I hope you are not finding staying positive difficult, Bel04.
Admittedly, it is a difficult thing to do, I think, for most of us. Being able to remember the disappointments of the past and speculate about the future and its uncertainties is a uniquely human ability that can be burdensome.
Staying in the present moment, if it's at all possible, helps.
Apart from that, the following have been useful for me. (I appreciate some of these are not universal but would hope that most people would be able to find similar ‘fragments of experience’.)
Cultivating the ability to cherish small and unexpected joys. I had a friend whose life was very challenging from an outsider’s perspective, but he had such a capacity for finding delight in the tiniest aspects of his life. I try, not always successfully, to emulate his positivity.
Thinking about my DS and his funny ways. The thought of him can get me out from under the duvet on a bad day to engage with whatever the day brings.
Laughing. Doctor’s orders – three times a day, at least. Even in the darkest times, there’s always a moment of absurdity that merits a good old cackle!
Remembering that things change. However bad things seem, change is inevitable. And if I have reached the nadir, the only way is up.
Practising the discipline of loving from a place of brokenness. It really helps to feel that I'm at least still able to love when all the other strings to my bow seem to have snapped.
Looking out over the valley from my window.
Holding fast to the potential for creativity that’s within me, even as the unproductive years go by never to be reclaimed.
( Lucydogz, I like Marcus Aurelius too. Good choice!)