A negative mindset is more detrimental to your health than you may know. For some of us, it just seems to come naturally, when we’re working on a task or looking into life, and we stumble across a problem, negativity kicks in. It’s like it’s on autopilot for some of us.
So, how do we go about altering our mindsets from a negative one to a positive one?
There is more to it than telling ourselves to be more positive. Emotions don’t just shift straight away, and there tends to be a little personal work involved to make the change.
So, what exactly does it take? Here are six tactics which can help us change our mindset to be more positive.
Adopt gratitude practices in the morning
How you act when you wake up in the morning has a massive impact on the rest of your day. Start your day by taking in everything to be grateful for, along with what you want to achieve from your day. Do this before you even get out of bed.
If thinking of three things to be grateful for proves to be difficult, try to think of something that is quite mundane, like that fact you completed all your housework yesterday and that you don’t have to do it today. Or that you have your favorite coffee beans in the house, and you can start the day with a delicious coffee.
By doing this, you start to open the mind up to thinking with a positive direction. After doing this for a while, you should hopefully start to continue the positive thoughts throughout the day.
Be selective with who you spend time with
A huge chunk of how your mindset is shaped is by the people you spend time with. Be mindful about it, as emotions can be contagious, and you will find some people are contributing to your negative mind.
Ideally, you want to be associated with people who have a positive outlook on life, where their passion and excitement for the future can rub off on you. However, for some of us, even being around the happiest and inspiring people can still be a struggle, if we are in quite a dark place with our emotions and feelings.
If this is familiar for you, it may be that a professional counsellor or therapist is worth investing your time in. Being around someone who is trained to uncover why you may be feeling so unmotivated and down might be the next step you need.
Counsellors will listen to you and understand your mindset before putting action plans in place. You can go online to find an accredited counsellor, in which finding one commutable to your home is ideal.
Say ‘yes’ to more opportunities
Fear can make us say no to many opportunities that come our way. If we fear we aren’t good enough or might mess something up, the easy option is to say no.
By changing this outlook and learning to say ‘yes’ to more opportunities, you open yourself up to embrace adventure, fun, and life chances.
It’s a difficult mindset to get into at first, as you may find yourself filled with more worry than before after saying ‘yes.’ But after a while, you’ll adapt to taking more risks and opening yourself up to opportunities, developing a new way of dealing with being more open.
Try it and see what happens!
Make positive thinking a priority
In order to go about retraining our mind to reflect positivity, we have to put positive thinking to the forefront of our lives. Try to wake up each day and be aware of making positive thinking a priority above anything else. If you get into the habit of thinking about it, the positive energies will start to flow.
Use sticky notes on your bedside table that feature inspiring quotes, or things that uplift you. It can even be little smiley faces you keep in your handbag or in your purse to remind you to slip into that positive mind frame.
Remember that above all, your mind can be shaped and retrained – it’s just about learning how to do this successfully. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if you invest in yourself and put the time in, you’ll reap the rewards.