If you want to live a happy, healthy life, you need to be proactive to ensure it happens. This means making a concerted effort to do everything in your power to become a positive and solution-orientated person, instead of a negative and problem-orientated person. As a result of the fast pace and stressful nature of modern day living, negative influences have become commonplace, so how can you possibly think more positively. People worry about their families, Jobs, finances, the list can go on and on. Well, there is a way, we just need to consciously learn to change how we think. It is not easy and it takes practice but it is possible with enough motivation and determination.

 

So, how do you do this?

 

Step 1:

 

Determine how we think now, when we are faced with a difficult task or situation does our thinking go something like this? “I can’t-do this”, ”I am just not good enough”, and the more those thoughts are in our mind the more stressed we become. This is a negative mindset. Rather start thinking of “I can do this”, ”I am good enough”. This shift in thoughts has a powerful effect on how your body reacts and we’ll feel some of the stress dissolve. When I was young my mother used to tell me “There is no such word as CAN’T”. It used to drive me crazy, it is only growing old that I realized that she was actually right.

 

Step 2:

 

Question yourself. Are these thoughts helping you right now or are they making you feel more stressed? Am I blowing things out of proportion or exaggerating the situation? When things are not going the way you would like them to, you tend to take everything to the extreme, and in most cases, it never happens.

 

Step 3:

 

Choose how we think. Replace a positive thought for the negative thought. Let’s not focus on the things that could go wrong, rather, we should focus on what could go right. We can only think one thought at a time so having a positive thought negates the negative thought.

 

Other methods you can use include:

 

 

Make time for laughter and having fun. Try to see the funny side of things and go out and do fun stuff – movies, walks on the beach, anything that will change your negative thinking and make you feel good.

 

Use affirmations. Short positive statements that are personal and in the present tense to improve your thought patterns. “I can do this.” “I am a happy person.” are just some examples. Write them out and tape them somewhere in your car, on your desk etc. Read them often.

 

Smile more often

 

Surround yourself with positive people

 

Make a list of all the things you are grateful for right now

It would be naive to think we can suddenly “be positive”. We need to stop thinking black or white and think of all the shades of gray that make up our world. Be alert and aware, so we can recognize when our thoughts are negative. When this happens, we can use the above techniques to change our thoughts.

 

Bad things will always happen to us, it is part of life, instead of thinking doom and gloom, think about what you can learn and grow from the experience and put a positive take on it.