Being More Positive
Perceiving your glass as ‘half empty or half-full’ reveals a personality trait which could affect your health and well-being. Did you know you can change your perception of life and learn positive thinking skills? Our brains become naturally wired for the negative, and this bias can and should be corrected. Go on the SoHaPP journey, and make positive thinking your way of life.
For the majority of us, long-term happiness can be fostered by how your brain processes the world you find yourself in. Is it processing information negatively or positively? Hope and optimism fuel performance and change the lens of how you perceive your world. Your typical day, if seen as a chore, can lead to stress and pressure. Seeing such pursuits as a privilege gives motivation towards greater achievements and a rewarding experience. A student’s mindset, perceptions of their own capabilities, is a perfect example. Students who believe their intelligence can be further developed, a positive growth mind set, will perform well in school, compared to those who believe their intelligence is fixed. This growth mindset can be fostered just by focusing on the process of working hard and attempting new strategies.
If you tend to be pessimistic, don't despair – learning positive thinking skills can happen. Recognize that positive thinking means approaching unpleasantness in a positive and productive way. Positive thinking can begin with self-talk, the continual unspoken thoughts circling the brain. Self-talk can result from logical reasoning or even misconceptions, but if you can keep them mostly positive, you'll push yourself to be an optimist. Re-wire your brain to foster positive thinking, and practice positive self-talk. Don't say anything to yourself you wouldn't say to another. Does this sound worthwhile?
Determine positive triggers for yourself and start every day with one, like looking out a window and thinking of a blessing in your life. Simple, but it can work. Purposely expand the experience of a positive emotion. ‘Stop and smell the roses’ has ‘Stop’, and it should be more than just an instant. Why not a minute? When coming upon a positive experience – a child zealously playing, a particularly pretty scene – push yourself for extra time to savor it. Let yourself be humored, and allow more laughter in your life. With specific intention teach yourself to enjoy life more, every day.
Consciously add three smiles and 15 minutes of fun activity to your day. Think of a meaningful experience for two minutes, writing down every detail you can remember. Develop deep connections with other positively minded individuals. Believe and feel life is meaningful, and what you are doing is making a difference. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, look for positivity in the moment. It helps immensely in getting through it.
Some studies show personality traits like optimism and pessimism affect many areas of health and well-being. Positive thinking typically coming with optimism is a key part of effective stress management, associated with many health benefits. Creating positive experiences may provide better coping skills to deal in more constructive ways with hardships, can lower rates of depression and distress, may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, and even perhaps increase life span. Does this that sound worth it to you?
The process is simple, but the key to this practice is doing it every day. Force yourself to be more positive, even just a little bit, every day as you try to build this habit. Acknowledge when you have turned a negative into a positive with a thought of “Well Done”, encouraging future such performances. It does take time, but this practice will become a habit and be in your subconscious hopefully for the rest of your life. Eventually your positive self-talk and thinking will provide more self-acceptance, and will lead to being less critical of the world around you. For sure, you will have better mental health and well-being.
For the majority of us, long-term happiness can be fostered by how your brain processes the world you find yourself in. Is it processing information negatively or positively? Hope and optimism fuel performance and change the lens of how you perceive your world. Your typical day, if seen as a chore, can lead to stress and pressure. Seeing such pursuits as a privilege gives motivation towards greater achievements and a rewarding experience. A student’s mindset, perceptions of their own capabilities, is a perfect example. Students who believe their intelligence can be further developed, a positive growth mind set, will perform well in school, compared to those who believe their intelligence is fixed. This growth mindset can be fostered just by focusing on the process of working hard and attempting new strategies.
If you tend to be pessimistic, don't despair – learning positive thinking skills can happen. Recognize that positive thinking means approaching unpleasantness in a positive and productive way. Positive thinking can begin with self-talk, the continual unspoken thoughts circling the brain. Self-talk can result from logical reasoning or even misconceptions, but if you can keep them mostly positive, you'll push yourself to be an optimist. Re-wire your brain to foster positive thinking, and practice positive self-talk. Don't say anything to yourself you wouldn't say to another. Does this sound worthwhile?
Determine positive triggers for yourself and start every day with one, like looking out a window and thinking of a blessing in your life. Simple, but it can work. Purposely expand the experience of a positive emotion. ‘Stop and smell the roses’ has ‘Stop’, and it should be more than just an instant. Why not a minute? When coming upon a positive experience – a child zealously playing, a particularly pretty scene – push yourself for extra time to savor it. Let yourself be humored, and allow more laughter in your life. With specific intention teach yourself to enjoy life more, every day.
Consciously add three smiles and 15 minutes of fun activity to your day. Think of a meaningful experience for two minutes, writing down every detail you can remember. Develop deep connections with other positively minded individuals. Believe and feel life is meaningful, and what you are doing is making a difference. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, look for positivity in the moment. It helps immensely in getting through it.
Some studies show personality traits like optimism and pessimism affect many areas of health and well-being. Positive thinking typically coming with optimism is a key part of effective stress management, associated with many health benefits. Creating positive experiences may provide better coping skills to deal in more constructive ways with hardships, can lower rates of depression and distress, may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, and even perhaps increase life span. Does this that sound worth it to you?
The process is simple, but the key to this practice is doing it every day. Force yourself to be more positive, even just a little bit, every day as you try to build this habit. Acknowledge when you have turned a negative into a positive with a thought of “Well Done”, encouraging future such performances. It does take time, but this practice will become a habit and be in your subconscious hopefully for the rest of your life. Eventually your positive self-talk and thinking will provide more self-acceptance, and will lead to being less critical of the world around you. For sure, you will have better mental health and well-being.