When Positivity Feels Hard: Staying Grateful When You’re in a Funk

Let’s be real—some days, gratitude feels like a stretch. You know those days. You woke up late, the coffee pot overflowed, your inbox is a disaster, and the dog threw up on the rug (again). You want to be positive. You try to be grateful. But inside? You’re just… not feeling it.

That’s okay.

Seriously. Let’s give ourselves some grace here.

Positivity Isn’t Perfection

We live in a world where social media feeds are filled with perfect morning routines, motivational quotes, and avocado toast. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one slogging through the mud while everyone else is dancing through fields of sunflowers. But behind every filtered post is a real person, and we all have those off days.

Trying to force happiness 24/7 isn’t realistic—or healthy. Sometimes the most honest kind of gratitude comes from simply acknowledging, “This day is hard, but I’m still here. I’m still trying.”

The Gratitude Shift

When you’re feeling low, gratitude doesn’t have to be a big production. Start small:

• The smell of clean laundry.
• The way your dog looks at you like you hung the moon.
• A song that hits the right nerve at just the right time.

Tiny things. Ordinary things. These are the cracks where the light gets in.

What to Do When Gratitude Feels Like a Lie

Here’s what I try when I’m in a funk and can’t seem to shake it:

1. Move my body. Even a 10-minute walk can change the channel.
2. Text someone I love. Not to vent, just to say hi. Connection is grounding.
3. Write it down. Journaling helps get the mental junk out of your head and onto paper.
4. Say thank you anyway. Even if I don’t feel it. The action often comes before the emotion.

Give Yourself Permission

You don’t have to feel good to do good things for yourself. And you don’t have to fake a smile to be a grateful person. Life is messy. Emotions are complex. Gratitude isn’t about ignoring your feelings—it’s about anchoring to something solid while you ride the waves.

So if you’re trying to be positive and it feels like dragging yourself through wet cement, just know: you’re not failing. You’re human.

Keep showing up. Keep looking for that one thing to be thankful for, even if today it’s just that you made it through.

That counts.