November 26, 2019 • Contributed by Jacqueline Pearce, MSEd, LMHC
When you look around yourself closely, you may observe that a lot of negativity is prevailing. Whether it is towards the leadership of the country, bosses at work, the weather, or your favorite team losing a game, it’s not uncommon for people to develop negative mindsets.
Your mindset plays a significant role in how you perceive things and how you behave around people. If you feel you are among people who have developed a negative mindset, it can be important to start working on changing that. A negative attitude towards life is unlikely to take you anywhere. Instead, it may only amplify the negativity that prevails in your surroundings.
If you are worried about your negative attitude getting stronger, don’t worry. Listed below are some tips that can help you develop a positive mindset.
1. MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
What you speak tends to stem from what you think. The words that come out of your mouth are either portraying your current state of mind, or they may end up influencing the way you think. To develop a positive mindset, the first and the foremost thing to do is mind your language. With every negative sentence that comes out of your mouth, you may direct your mind towards negativity, while with every positive statement, you help your mind to be positive.
Look at the following statements:
“It’s such a bad day!”
“The day isn’t over yet. Let’s hope it gets better.”
Do you see a difference between the two statements? The first clearly portrays a negative mindset, while the latter portrays a positive mindset. The difference is evident!
2. READ A BOOK
No matter how lonely or down you feel, there is often a book that can make you feel better about your situation. Reading can help lift your mood and spirits and make you feel a lot better. If you want your mindset to switch from negative to positive, reading motivational books can be highly beneficial. A number of books available are meant to help people develop a positive mindset.
3. SPEND TIME WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE
Everyone has many types of people in their social circle, both positive and negative. There are people who will make you feel inferior, and also people who can lift your mood up in an instant. You end up becoming a lot like people you hang out with. If you think certain people give out negative vibes, do not hesitate to cut them off for good. Spend as much time as possible with people who have a positive attitude towards life, because they are often the ones who will help you look at the brighter side.
4. LET YOUR EMOTIONS OUT
Human beings are emotional creatures. It is important that you let the emotions flow. Letting negative emotions build up can be critical because an excess of these emotions will lead you towards a negative mindset. When you feel that negative emotions are building within, divert all the negative energy towards an emotional outlet, which could be a number of things—swimming, running, boxing, or anything.
5. LIVE IN THE PRESENT
The past and future hold a very important position in the present. Your past reminds you of all the lessons you have learned and the future reminds you of what you have to achieve. However, living in either the past or the future is not a wise thing to do. In either case, you may under-utilize the time at hand and overlook the opportunities the present holds for you. Thinking excessively about how things could have been in the past or things that could happen in the future would only build develop a negative mindset, rather than a positive and a growing one.
6. LOVE AND REWARD YOURSELF
Self-love is extremely important. When you love yourself, you are more likely to invest in making yourself happy. The happier you stay, the more positively you may think. Loving yourself and rewarding yourself every now and then with a relaxing getaway or your favorite meal is a great way to develop a positive mindset.
Developing a positive mindset is something that only you can do. People may tell you to “think positive,” but you may not be able to do that unless you tell yourself to think positively.
© Copyright 2019 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by Jacqueline D. Pearce, therapist in Baldwin, New York