Positive thinking can bring us many benefits such as decreasing stress, improving our immune system, and bringing about more happiness in our lives.
I know it is easier said than done, so that is why I am giving you 7 tips that can help make this process a little bit easier for you.
7 Tips to be more positive
1. Choose to live in the present moment.
When you find your mind worrying about the past or the future, try to bring yourself back to the present moment. Notice your surroundings or the task you are working on at the moment. The more you train your mind to do this the easier it gets and the more present we are with the here and now, the easier it is to be positive.
2. Start and end your day with gratitude
Instead of jumping into the worries of the day ahead or thinking about things that went wrong throughout the day, try to focus on things that you are grateful for. These can be small or big, whatever comes to you. Practicing gratitude changes your focus to be on the wonderful things that are in your life instead of focusing on what you feel is lacking. When you change your mindset in this way you will be more positive in your everyday life.
3. Be more active
Many studies have been completed that show the benefits of exercise on mental health. These benefits come from the hormones released during exercise that boost your mood as well as from your mind being focused on exercise and not thinking about all the normal worries we have.
The type of physical activity you do doesn’t matter, any form of exercise that you enjoy will give you mental benefits. Whether it be yoga, weight training, walking, or high intensity cardio, they are all still exercise. You want to do something that you like so that you stick with it and make it a consistent part of your life!
4. Work on changing your inner voice
Many of us experience an inner voice that leans toward the negative. We repeat negative statements to ourselves such as “I am not good enough” or “I can’t do it”. These statements become a pattern and when said over and over to ourselves we start to believe it even though they are untrue.
When you catch yourself saying a negative statement, try to say the opposite to yourself to retrain your brain. To make this even more powerful, try to say the opposite AND give yourself a reason to believe it such as
“I can do it because I am smart and capable” or
“I am good enough because I am unique and there is only one me”.
5. Eat healthy
The food we intake has a direct impact on how we feel. Think about how you feel if you eat something heavy and greasy as opposed to how you feel if you eat something with a lot of fresh vegetables.
Food itself can make you feel a certain way but also making the choice to eat healthy will boost your mood because you are choosing to do something good for yourself!
Keep in mind, everyone is different in what foods make them feel good so there is not one set diet plan for all.
Also, it is not to say that you can never splurge and eat some cookies or something that is considered “unhealthy” but changing eating habits to be overall healthier can help you be more positive in life.
6. Improve your posture
Our posture is a direct correlation to our emotions. Think about how you hold yourself when you are sad. You probably let your spine slump forward, your shoulders roll in, and your head is down.
Now think about when you’re happy, you are probably more upright, your shoulders are back, and your heart/chest is open.
There is no “perfect posture” but overall keeping ourselves in a more upright position can help boost our mood.
So next time you find yourself slumping forward, try to make a conscious effort to change it.
7. Accept the fact that being positive is your choice
Many times we let the outside world control us so much that we forget how much control we have over ourselves.
There are always going to be bad things happening in the world but there also will always be good things.
I am not saying to ignore the bad but we can choose to focus on the bad which will keep us negative or to focus on the good to facilitate a more positive life.
We can chose to be negative or positive.
You have the power to make this choice and to change your life for the better.
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Exercise and physical activities:
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