We can change our behavior and outlook on life by transforming the way our minds think. This is especially true for negative thinking: specific exercises when practiced over time can lead to changes in the structure and functions of our brains. As a result, we can have a more positive outlook on life instead of being negative.
So, what exercises are there? This post will outline ways to stop being negative so that you can start practicing them and change the way you think.
1. Notice The Good
Write down a positive characteristic about yourself and your personality: whether you’re funny, kind, smart, or quick-witted. Whatever you like about yourself, jot it down and analyze it. Do the same with someone that you regularly interact with. Try and do this a few times a day for as many days as possible, and each day write a different characteristic down. This should help you see the positive aspects in people.
2. Practice Gratitude
It’s important to express gratitude for the good in your life. Pay attention to how often you share gratitude for your life. Whether it’s thanking a person for a good deed they’ve done for you or your life in general. There will be plenty to be thankful for in your life.
Another way to do this is through a gratitude journal. It’s a great way to begin and end each day by recognizing what you can be grateful for.
3. Compliment Others
It’s so lovely to be able to pass on compliments to other people. Recognize good deeds, achievements, and personality traits and tell the person as you notice them. Remember to look them in the eye and say it with a genuine feeling.
4. Make Sure To Breathe
One of the best ways to practice mindfulness is through your breathing. It helps to remind you to be present and thankful for that specific moment in time. If you’re feeling negative, take some time to pause and breathe and feel the present at that moment. You’ll be amazed at how differently you feel afterward.
5. Practice Compassion
A way you can practice being less negative is by practicing compassion. Compassion helps you gain perspective on your life versus others, and serves as a reminder that other people suffer too. People tend to view other people’s lives in an overly glamorized way, particularly if they’re in a negative mindset.
Instead of thinking about what we have, we think about what they have instead and be disappointed we don’t have it. However, by practicing compassion, you recognize that others suffer too.
6. Understand Your Negativity
By exposing yourself to negativity but in a safe environment, you can begin to understand your triggers and mindset. We need to do this in a place where we feel completely safe to feel our emotions, particularly if our experiences or feelings of experiences are linked to any trauma.
By understanding our negativity we can then begin to positively influence these thoughts and feelings instead. We can focus our breathing while thinking about them and come to a place where these thoughts do not affect us negatively. Negative thoughts can be all-consuming. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in our thoughts and feelings and feel like there’s no escape to this constant feeling of sadness and anger, either towards ourselves or other people.
However, by changing the way our brains think about things, we can start to restructure our thought processes and think in a more positive way. This might take some practice but with patience and commitment, you can think more positively.
