Positive thinking affects every aspect of our lives. This includes our career, physical health, and emotional well-being. If you can take the time to focus on changing your way of thinking, you will notice that your life and circumstances will start to improve. Now, it is worth noting, positive thinking will not make all of your problems go away. However, these problems will now be manageable and you can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Before we share our 10 tips to help you stay positive, let’s talk about negative vs. positive thinking.
Negative vs. Positive Thinking (Real life example)
Think about the last time you noticed a change in your friend’s behavior to you. Maybe they are not texting you back right away, or they aren’t making an effort to spend time with you.
This negative thinking may include:
- I must have done something wrong
- I am so mad I have been making an effort when they aren’t
- Obviously, they don’t care about me as much as I thought
In reality, maybe your friend is busy or has something personal going on in their life that they are not ready to talk about.
When you let that negative thinking take over, you’re instantly overwhelmed with worry, sadness, anger, and anxiety. You may be thinking to yourself that you just lost a friend, and start to overanalyze the past conversation that you two had. However, all of this is just made up in your head. You are making these assumptions based on no real evidence that they are upset with you.
Positive thinking in this situation may include, realizing they are probably busy and they will reach out as soon as they have some free time. Or they may be going through something personal, so reaching out to let them know that you are here to talk if they need to. When you take the blame off of yourself and don’t think too deeply based on false assumptions that your mind makes up, you will realize that you feel better. You will know that your friendship has not been impacted and you’re confident in knowing where your friendship stands.
Today we want to share 10 tips to help you stay positive.
1. Remember that everything happens for you and not to you
The world is not against you. There is no one sitting down thinking of all the ways to make your life miserable. Sometimes when we experience a difficult time in our lives, we tend to focus on the negatives. When this happens, we develop a habit of constantly attracting these negative things and people into our lives. Even though things may not go as planned, there is always something positive that can be taken away from a situation. When you look at any situation from a different perspective, you may realize that this difficult situation may actually benefit you in some way. These benefits could include growth, knowledge, and resilience. Accept all of the things that you can’t control and just know that you will find your way despite difficult circumstances.
2. Mind over matter
You have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go of. Your mind can ultimately create your own reality. This means you have the power to choose how you react to any situation. The only thing that can stop you from achieving what you want in life is your own thoughts. This is why it is important to have a positive mindset when being confronted with any situation. A positive mindset will allow you to rid yourself of crippling self-doubt and overcome any obstacle.
3. Keep a gratitude journal
When you spend time focusing on the good things that you have in your life, you will become overall more positive. It is beneficial to keep a gratitude journal and record your gratitude every day. This can be done in the morning, before you sleep or whenever you are experiencing a difficult time. According to a study performed by The University of California, San Diego, in collaboration with the University of Sterling, Scotland, they found an association between expressing gratitude and improved health conditions. Higher levels of gratitude expressed caused the participants to be in a better mood, a night of better sleep, as well as less fatigue.
4. Positive self-talk
Take the time and monitor your self-talk. Whenever you start to have a negative feeling about yourself, try changing it to something positive. A negative thought you may have is, “I feel as though I am not good enough. You can change this to a positive thought by saying, “I am good enough and I am trying my best.” To make these positive changes in your life that you are trying to achieve, you must first start by changing the way that you think and speak about yourself. Try your best to incorporate positive self-talk in your lives and you will see the benefits. Positive self-talk can help build confidence, reduce stress and help you build better relationships with those around you.
5. Surround yourself with positive people
I am sure you have heard the phrase “you are who you surround yourself with.” When you spend the majority of your time with positive people, there is no doubt they will have a positive effect on you. Surround yourself with those who support you, and make you feel good. Try to avoid people who are always negative and bring you down. Considering that negativity and positivity have proven to be contagious, it is important to protect your energy at all costs. Make yourself aware of the people you choose to spend your time with and decide if their attitudes are positively or negatively affecting you.
6. Exercise
When we exercise, our bodies suppress hormones that cause stress and anxiety. At the same time, our bodies release chemicals that boost happiness. This happiness will increase your positivity and will boost your self-esteem. Try going for a walk, or taking a yoga class to see the positive impact it has on you.
7. Meditate
Mediation is one of the best ways to incorporate positive thinking into your life. Mediation helps generate loving and positive energy into the universe. By practicing mediation, you are sending love and understanding to yourself and those around you.
8. Focus on all of the good things that you have in your life
I know it is easy to focus on the negatives, such as the things that you don’t have going for you. You may question why you were not born with certain attributes and how other people are so lucky. Instead of doing this, focus on all of the good things that you have and all of the good that is yet to come. There are so many things to be grateful for regardless of your current conditions. Try focusing on being grateful that you woke up today. This is something we may not even thinking about, however, it is important to be thankful that you are alive today.
9. Spend time outside
That feeling when you step outside and the sun hits your face is like no other. The warm, happy feelings start to overcome your body and you start to see an instant change in your mood. Spending even just 5 minutes outside can have great effects on your health and happiness. This time spent outside and in nature is known to boost endorphin levels, which encourages happiness.
10. Start every day with a positive mind
Every morning before you get out of bed, practice starting each day with a positive affirmation, This affirmation can include something as simple as, “I am going to have a great day.” Incorporating these positive thoughts into your routine the moment you wake up can lead to greater benefits. You will realize throughout the day that other positive thoughts come easily to you. You may also start to have better success in life including your work and responsibilities.
Take the first step and incorporate these 10 tips to help you stay positive into your daily routines. Try not to allow bad or uncomfortable situations to negatively impact your day. Remember that you have the power to choose what you focus your time and energy on. Be confident with the direction your life is going and stay positive!
