not afraid to tell me the truth. He'll tell me when I'm being too sensitive, when he thinks I need to get over something and most importantly, he'll tell me when I'm wrong.

I'm not going to lie. It's hard to hear the truths he speaks sometimes. But, I know he is telling me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear.

It's important to get a reality check from someone who is going to tell you how it is. Not someone who is going to agree with everything you say.

Why?

Because we're human. We make mistakes and we need people to call us out on it sometimes. Otherwise, how will we ever grow?

One more thing, be prepared to hear the truth and don't be hurt. Learn from it. Once you talk out your issue, let it go and don't keep talking about your troubles.

Concentrate on your joys!

3. Get with people who are encouraging. Make a new friend if you have to!

If you're like me and you can easily get sucked into negativity, you might want to consider stepping back from the people in your life who are ALWAYS negative.

I feel like it's OK to take a break from people, especially if they are not encouraging. Life is too short to be bogged down with everyone else's self-esteem problems.

I'm not telling you to drop all your friends and start over. I am saying make sure you spend your time with people who are motivating instead of pessimistic.

There's this saying to consider: "You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with, choose carefully."

Staying Positive - One More Thing

Staying positive is all about your mindset. Your attitude. You can change your day. You can change your life.

Don't just wish things to change and don't keep doing the same things every day and keep hoping for a change. It's not gonna happen.

Fix your eyes on positivity, on good things. Everything else will fall into place.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on Crystal Mendez's website. It has been republished here with permission.