Positive thinking. Sounds hard, doesn’t it? Especially nowadays. On a surface level, positive thinking seems quite doable. Because almost all of us would want to think positively rather than negatively.
Who wouldn’t want to have a positive outlook on life? The answer is everybody. But that’s the problem.
We all want to experience the result, not the process. So yeah, we do want to become positive thinkers but how much do we really want to implement and stick to the practices that make us think positive thoughts on autopilot?
If any of this sounds accusatory, then it wasn’t meant to.
Human beings are programmed with a lot of limiting beliefs while growing up. Everything that you see around you and in your world is inclined towards the negative more than the positive. Why? Because it is designed that way.
So, what we have in our minds is a negative way of thinking. We have negative beliefs, thoughts, and habits that govern our lives every day. And to be honest, it is getting us nowhere good.
We are living our lives on autopilot, attaching negative meanings and outcomes to every situation, creating destructive behaviors, adopting harmful coping mechanisms, and whatnot.
In the world of today, positive thinking is not only crucial but is necessary. To live a better life, to have healthy habits, healthy relationships, and an abundance of health and wealth – positive thinking is mandatory.
What is Positive Thinking?
Positive thinking is much more than having an upbeat attitude and wearing a T-shirt saying “Be Optimistic!”.
Not that you couldn’t do any of these, but this barely scratches the surface of what having a positive attitude looks like.
First I will start with what positive thinking isn’t:
- It isn’t wearing rose-colored glass and denying everything bad or negative that’s happening in the world.
- It isn’t suppressing our “bad” emotions and feelings when they arise.
- It isn’t being ignorant about other people’s suffering and misery.
- It isn’t making people feel bad for complaining about their lives or world events.
Positive thinking is:
- The ability to accept the awful and terrible, cope with it in a healthy manner, and choose to approach the aforementioned bad and terrible with a positive outlook.
- It is allowing yourself to feel whatever it is you want to feel. Feeling the anger by screaming into a pillow, crying out your sadness over a tub of ice cream, and taking a break to give yourself some much-needed rest.
- It is choosing not to say, “It’s all okay” to a person who’s struggling but supporting them as they deal with it in ways they know best.
- It is knowing that everyone has their own way of dealing with suffering and pain, and the only way to make the world a better place is to focus on changing your mindset first, not everybody else’s.
When you master the art of positive thinking, it can have a groundbreaking impact on every area of your life. Truth is, there are always going to be situations and events that don’t make us feel good. But what matters is how we look at it and move forward with it.
“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves.” – Swami Vivekananda
Positive Thinking Techniques
If you are someone who struggles with dwelling on negative thoughts and stories, then there are techniques that you could try out to think positively.
1. Be Aware of Your Thoughts
The first step to having a positive mindset is to really become aware of the thoughts that you think consistently.
Now, this doesn’t mean you have to monitor every single thought throughout the day, that will just drive you crazy. What you need to do instead is, focus on how you feel throughout the day.
Because whatever you feel is in response to the thoughts going on in your mind. So whenever you feel sad or down, take a step back and find out what thoughts are causing you to feel that way.
Now that you have noticed the thoughts, try to reframe them into a positive story. Even if you can’t move straight from negative to positive, then try getting into a neutral state first.
From this state, move to a narrative that is positive and feels good. Doesn’t matter if it seems unrealistic, because your goal is to give a positive frame to the narrative. The more you practice this, the easier it gets.
2. Self-Help Material
There are probably millions of self-help books, videos, and speeches out there. You don’t have to go through all of them. Plus, not all of the books are useful.
Find out the ones that have laid down the information in a clear, concise manner and use the tools within these books to help you create a positive outlook.
3. Positive self-talk
The way you think and talk about yourself plays a key role in your mental state. If you are always harsh with yourself and have a negative way of seeing yourself, it is high time you change that.
See yourself in a more positive light. Write down things you like about yourself, listen to people when they praise you instead of deflecting it, and don’t shy away from positively talking to yourself.
Having a positive attitude can bring about many good changes in your life. It can cause you to stress less about negative situations and make you better equipped with handling them. It can also improve your overall well-being, increase your immunity, and make you more resilient in the face of adversity.
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” – Marcus Aurelius
Bottom Line
Positive thinking is very necessary, now more than ever. Being positive in a negative situation, believing in your own abilities, and having a positive approach to any obstacle are the things that will keep you grounded and bring about positive outcomes.
Because we will always be faced with bad situations, how we choose to respond to them is what matters.
