Positive Thinking Ways That Really Work
Having a positive mindset throughout your day and generally throughout life is going to help you be more productive, happier, and healthier mentally, physically, and emotionally. It can be easy to let negative thoughts and emotions slip in when you are not conscious of them. Because of this, keeping a list of positive thinking ways that truly work can help you become more aware of how you think about things and then change it up to make your thoughts beneficial to your everyday life.
In this article, we will go over eight great ways to aid you in positive thinking. They will help in giving you the tools to empower yourself and teaching you to embrace who you are in a positive light.
8 Positive Thinking Ways to Get You Started
Here are eight ways to help you begin to think more positive thoughts, helping you become a happier and mentally healthier you.
1. Say a Mantra
Repetition and kind words are great ways to bring positive thoughts into your mind space. Choose a mantra to say to yourself whenever you start feeling upset, overwhelmed, or even just first thing every morning to start your day off right.
Mantras to try:
- My day will be productive and happy
- I am worth it
- I will own this day and the next because I am strong, powerful, and brave.
2. Be Aware of Your Inner Dialog
Having a well-thought-out conversation in your head is totally normal; we all do it. However, when that conversation or “inner dialog” starts to head south, you need to shut it down. There is a truth to the saying “we are our own best critics.” and constantly talking bad to yourself…about yourself isn’t going to help anyone.
Instead: Turn that thought around. Rather than thinking, “Of course, I came in last place in the race, I should never have tried running in a 5K.”, try, “Wow, I actually ran my first 5K and finished; next time, my goal is to finish 5 minutes faster.”
3. Don’t Let Others Change How Your Feel About Yourself
There are always going to be people out there who don’t know when to stop or will purposefully say things to make you upset or sad. It is important to never let what someone else says or thinks about you affect the way you think about yourself.
Always remember, ultimately, it doesn’t matter what other people think about you; it is what you think about yourself.
4. Clear Out Your Social Media Clutter
When all you read is negativity, that’s how you are going to think. Get rid of those dramatic people who like to stir up drama and like to troll. Remove pages that aren’t uplifting or useful and limit the number of newsfeeds you see throughout the day. While it is always good to know what is happening around the world, seeing the negativity 24/7 isn’t helping anyone.
5. Do Something You Love
The day-to-day grind can get to be pretty intense and can get you into a bad headspace. Negative thoughts can start to swoop in during the day when you are running on auto-pilot and allowing things you have been dealing with to cycle through your mind.
Providing yourself an outlet will give you time to unwind and provide a safe space for you to feel happy, as well as giving you something to look forward to during the day.
Things to consider doing:
- Gardening
- Biking
- Pottery or art
- Journaling/scrapbooking
6. Do Something to Help Others
One of the best ways to feel good about yourself and to think in positive ways is by helping those less fortunate than yourself. Giving back to your community by donating your time is something to be proud of and can uplift your spirits and brighten your day and the day of those around you.
How to help others;
- Deliver meals on wheels
- Volunteer at your local food pantry
- Volunteer at your local pet shelter
- Help set up fundraising events for community projects
7. Say Positive Things to Others
Bring positivity into every situation and compliment others when they deserve it. Everyone can use a little uplifting, and when you can improve the mood of someone else, it will help you improve your own mood too.
8. Be Yourself
There is nothing harder than trying to be someone you are not. One of the worst parts of trying to live up to someone else’s standards is all the negative thoughts that run through your mind when you can’t do it or hate doing it. You will start to beat yourself up for failure, and you will resent those around you, pushing you to try harder.
Nothing comes easier than being yourself, and as long as you always try to be your best self, it will always be good enough.
Final Thoughts on Positive Thinking Ways
No matter how you choose to think positively, once you start doing so frequently, you will begin to notice a change in the way you feel, act, and treat yourself every day.