Keeping Positive

Positive thinking is not as easy as people think. While some people are born optimists others seem to find this a little more difficult.  I would class myself as an optimist and I am the first to tell my friends off for not being positive thinkers. Yet now and again I still find it easy to fall prey to negative thinking.  Negative thoughts drain you of your energy and stop you living in the NOW! The more you give in to negative thoughts the stronger they become.

It is however possible to change your mind-set and learn to start thinking more positively.  Thinking positively holds a whole host of benefits including improved wellbeing, lowered stress levels, better relationships and overall an improved quality of life

Here are a few tips I use to help overcome my own negative thoughts:

• TIP 1 – Smile:  It takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown.  You have heard of the saying: Frown and you frown alone, smile and the whole world smiles with you.  If you are not used to smiling regularly overcoming this can take a little practice. So sit yourself in front of a mirror and practice. Doing this will increase your smiling confidence and it really will change your mood.
• TIP 2 – Keep a gratitude diary: How often do we really stop and reflect on all the things that go right in our lives. It is so easy to notice when we burn our tea, the kids don’t get up for school on time, and the train was running late. Make a conscious effort to start reflecting on all the things that do go right. Keep a gratitude diary and every night list all the things you have to be grateful that day. To get you started you could perhaps list 5 things that you are grateful for RIGHT NOW!
• TIP 3 – Read Positive Quotes: I have positive quotes all over. I have them on my chalk board in the kitchen I have them as a screen saver on my computer. They have just recently put some up at the gym that I go to. Inspirational quotes capture your subconscious mind; a good quote can motivate, educate and inspire you. That’s why I like them they are short to the point and yet beautifully poignant.
• TIP 4 – Take Responsibility:  Having a positive outlook is a choice. You can choose to think thoughts that lift your mood or you can choose to think negatively. All your thoughts are just that “Your Thoughts” nobody controls how you feel and think unless you let them. So take responsibility for your thoughts. Remember you always have the choice to make change happen.
• TIP 5 – Challenge your negative thoughts: To help overcome your negative thoughts you need to constantly challenge them. If you have spent most of your life thinking negatively it can be very difficult to keep challenging your negative thoughts. You could try writing down your negative thoughts and then ask yourself if these thoughts are true. Try asking yourself questions like “is this situation as bad as I am making it out to be?” “Are these negative thoughts helping me?” Often our negative thoughts are based on little more than our own fears and doubts so challenge them.

Remember It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people that are happy.

Why not try a career in Counselling