Positive Thinking
This week we are looking as positive thought and how our thoughts affect our moods and feelings.
Positive thinking is key to our happiness and enjoyment of life, as well as helping us to be able to live in the present. When our thoughts are positive we bring positivity to other aspects of our lives including positive feelings, positive body language and we are also able to bring positivity to others, as well as increasing our own optimism. The more positive we are, the more positivity we bring to ourselves through the law of attraction, which we have already discussed in another article.
Negative thoughts on the other hand can be quiet destructive. Not only do they drain your energy and keep you from enjoying the present moments they can also snowball into negative emotions and fear, the more you give into them the stronger they become. Once the negative thought patterns have started it is hard to stop them and it can be difficult to shift your focus to positive thoughts.
When we have negative thoughts about certain situations the whole situation can escalate and before you know it, your whole day, week, month and year has become negative.
For example, you are sitting alone in the dark at home. You are down, depressed and thinking negative thoughts. The phone rings and it’s a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. You become alert, your mood and feelings change and becomes more positive, you have a nice conversation. Then, after you’ve hung up, you get blue again and fall back into a depressed mood. Why?
Because we have let negative thoughts and emotions come back in. We control our thoughts and emotions, we can decide to stay up or down. We can go back and sit in the dark and feel glum or we can decide to find something positive to do to keep our mood positive.
As we begin to change our thoughts to positive thoughts we start to feel better. If we take positive action to change the way we think and feel , we will feel better. The focus should be on being happy now – not when you have a promotion, new job, etc. etc. Happiness is a result of a decision to be happy.
Every thought we have is sent out into the universe, whether that thought is positive or negative, but whatever we send out is what the universe sends back to us. For Example, if you think a lot about debt, how much debt you have, guess what, the universe sends us more debt. If on the other hand we spend a lot of time thinking about the things we are grateful for, the universe sends us more things to be grateful for. Every emotion and feeling we have is created by our thoughts, so as you can see positive thought is paramount to our happiness.
Our past thoughts and emotions are exactly that, they are the past and are not in our present. Today is a new day, a better day, and worrying about the past just dooms us in the present. It’s how you process it now that makes a difference. Take a good look at the negative thoughts that appear every day, process them, forgive them and let go of them!
Here are some practical ideas to help you shift your thought patterns. By practising some of these things on a daily basis you can turn negative thoughts and emotions around.
Yoga and exercise.
Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that among other things feed anxiety and depression, it also helps relieve stress. It also releases ‘feel good’ chemicals in the brain (endorphins), which will improve your mood and as a result you will feel more energised.
Yoga is a particularly good exercise. It seeks to promote individual health and well-being through physical and mental exercise and deep relaxation.
Smiling / laughter.
Laughter really helps to change your mood and relieve stress. Put on your favourite funny movie, watch a comedian who will make you laugh or spend some time with friends. It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown!
Surround yourself with positive people.
When you’re stuck in a negative spiral, talk to and spend time with people who can put things into perspective( those who won’t feed your negative thinking). In other words those who will not allow you to dwell in self-pity.
Change the tone of your thoughts from negative to positive.
Instead of looking at all the negatives in your life, find a positive aspect in every situation and focus on that. Instead of dwelling on things you have lost or don’t have, be grateful for the things that you do have and in turn focus on those thoughts.
Don’t play the victim. You create your life—take responsibility.
You have choices and you can choose to be happy. Take responsibility for your thoughts, your life and your decisions. Take action and make the changes you need, no one else can do it for you!
Help someone.
Take the focus away from yourself and do something nice for another person. It will take you mind off of your problems and you will feel a sense of achievement at doing something worthwhile
Remember that no one is perfect and let yourself move forward.
We all make mistakes but it is what we learn from them that is important. If we dwell on and analyse these mistakes over and over again then we are not learning as this analysis keeps us in the past. Look at the mistakes, forgive them and move on.
Singing / Music.
When we sing, we show our feelings and this provides an amazing stress relief. It doesn’t matter what we sing, or if we know all the words, just sing! Music can also change our moods drastically, by playing depressing music it will keep us in a depressed mood, however if you change the music to something more upbeat it is very hard to stay miserable. Dancing can also help immensely, for example when doing the housework put on some upbeat music, sing, dance and let your emotions out, the housework then is also not a chore and you feel much better, more energised and more focused.
Gratitude
List ten things that you are grateful for right now. Being grateful helps us to appreciate what you already have, it also helps the universe to bring us more things to be grateful for. It also turns our thoughts to positive thoughts and stops us dwelling on what we don’t have. Use Gratitude throughout the day, even for the smallest of things, start from the minute you get up. (please see the article on gratitude.)
Read positive quotes / Affirmations.
Affirmations are a very powerful tool. They are positive statements, which when repeated, program the subconscious mind to create changes and improvement in your life. They trigger the subconscious mind into positive action. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the affirmations, they have to be repeated with attention, conviction, feeling, interest and desire.
Here are a couple of sample affirmations, ideally you should make your own using words that resonate with you.
“I am happy, confident and have everything that I need”
“I am grateful for the start of a new day”
“I am free to be who I want to be, Thank you”
Until next week,
Suzi
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