It’s a common concept that can sometimes feel cliche. Multiple scientific studies have shown the mental and physical benefits of positive thinking. Positive thinking can improve your mood and give you more self-confidence. It may also reduce the risk of developing stress-related disorders such as hypertension and depression.
What does the “power of positive thinking” really mean?
Positive thinking can be defined as positive imagery, self-talk, or general optimism. However, these are still vague, general concepts. You’ll need concrete examples if you want to think and be more positive.
1. Begin the day with something positive
The way you begin your day sets the tone for everything else. You may have woken late and panicked. Then, you felt that nothing good had happened during the day. You may have started the day with negative emotions and a pessimistic outlook that carried over into everything else you did. Start your day by making positive affirmations. Even if it feels silly, talk to yourself, saying things like “Today is going to be a great day” or “I am going to be awesome.” You will be surprised at how your day changes.
2. Concentrate on the positive
You will almost always encounter obstacles during your day. There is no such thing as an ideal day. Focus on the positive aspects of a situation, regardless of how small or insignificant they may seem. If you are stuck in traffic, for example, you can listen to your favorite podcast. Think about trying something different if the store doesn’t have the food that you wanted to cook.
3. Find humor in a bad situation
Even the most difficult or dark situations can be humorous. Remember that the situation you are in will likely make a great story someday, and crack a funny joke. Imagine you are laid off. What would be the most absurd thing you could do on your last day? Or what job could you pursue next, like kangaroo sculptor or bubblegum handler?
4. Learn from failures
You’re not perfect. You will make mistakes and fail in different contexts and situations, with many people, and at various jobs. Think about how you can improve next time, instead of dwelling on your mistakes. Turn them into lessons. This should be formulated in terms of concrete rules. As a result, you might come up with new rules to manage projects.
5. Transform self-talk into positive
Negative self-talk can be difficult to detect. You may think this is so terrible, or that was a bad idea. These thoughts can become internalized feelings that may cement your perceptions of yourself. Stop yourself and replace the negative messages you are sending with positive ones. I am terrible at this can be changed to with more practice, I will become much better at this. I should not have tried is It didn’t go as planned.
6. Concentrate on the Present
This exact moment is what I am referring to. Not today, not even this hour. What is so terrible about this moment? Ignore the comment that he made just five minutes ago. Ignore what he may say in five minutes. Concentrate on the moment at hand. You’ll often find that the situation is not as bad or as difficult as you think. The majority of negative thoughts are based on a past event or an exaggerated future event. Keep your focus on the moment.
7. Find positive coworkers, friends, and mentors
You’ll be surrounded by positive people who will share positive stories, positive perspectives, and positive affirmations. The positive messages will affect you and your thoughts, and then spread to others. It can be hard to find positive people in your life, but it is important to remove the negativity from your life. You can improve the positivity in others, and you will be positively affected by their positive attitude.
Anyone in any situation can use these lessons and improve their attitude. Positive thinking has compounding benefits, so you can imagine that the more you do it, the better you will feel.