I am just getting back into reading again after many years and am having some difficulty in comprehending a few things. The problem I am stumbling upon is that I am continually receiving "negative cards" such as the 9 of swords in positions in spreads that are supposed to be things that will help, or things that will guide you, or cause improvement.
It is hard to read a sense of despair, loss, etc. as being something helpful, or at least for me it currently is?
I might add that at this point one of the msjor issues concerned is relationships, which tends to be spoken of regardless of whether it is asked about or not.
Would anyone be willing to offer a little insight?
Thank you in advance.

i never tend to think any of the cards are negative and i know that is odd to say.  it's just that they reflect life and yes that can be negative but its more how to work through that and not focusing on what is bad.  sometimes outcomes will be bad no matter what you do.
now keep in mind that the of cards have different meanings in a real reading but overall if i got the ix of swords it would most likely indicate  a negative state of mind.  something that they have to work out in their mind, and or life etc. and that isn't necessary a negative.

Since any "Reading" in any "Trade" don't tell the truth as in TRUTHFULLY, we must take everything as suggestions how to proceed in life.

Since life never can be only happiness, we need to be aware of hindering or thing that might happen if we don't look out for them, and try to change our path to the better.

This is what much of the negative cards is trying to tell us.

If we don't have this in mind, then we might predict havoc on a Seeker for no reason.....when you have got a negative card...no one stop you to try to figure out a solution or to ask the cards further, so we get an clarification.

This is normal in any conversation where we ask for advice, why not also in a Reading Trade, it shall be a very experienced Reader to get the whole picture on the first layout.

So my advice is NEVER pronounce havoc...always look for solutions...Tarot is used to help people....not to make them afraid or to put them down

A card like the 9 of swords in a "helpful" or "advice" position is more like a pull on the alarm bell to say "hey, this is an atttude you're carrying and it's not helping you at all, it might be better to resolve it." By hinting where a problematic pattern of acting or thinking is, by identifying a block, the tarot helps the querent in showing they need to deal with it in order to solve the overall issue.

I get the sense of what Tcat is saying - not that the previous contributors to this thread did not get the sense of it!
Tcat is saying almost the opposite of getting a positive card in a spread where it is supposed to be an Obstacle or a stumbling point.

With a little bit of objective thinking we can always see that a positive card such as 9 of Cups, 10 of Pentacles, 2 of Cups, 10 of Cups, you name it, when they fall under Obstacles or Negative Influences, by slightly broadening our point of view, we can see how these positive cards can be acting adversely to our cause or situation.

Similarly, a negative-sounding-and-looking card like the 9 of swords when fallen under a section which is supposed to be the Advice or even the Future section of a spread, does present initially a sense of awe if not disappointment.

Tcat, like the positive cards falling under the obstacle position, it is the same concept as the above contributors have commented, that your attention is drawn to them but first and foremost to remove your blinkers and see things as they are - black and white.

You have raised a valid point as a reader and by thinking out of the box and going a bit beyond the clinical meaning of the card, you can see why they have come under that spot.