“Focus on an ocean of positives, not a puddle of negatives.” -  Kevin Ansbro

Attitude can simply be understood as our beliefs and evaluation of objects, people, situations, etc around us and how we approach them. Attitude can be positive, negative or uncertain. We all have seeds of both negativity and positivity. It’s our responsibility to nurture them and water them so that they can sprout and grow which would eventually reflect in our attitude and behavior.

Positive attitude can emerge from positive thinking and positive self-talk. Positive thinking doesn’t mean that our sufferings and hardships are irrelevant and neglected. It means that we view ourselves, others and situations with more compassion and faith and hope that this adversity will also sprout into a meaningful opportunity for learning. Positive attitude can mean crediting yourself for good that happens and making the outer forces responsible for the bad while also believing that negative situations are temporary and out of the ordinary.

Let's Be Positive Together...

Of course, just like anything else, positive attitude and thinking are also a learned process and require hard work. Here are some tips which can help you gain a more positive and healthy attitude towards yourself and the world around you.

1. Listen to your favourite music. It’s as simple as that. Music tends to put us in a more positive and cheerful mood.

2. Replace words like “I can’t” or “I won’t” with “I can” or “I will” or “I am capable”.

3. Make a gratitude jar. Place one thing you are grateful for each week and read them all at the end of every month/year.

4. Remind yourself that the opposite of scarcity is ENOUGH, not abundance.

5. Use more positive language even when describing a negative experience or situation

6. Read positive quotes or phrases everyday

7. Find positive friends, mentors, family members for support

8. Encourage yourself to help someone everyday

9. Volunteer at an NGO somewhere you can do service work with no return expectations

10. Make a positive journey board which includes all your aspirations and accomplishments

11. Challenge yourself to be more resilient during a difficult situation. This will show the world that you still got the POWER.

12. Replace sentences like “I HAVE to go to school/college/work” with “I GET to go to school/college/work”

13. Breathe more deeply, mindfully and purposefully

14. Play Scrabble with the rule of only forming positive words

15. Write down one positive word with each letter of the alphabet

16. Appreciate every small success you make even if it’s something as small as waking up in the morning

17. Start practicing ‘the glass is half full’ phenomenon

18. Stop the self-blame cycle for anything that goes wrong or is undesired

19. Take a handful of smooth, clean stones and write positive words like ‘strength’, ‘joy’, ‘energy’, ‘enough’, or anything you relate with on them and keep one of them with you each day

20. Watch funny videos to generate more pleasant emotions

Any habit takes 21 days to form and so does a positive attitude. The more you allow yourself to experiment with positive feelings and thoughts, the higher the conditioning of your behavior and mind will be.

Remember, having a positive attitude doesn’t mean that you live in a bubble where everything is perfect. it means that you are capable of looking at a challenge in the eye and fight it effectively. Find your zone of positive endeavours and use them to become a healthier and happier person.

Ragging in colleges initially started as a friendly ice-breaker between seniors and freshers. However, it became a menace when there were cases of some young students losing their lives to it. Government has imposed strict laws to stop ragging in college but the truth is no college is free from it. In some way or the other, ragging still is a part of college life. When it cannot be avoided, there certainly are some tips to sail through it.

Don’t be scared to raise your voice

When the seniors sense that you are nervous or scared, the might take ragging to another level. So, show some confidence while you are under their radar. If they ask you to do anything, do it with full confidence. If they ask you to do something serious and harmful, face them with courage.

Do not assume anything

We often make negative assumptions in mind about ragging before joining the college. We think it is about seniors seriously harassing juniors and that ragging will always be in bad shape. The possibility is that it might be just an introduction, so don’t shy away to show them some of your talents.

Unite with your friends

Seniors usually look for people who seem alone and weak. But when you are with your group of friends, seniors might not be able to harass you. When you get support from your batch mates, you all can easily warn your seniors.

Seek help from the anti-ragging committee

Almost every college has an anti-ragging cell which takes strict actions against students who rag their juniors. If you feel that ragging is becoming intolerable for you, then do not hesitate in escalating your issue to them.

Parents and Police

If your seniors are taking ragging way too seriously, you can always speak to your parents about it. Tell them what you are facing as they are the best people to look for help and advice in this case. However, if you and your parents both find that ragging is getting too intense then you all can seek help from the police.