Overcome Negativity with these 5 Effective Positive Thinking Techniques
Not feeling very enthusiastic in general?
Kind of blah and wishing you had something better to say about the day than a mumbled ‘fine’ when someone asks you how you are?
So how do you change your thoughts from negative to positive? The solution might be simpler than you think.
Our attitudes really are everything.
When we’re not feeling great about our lives or how the day is going, everything can seem to go wrong.
The problem is that life isn’t a steady thing.
You might have a really good day followed by another equally bad one.
With so many things outside of our control like Covid, extreme weather patterns, and global societal unrest it might seem impossible to ever truly feel good about anything again.
The answer lies in your thinking. By being able to think positively, you will find your entire outlook changes.
How do you develop the habit of positive thinking?
Here are 5 different positive thinking techniques you can use to turn any perceived negative situation into a more favorable light:
1. Choose Your Words – Rephrase
The obvious answer is to use more positive words.
Instead of saying something negative, either out loud or in your head, try to find a better way to say things.
For example, work isn’t grueling so much as it might have interesting challenges. While this might seem artificial and forced at first, the more you work to rephrase things, the easier it will be to find a more positive spin.
This can be like second nature to you already if you have created a list of positive affirmations you can use that helps you focus on what you want – not what you don’t want.
2. It’s All Perception – Reframe
How many times have you talked about having to do something? Saying things such as “I must” or “I should” or “I ought to” are examples.
These alone have a negative connotation, as though you’re being forced into something you don’t want to do.
Instead, try dropping the words ‘have’, ‘must’, and ‘should’ in this context, and try inserting the word ‘get’ instead. In other words, you don’t have to do a presentation by Friday. You get to do one.
Or “I really must go to the gym tonight” when reframed becomes “I’m so fortunate I get to go work out in a well-equipped gym in my neighborhood.”
Hear the difference?
This is how you change any mundane task into an opportunity instead.
3. Change Direction – Reorient
Sure, failures and disappointments are going to happen.
Not everything you attempt is going to turn out exactly the way you’d like it to.
Rather than focus on failure or lack of progress, try changing your focus.
It might be time to shift to a slightly different method or goal.
An example may be that you have been unable to lose the amount of weight as planned even though you have been rigorous with your diet and exercise. Perhaps it means you need to relook at the eating plan or workout routine you’re currently using as they might not be the best one suited for your particular body.
4. Chill Out- Relax
It’s so hard to be positive when you’re absolutely exhausted and feeling like you’re in over your head.
Sometimes the best way to cultivate better self-talk is to get away from it all, cut yourself some slack, and take a break.
Things will look brighter when you can come back refreshed.
Often it is the breaks you need to take that cause the breakthroughs you want.
5. Reconsider Choices – Reassess
Being positive should never be about closing your eyes to tragedy or injustice.
Bad things are going to happen in the world. But someone with a positive attitude will be able to look beyond the tragedy to the next step.
Positivity finds solutions where others only see problems.
This allows for the birth of activism and change.
A pertinent example is the current ‘crisis’ the world finds itself in now amidst covid. Out of the tragedy of deaths, job losses, and a myriad of other perceived problems it has also been a time for people to reassess their relationships, careers, and what really matters in life.
Concluding thoughts on Positive Thinking Techniques
It’s easy to get hooked on thinking negatively when life is not going the way you intend it to. Luckily you don’t have to stay negative. By applying one or more of these positive thinking techniques you will quickly be able to adjust your attitude:
- Reframing
- Rephrasing
- Reorienting
- Relaxing
- Reassessing
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Overcome Negativity with these 5 Effective Positive Thinking Techniques