Positive Thinking

Let’s face it. We all get bogged down by bad days and stressful lives but when the will to maintain positive thinking dwindles, you could be in trouble.

Those rose-colored glasses that you lost…it’s time to get new ones. Positivity doesn’t come easy and requires practice; especially after getting into the habit of negative thought.

Here are 8 steps to maintain positive thinking through your daily grind:

1. Practice gratitude. Throughout the day they find moments of gratitude and it helps them feel happier and more mindful. When you spend time feeling gratitude, your thoughts become more peaceful and positive.

2. Open their minds. Instead of looking at one side of the story, positive people look at alternatives, knowing others may not agree with them and that’s okay. They understand each person’s life experience is unique therefore it’s easier for them to accept that others opinions and realities are valid.

3. Spend time with people who lift them up, not drain their energy. They respect themselves enough to minimize the time with draining people and plan ahead for how they are going to cope and stay positive.

4. Inspired by the success of others, look at those who are excelling and ask themselves the question, “What can I learn from them?” Negative people become jealous and threatened by the success of others. To negative people, when others succeed it means they are failing.

5. Trust their gut. Instead of polling people or second guessing themselves, they trust that their instincts are right. If they don’t feel good in a situation they acknowledge their feeling and make a change that feels better for them.

6. Invest time and energy into things that bring them positive feelings. Whether it’s making time for meditation, working out, art projects or book clubs, positive people spend time doing things that make their body and mind feel good (Importance of Self-Care to Your Mental Health).

7. Value their time. A positive person doesn’t want to waste their time on things that don’t make them feel good. And sure, we all have to do things that don’t make us feel great from time to time, but positive people minimize the time spent doing things that are draining. They are kind to themselves and understand their time is valuable. Instead of sitting in traffic for hours, leading to more anger and frustration in their lives, a positive person may adjust their schedule to avoid the traffic, or look for things to do in the area that are productive so they aren’t wasting time sitting in gridlock.

8. Evoke positive feelings in others. They try to make others feel good because it makes them feel good, too. Asking a cab driver how they are doing, making small talk with a person in their neighborhood, or calling someone just to say “hi” and let them know they’ve been thinking of them, are all ways positive people may choose to behave. When they feel good others do, too.

(8 steps courtesy of Emily Roberts MA, LPC on healthyplace.com)

#positivethinking #findyourtruth #thinkpositive