How to Stay Sunny When the Forecast Calls for Stress
Nov 22, 2025
I know you won’t be surprised when I say, the world feels pretty heavy right now. Every time we turn around, another company’s announcing layoffs. Teams are shrinking. Workloads are growing. People are tired, stretched, and wondering what tomorrow will bring. As leaders, we feel it and the people we lead feel it too.
So let me share something simple but powerful: Being happy doesn’t necessarily make you positive… but being positive absolutely makes you happier and more successful. In my experience that’s the most impactful thing we leaders need to do especially right now. If we do that, it opens the door to other critical solutions.
I know that might sound backwards, especially in tough times, but research backs it up. Positivity isn’t fluffy. It’s not blind optimism. And it’s definitely not ignoring real stress. It’s a mindset that helps us navigate all this heaviness with more creativity, clarity, and resilience.
Why Positivity Works (Even When It’s Hard)
Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s research on the Broaden-and-Build Theory shows that positive emotions actually expand our ability to think clearly. When we choose a positive outlook, even a small shift, our brains stop narrowing into survival mode. We see more possibilities. We become more creative problem solvers. We can imagine solutions we missed before.
It’s why people with a positive mindset tend to cope better under stress and bounce back faster. Not because life is easier for them, but because positivity literally opens new pathways in the brain that stress normally shuts down.
Stress Narrows. Positivity Opens.
And that’s exactly what we need right now. When your organization is navigating change… when your workload feels heavier than usual… when uncertainty is sitting in the back of your mind and the front, it’s tempting to let stress take the wheel. But here’s the good news: Positivity gives us back our agency. It puts us back into creative mode. It helps us lead with steadiness instead of fear. It creates space for courage, connection, and better decisions.
Little Choices That Make a Big Difference
And no, you don’t need to become the office cheerleader or pretend everything’s fine. Toxic positivity helps no one. But authentic positivity? Small, doable shifts? Those are game changers.
Research shows that simple habits like:
- Writing down 3 things you’re grateful for
- Savoring one good moment during your day
- Doing a small act of kindness
- Taking a 10-minute walk to reset
…can create an upward spiral in your mood, creativity, and resilience.
These little practices build emotional “strength reserves” we can pull from when things get hard which is quite possibly exactly what your team needs from you right now.
Leadership Isn’t About Ignoring Stress: It’s About Responding to It Differently
I LOVE this concept. Now, as always, I can’t sugar coat this and I’m going to be 100 percent transparent with you. When things are super stressful, I have to allow my emotions to process it out loud. I’ve got to tell a trusted friend, not everyone. I just need one person I can vent to even shed a few tears with, then I’m ready to leap into problem solving mode. I've released it from my system. I'm not going to dwell or whine about it after that. But if I keep my emotions bottled up, it keeps me from finding the best solution or any worthy solution for that matter.
As leaders, people look to us not for perfect answers, but for emotional direction.
When we model positivity in the midst of uncertainty, we’re sending a clear message:
“We’re going to get through this.
We will stay creative.
We will stay grounded.
We will stay human.
We will stay committed to excellence.”
That attitude spreads. A single positive mindset in a team can lower collective stress and increase collaboration and innovation.
Here’s the Bottom Line
Happiness isn’t something we wait for until the world calms down. If we’re waiting for everything to settle before we choose joy, clarity, or hope, we’ll be waiting forever.
Choosing positivity especially when the world feels heavy is how we create happiness, not the other way around.
It’s how we stay creative under pressure.
It’s how we make better decisions.
It’s how we lead well when people need us most.
Right now, with everything happening around us, positivity isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership strategy and the one I can’t live without, and neither can you.