Think Out of the Box: Ways to Develop Positive Thinking

Wednesday, 20 March 2013

Ways to Develop Positive Thinking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9EyV15yclE

Jagriti Srivastava

When we start to have negative thoughts, it’s hard to stop them. And it’s much easier said than done to shift your focus to positive thoughts. But, it’s the only way—especially if you want to avoid going down a path that is painful and unnecessary.

THINGS TO OVERCOME NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

1. Meditate or do yoga.

Yoga is very relaxing which helps easing mind. Yoga helps to stay present to my experience so instead of jumping to what could happen.

2. Smile and try humour

.It takes fewer muscles to smile tthan to frown.It can be really difficult to stay positive when there is little humor or lightness in your life. Even when you are facing challenges, it is important to stay open to laughter and humor. Sometimes, simply recognizing the potential humor in a situation can lessen your stress and brighten your outlook. Seeking out sources of humor such as watching a funny sitcom or reading jokes online can help you think more positive thoughts.

3. Surround yourself with positive people and images.

When you’re stuck in a negative spiral, talk to people who can put things into perspective and won’t feed your negative thinking.

They could be famous quotes, inspiring pictures, or even your affirmations that you write out on note cards. The point is to always have physical reminders of things you deem positive close by. Print these items out and place them by your desk, near your bed, and in the car! When you get stressed out, give a glance to them and you will begin to get perspective on things and your mind will re-focus!

4. Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive.Use Positive Language.

When it comes to the language we use, world-renowned author and lecturer Dr. Susan Jeffers says: “It doesn’t matter if we believe the words or not, the mere uttering of them makes the subconscious mind believe them to be true. It is as though the subconscious mind doesn’t know what is true or false, it doesn’t judge, it only reacts to the language that is being fed”. Many researchers have shown this sentiment to be quite valid, and we must intentionally start using more positive language to shape the worldview of our subconscious mind.

5. Don’t play the victim. You create your life—take responsibility.

There is always a way out.Always have the choice to make change happen, if need be.Take Responsibility: It’s All about You

One of the most common forms of negative thinking involves placing blame on other things. Of course, we all do this. We point the finger at anything but ourselves at times. This is an easy path to take and a difficult habit to break. By placing the blame for something that is bad on someone else, you take the attention off of yourself. This, of course, is only a temporary fix. Even when we place the blame one someone else, that negative energy is still there. Turing the attention away from ourselves can never lead to a successful solution. After you have worked to become more self aware, you have to learn to take responsibility for your feelings, actions, and thoughts. By taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and emotions, they become something that you can control and change. Part of placing blame is believing you are powerless. Take responsibility for yourself and, in turn, gain control of yourself. Only after you admit fault and take responsibility for yourself and your thinking can you successfully alter the way you think and act.

6. Help someone.

Take the focus away from you and do something nice for another person.

7. Move forward.

Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward.It’s easy to dwell on your mistakes.Just move forward. I definitely don’t want to have a weekend like that again.

8. Music and singing.

Sing.When we sing, we show our feelings and this provides an amazing stress relief.Listen to Inspirational Talks and Music in the Car

The car is the perfect place to flex your muscle of positive thought! Because many of us spend a lot of time driving, make an effort to listen to music that inspires you and makes you feel good. Purchase motivational personal development CD’s and play them while driving.

9. List five things that you are grateful for right now.Being grateful helps appreciate what you already have.

10. Read positive quotes.Use Verbal Affirmations EVERY Day.

An affirmation is a positive statement that something is already happening, and is a very powerful tool you can use to shift your internal dialogue from negative to positive. Come up with a few statements like “I am creating a beautiful day” or “money and success flow to me” and spend 10 minutes every morning (and every night for extra credit) saying them aloud. Come up with statements that make the most sense for you, and be sure to state them in the present tense, and in a positive form. This is self-talk in its highest sense, and can be very effective.

11. Create a Vision Board

A vision board is the physical manifestation of the life you want to be leading. Find images of the house you desire, the places you want to travel, and the job you crave to work and tack them to a corkboard! Be creative and place words and images that are accurate expressions of your inner-most desires.

12. Cultivate Optimism

Learning to think positive is like strengthening a muscle; the more you use it the stronger it will become. Researchers believe that your explanatory style, or how you explain events, is linked to whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. Optimists tend to have a positive explanatory style. If you attribute good things that happen to your own skill and effort, then you are probably an optimist. Pessimists, on the other hand, usually have a negative attributional style. If you credit these good events to outside forces, then you likely have a more pessimistic way of thinking.Constantly add to your vision board put it somewhere you can see it several times a day– even spend a few moments visualizing what it would be like to be living in this life you created. Isn’t this a better way to spend time than in your usual stress mode?

13. Be Aware: Hear Yourself

Self awareness is an essential step in any form of self improvement. You have to be aware of yourself and the things around you before you can understand them and then learn to change and improve them. Before you can learn to alter your way of thinking you have to be aware of how you think in the first place. Take the time to monitor your thoughts and feeling carefully. Listen to yourself throughout the day. When doing this you may be surprised to find just how much thinking you do that you are not completely aware of throughout the day. Pay attention to those negative beliefs you hold that pop up without you realizing it, listen for negative thoughts, watch for negative actions (and reactions), and pay close attention to negative feelings that arise. All of these things are utterly important to be aware of. You should work hard to be conscience of the vocabulary you use throughout the day. Start by simply changing the words you use. Rather than saying “I have my job,” try rewording and rethinking things to say “I would love to find a new career”. While this may sound trite, merely changing the vocabulary you use is a great start to positive thinking.

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST

Say “Thank You” 50 Times a Day

Every night before you go to bed, spend 5 minutes saying thank you out loud for the experiences you had that day: the people you interacted with, the work you accomplished, the food you ate, etc…As you do this, really try and feel the gratitude emanate from within. You can also say thank you 50 times in the morning and get yourself in an extremely grateful mindset for the coming day. These are wonderful practices for becoming more positive!

The phrase “positive thinking” has become somewhat of a buzzword in a lot of ways in our culture today. So many books and experts suggest “positive thinking” as a solution to low self esteem and confidence issues without ever really exploring what the phrase means.

Positive thinking involves much more than just deciding one day that you will change the way you think. Obviously, altering the way you think about yourself and the world around you is a difficult task. Oftentimes we fail to sit back and consider that the way in which we think about ourselves and the world very much shapes our world and our lives.

Negative thinking has a way of affecting every aspect of our lives without us even realizing it. So much of our happiness and our success rely on our ability to think positively and create positive situations. However, the trek to a positive attitude and positive self thought is no easy path. Follow these three steps in self improvement to gain the ability to think positively and create a new way of life.

Regards,