Self-talk – i.e. what we say to ourselves can lead to feeling negative, anxious and not worthy and make you stop in your tracks towards taking any action.
It takes commitment to reverse negative thoughts patterns, however, it can be done through daily practices.
Our attitudes really are everything. When we’re not feeling great about our lives or how the day is going, everything can seem to go wrong. The problem is, life isn’t a steady thing. You might have one really good day followed by another equally bad. With so many things outside of your control from the weather to politics it might seem impossible to ever truly feel good about anything.
The answer lies in your thinking. By being able to think positively, you will find your entire outlook changes. You can train your brain to think differently – how empowering and uplifting is that?
So, how do you develop the habit of positive thinking?
Rephrase
The obvious answer is to listen to your self talk and to consciously use more positive words. Instead of saying something negative, either out loud or in your head, try to find a better way to say things. For example, work isn’t gruelling so much as it might have interesting challenges. Or “I am so busy” can be rephrased to “I have a full day”. While this might seem artificial and forced at first, the more you work to rephrase things, the easier it will be to find a more positive spin.
Reframe
How many times have you talked about ‘having’ to do something. This alone has a negative connotation, as though you’re being forced into something you don’t want to do. Instead trying to drop the word ‘have’ in this context, and try inserting ‘get’ instead. You don’t have to do a presentation by Friday. You get to do one. Hear the difference? This is how you change a task into an opportunity.
Reorient
Sure, disasters are going to happen. Not everything you attempt is going to turn out exactly the way you’d like it to. Rather than focus on the disaster, try changing your focus. It might be time to shift to a slightly different method or goal. Focusing on what is going right as opposed to what is not, puts you in the frame of mind that you are looking for what is working. Spend a few minutes everyday looking at what is going right for you.
Relax
It’s so hard to be positive when you’re absolutely exhausted and feeling like you’re in over your head. Sometimes the best way to cultivate better self-talk is to cut yourself some slack and take a break. Things will look brighter when you can come back refreshed.
Reassess
Being positive should never be about closing your eyes to tragedy or injustice. Bad things are going to happen in the world. But someone with a positive attitude will be able to look beyond the tragedy to the next step. Positivity finds solutions where others only see problems. Here is the birth of activism and change.
