Positive thinking is about focusing on the good and trying to make the best of a situation, even when things are tough. It’s not about ignoring negative emotions or things that are going on in your life, but it is about choosing to approach these issues in a way that supports your emotional well-being. It is about creating a mindset that allows you to acknowledge challenges and focus on how to solve these problems and learn from them.
The shift in thinking doesn’t just impact how you feel in the moment, if you start implementing positive thinking habits, this can have a long-term effect on your mental health, and you will see the benefits quite quickly.
Some Key Mental Health Benefits of Fostering a Positive Mindset:
- Reduces anxiety and stress – Positive thinking helps lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can reduce overall stress and anxiety.
- Boosts resilience – Life is full of challenges, but positive thinkers tend to bounce back more quickly.
- Improves self-esteem and confidence – Regularly practising positive self-talk and affirmations can increase your self-esteem.
- Promote better relationships – Positive thinking can also improve your relationships with others.
It is easier said than done when somebody says, “Think positively”, I know this is not as easy to do for some people as it may be for others, so here are a few tips on how to get started in shifting your mindset to a more positive one.
How to Practice Positive Thinking Every Day
Although practising positive thinking and shifting your mindset can be tricky and take some practice, once you get the hang of it and train your brain to think this way, you will quickly start seeing the benefits and improvements.
- Start by Practising Gratitude Daily – Every day take a few minutes to reflect on what you are thankful for, you could say these to yourself, write them down in a journal or on your notes app on your phone, and you can start to recognise little things throughout your day that you are thankful for, i.e. “I’m thankful for my morning coffee” or “I’m grateful for the sunlight coming through my window.”
- Reframe Negative Thoughts – We all find ourselves having negative thoughts sometimes, this is normal, however instead of letting them control us and instead of allowing yourself to dwell on these thoughts, try reframing those thoughts. For example, if you think, “I’ll never get through this,” change it to “This is tough, but I’ve faced challenges before, and I know I can get through this too.”
- Use Positive Affirmations – positive affirmations are something I use daily, especially in the morning, I like to start my day or saying something positive i.e. “Today is going to be a good/productive day”, “I have all I need to be successful today” and this sets me up for a good day because saying these words makes me feel instantly uplifted and positive. Using positive affirmations can help you challenge negative talk, boost your mood and self-esteem and make you feel more confident.
- Surround Yourself with Positivity – The environment you are mostly around can have a massive impact on your mindset, for example, people, the media etc. If you are constantly around negativity this will more than likely rub off on you, so, if you can, remove yourself from negative people, unfollowing negative social media accounts and media articles and instead surround yourself with people and things that make you feel positive, happy and uplifted.
When I switched my mindset to thinking more positively this made a HUGE difference to my mental health, so I hope this also helps you in some way and life starts to look a little bit more uplifted and positive for you too.
Lots of love x