Inside: Life is stressful and has its way of throwing us curve balls when we least expect it. Learn how to take control of your attitude with 5 tips for positive thinking.
Tips for Positive Thinking
Some of these may seem like “duh” moments or some may be brand new to you. Wherever you are at in your positive thinking journey, these tips are sure to get your wheels spinning. I’ve even included real-life applications of how I’ve applied these concepts to my life. It does take time and a conscious effort to get into a positive mindset, but I promise that it’ll be worth it!
Tip #1: The most important opinion is yours
You’re the one that’s living in your mind, your space, and in your body daily. Let that sink in. Nobody knows what it’s like to be you. That’s pretty unique if you think of it. Believing in yourself and being a cheerleader is important when developing a positive mindset. It’s OK to reward yourself with little treats for a job well done! Don’t wait for someone else to do it because you’ll be waiting a long time. It’s also OK to toot your own horn and be proud of yourself! The power of positive thinking, even just smiling, helps boost your mood instantly!
Real-life application
My mom instilled a positive affirmation in me from a young age. I never knew it was an affirmation, as much as a “mom motto”, but it’s stuck with me ever since. When we’d run into someone that she knew, they’d go through all of the usual greetings and then say that I was pretty. My mom would instantly say, “Yes, she is, but she’s pretty on the inside, too.” That let me know that what’s on the inside counts more than outside appearance! See if you can come up with a daily affirmation for yourself (or your child or students) that will linger with them years later! Above all else, stop comparing yourself to others, that just takes up extra brain space that can go elsewhere!
If you want to learn how to double up on self-care techniques, check out my self-care blog post here.
Tip #2: Surround yourself with uplifting people
Stop and think about what people are in your Top 5 Friend List. Now, think about how you’d describe those people to someone who doesn’t know them. Did you say things like “This person has the kindest heart and always lends a helping hand.” or “I adore this person so much for all the times he/she has boosted my mood.” On the other hand, what if you said “This person is a drama queen/king.” or “I like this person, but they’re such an energy drain, I wish…”. It’s time to banish negativity with people and attitudes.
Top 5 Friend List Importance
Having a Top 5 Friend List means that some friends won’t “make the cut”. That is OK, I promise! They won’t know that they didn’t make it, because you can slowly let things fizzle. You can set up boundaries (see Tip #3) and not let them consume you and your time. And if you feel up to it, you can be honest with them. There’s a polite way to tell someone that their negative attitude is rubbing off onto you, and you’re choosing to take the high road. Hard conversations can sometimes have the best results!
Real-life application
My friends now are different than my friends five years ago. My Top 5 Friend List includes people that fill me up with joy, support me, and have my best interest at heart. We all celebrate each other and aren’t judgmental. Humor, also lots of humor! I wouldn’t have it any other way!
The Ultimate Positive Thinking Tip #3: Learn when and how to say “NO”
There’s not enough time in the day or week to say yes to everything. Don’t trick yourself into thinking that there is! Try focusing on things that you need to do right now and prioritize accordingly. The most important thing to this tip is not worrying about what others might think or say about you not doing XYZ. Most of the time, they’re not paying attention to you as close as you might think. They’re not overanalyzing everything that you do. Besides, even IF they question why you didn’t do this or that, do YOU even care? You shouldn’t.
Benefits of Boundaries
Boundaries are healthy and necessary. Think about the boundaries you have in place for work, friends, significant others, and even your children. Now, come up with a personal mantra and use this to drive the conversation with others. Saying no to things frees up your time to say yes to others…things that YOU want to do! *This might be one of my favorite tips for positive thinking and navigating life in general!
Real-life application
I’m juggling things at the moment, and I took a 2-week hiatus from my blog. Did the perfectionist in me cringe? Yes! Was this something I had control over to say no to? Also yes! Another thing, or “mom motto” was hearing my mom always say “Make it work for you!” Gosh, that applies to just about everything, right? So simple, yet so effective!
Tip #4: Set and follow a routine
Establishing a routine can remove a lot of unnecessary stress. You’ll eliminate walking around frazzled and juggling little nuances in your day. A routine wires your brain to know what to expect, and you can navigate your day around this plan. Plus, you’ll be able to look forward to certain aspects of your day because you know they’re coming. You’ve planned for them and can use these positive moments to boost your mood! Your routine will look different than someone else, but remember that just because everyone else is doing XYZ doesn’t mean you have to as well. Also, if something in your routine isn’t bringing you joy, get rid of it. You have my permission!
Real-life application
There are days that I’m “radio silent” on Instagram. Not for any particular reason, but I’m just going about my daily routine and sometimes that doesn’t make the cut. My routine allows me to have a daily plan, and I’m able to squeeze in some “me time” moments as well!
Tip #5: Don’t dwell on the past
Again, it takes the same amount of mental energy to think about the past as it does with the current or future. If you’re dwelling on the past, think of what else you could be doing with your mental energy! First of all, you’re human, and we all make mistakes. It’s time to stop living life in a funk just because something happened to you. You’re allowed to vent or hash out what happened, but please dust yourself off and move on. We don’t have to give up when things happen in our life for a reason. We may never know what that reason was, but it was what it was at the time. The timing might not have been perfect now, but that means that the timing will be perfect later…when something was supposed to happen.
The Importance of Letting Go
It’s hard not to control the outcome, but you know by now that nothing is forever. Most things are temporary, for a moment, a day, or even a week, but still temporary nonetheless. Learn to accept it and move on. Focus on your life afterward. Positivity will propel you forward. After all, life always throws us curve balls to catch, so put your gloves on and get ready to catch them before they hit you unexpectedly!
Real-life application
I recently had something happen to me that wasn’t the outcome I was expecting. All the effort that I had spent on this felt wasted. I struggled to rationalize the “why” of this happening. After spending a few hours aggravated, I decided it wasn’t worth my time and moved on. I don’t have to know the “why” and I’ll just try again as frustrating as it will be to spend MORE effort on this. The timing wasn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to happen now as much as I wanted it to. I’ll be counting on the perfect timing of it when it does happen. Knowing that it was supposed to be that way brings me some reassurance! I will always excel because I won’t accept any less! Don’t you either!
Try to implement these tips for positive thinking a little at a time. Pick and choose one or two and get started today and let me know how it goes!
Always rooting you on,
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