Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
― Roy T. Bennett
Every single day you face a myriad of situations that will test and prove your outlook on life. Is your glass half-empty or half-full? Do you see changes as setbacks or opportunities? Do you see weakness as a nuisance or a chance to grow? Would you consider yourself to be more of an optimist or a pessimist? Regardless of where you currently stand, you can start today to implement positivity into your life. Everything from your work to your health to your relationships will improve as you try to see the world through an optimistic lens!
Here is the 101 on positive thinking. It helps with stress management and improves your overall physical health (even resistance to the common cold!), it increases your lifespan, lowers your rates of depression and stress, offers greater immunity and better cardiovascular health, and results in more effective and efficient coping skills during hardships and times of stress. In other words, there are no cons to positivity.
Positive thinking does not mean you simply stick your head in the sand and proceed to ignore all of life’s less-than-pleasant situations. No, quite the contrary. Positive thinking simply means that you approach said unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way: You assume the best is going to happen instead of expecting the worst.
If you want to be a more optimistic person, you can! You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. The process is simple, but it does take time, patience, and practice…after all, you are creating a new habit. Here are some ways to start living a more positive lifestyle:
- Start small. If you want to employ more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about. This may be work, your daily commute or a relationship. Start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.
- Have checkpoints. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you are thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to put a positive spin on them.
- Positive self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. This is where positive thinking often starts. Be careful to not say anything to yourself that you would not say to someone else you care about! Shed the weight that comes from thinking unkindly of others by speaking kindly to yourself.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle. Exercise, adequate rest, and a healthy diet can positively affect your stress levels. A healthy body and regulated stress will help you see the world differently.
- Try meditation. Recent research has revealed that people who meditate regularly display more positive emotions than those who do not. Meditation can result in mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, and decreased illness symptoms.
- Practice gratitude. It is easy to get caught up in the things that are wrong or that you lack in life. But instead, take a look around and count your blessings. Think about the many things you are thankful for. Making a daily list is a great way to practice gratitude!
- Try humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. Laughing at life will decrease stress!
- Play/decompress. Before a violin is stored, the strings are loosened. If it is put away with the strings tight enough to play, the strings will eventually stretch and snap. You need periodical breaks to have fun and decompress. You will be better able to see life from an optimistic viewpoint if you take time to blow off steam!
- Surround yourself with positive people (read: stay away from toxic people). Make sure the people you choose to surround yourself with are positive, happy, and supportive. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
- Be happy NOW. It is easy to think you will be happy when you get that promotion or move out of your apartment or when your kids are out of diapers. I know I am guilty of putting off happiness until I achieve some arbitrary goal. But you can be happy NOW. You can choose to be optimistic and see life with an optimistic perspective now!
If you tend to have a negative outlook on life, take heart. The fact that you are reading this post speaks to your motivation to be a more optimistic person. And it will happen–with practice and patience. You can learn to see life through a positive, glass-half-full lens. You will start to see setbacks, weaknesses, trials, miscommunications, and failures for what they really are: opportunities for growth and happiness. Practicing positive thinking will also help you become less critical of the world and the people around you. You will notice that positive thinking will bleed into every aspect of your life–including and especially your relationship with yourself. Positive thinking really is the practice that will change your life…for the better! Please feel free to contact me or schedule a session for additional assistance.
Melissa Cluff is a licensed marriage and family therapist based in Lewisville, Texas, personally seeing clients in the North Dallas area.
Resources:
- Cluff Counseling: “8 Unique Ways to Practice Self-care”
- Cluff Counseling: 15 Minutes to a Happier You”
- Cluff Counseling: “Are You Robbing Yourself of Joy?”
- Cluff Counseling: “The Beauty of Journaling”
- Cluff Counseling: “Doing the Things You Enjoy Can Help Your Anxiety”
- Cluff Counseling: “Finding Your Strengths”
- Cluff Counseling: “Fork Your Way Into a Healthy 2018!”
- Cluff Counseling: “Gifts of Gratitude”
- Cluff Counseling: “The Key to Slowing Down in a Fast-Paced World”
- Cluff Counseling: “Life is Hard–Choose Joy”
- Cluff Counseling: “Outdoor Therapy: Nature’s Cure”
- Cluff Counseling: “The Positive Influence of Affirmations”
- Cluff Counseling: “Self-Compassion: A Neglected Form of Self-Care”
- Cluff Counseling: “Self-Esteem & Self-Worth: Two essential Components of the Self”
- Cluff Counseling: “Self-care: Is it Selfish?”
- Cluff Counseling: “Sleep…It Does a Body Good!”
- James Clear: “How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work”
- Mayo Clinic: “Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress”
- Psychology Today: “Think Positive: 11 Ways to Boost Positive Thinking”
- Success Magazine: “7 Practical Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset”
- Very Well Mind: “How to Think Like an Optimist and Stay Positive
