Negativity can take hold of our thoughts, influencing our emotions, relationships, and whole well-being. Constant negative thinking becomes overwhelming, making an everyday challenge appear huge, thereby limiting personal growth. Prey to this good news, is the fact that negativity can now be avoided, with a right mindset and appropriate changes-able forward to construct a better life. Moving from a negative mindset to a more positive mindset does take time and effort, but small and steady changes can give life a better, happier, and healthier feel. In this guide, we will explore five effective tips: to help you stop being negative and reframe your thoughts in a constructive and empowering manner.
1 – Understand why we are negative
The first step in reversing such negativity is why negativity settles on us so easily. Our brains are naturally attuned to negative experiences far more than to positive ones, a phenomenon called negativity bias. Thus, our minds get to absorb and hold on to negative information substantially faster than positive experiences. Evolutionarily speaking, this survival mechanism saw that the early man had to be on high alert to the threats in the world around him, to stay alive. But in the current scenario, this becomes a major block to happiness and contentment.
Every time we suffer some negative experiences, our brain takes lots of time processing them deeply; we keep ruminating on it, which lays down the circuit of doubt and fears, where one negative thought reinforces others. With every passing moment, changing the perception toward a positive thought becomes sort of impossible. In simple terms, negativity is a loop that draws one back into worry and doubt.
Realizing this inclination allows for great freedom. It lets us cycle through our negativity without guilt, recognizing that our brains aren’t necessarily built to be naturally upbeat. Instead of directing our blame towards ourselves, negativity can be perceived as an automatic default mind-set, which we are able to training actively through some self-will conditioning. In the process of thought reframing, we develop an awareness, that checks that differently wired mechanism of thinking and escapes from the loop, establishing a more intolerant and thus relatively balanced perspective of life.
2 – Make a powerful commitment to stop being negative
So, our brain has a clear tendency towards the negative. But, that doesn’t mean that we are condemned to the negative either. In fact, it means that we are going to have to make efforts to be more positive.
Indeed, we don’t become positive by magic, it’s a real work that we do on ourselves. Fortunately, this work is enjoyable and does a lot of good!
Because we don’t make the commitment to stop being negative by chance, it’s because we know that it will transform our life in a very positive way. And, it does.
That’s why the second thing to do when we want to develop a positive mindset is to make a powerful commitment. It’s actually a sentence that we repeat to ourselves every day to remind ourselves of our goal. So it should motivate us!
Example: “I decide to make my life sparkle with positivity from now on!” » or « I decide to become a positive and smiling person from now on! »
What will be your sentence to remind you of your commitment? Once you have found it, write it everywhere so that you always remember it.
3 – Start a gratitude journal to adopt a positive attitude
Now, let’s move on to my more concrete tips to stop being negative. So, the third thing to put in place, to put more positivity and joy in your life, is to start a gratitude journal.
To do this, you take a notebook, a diary or even a sheet of paper and each day, you write down at least 3 things that you appreciated in your day. The goal of this exercise is to focus on the things that went well, rather than on other things.
That’s why, at first, this exercise won’t be easy. Indeed, your brain is not really trained to see positive things, but rather negative things. And, it’s precisely for this reason that this gratitude journal will do you a world of good! So, what are you waiting for?
If you have difficulty being positive and you can’t stand complaining anymore, treat yourself to a coaching session by phone with me.
I will listen to you and help you discover why you are stuck in a negative state of mind and how to free yourself from it by changing certain things. It will do you a world of good! So, sign up now!
4 – Learn to talk about things that are going well and stop being negative
Because stopping being negative is not just about our thoughts, but also about the words that come out of our mouths. You will notice that it is probably easier for you to talk about the things that have gone badly lately rather than the things that have gone well.
But, if you want to stop being negative, you need to make a real effort by completely changing the way you converse with others. That is to say, you will have to talk about things that are going well, talk about the good news.
To start training yourself, always start a conversation with good news and always end with good news. This is a great new habit that you could take and that will change your life, and even your relationships. Indeed, what a joy to converse with positive people, isn’t it? So, become that positive person.
Well, obviously, I’m not telling you to never talk about what’s wrong again, because it often feels good to talk about the things that bother us. I’m simply saying not to only talk about the things that are wrong. And secondly, to talk more about the things that are right and less about the things that are wrong. What do you think? Will you do it?
5 – Cut yourself off from the negative to stop being negative
Finally, to develop an increasingly positive attitude, we also need to cut ourselves off from the negative, that is, negative information from television, radio and social networks. I am not saying to cut everything off, but first of all to give ourselves some breaks. And little by little to increase these breaks.
In addition, to stop being negative, we need to cut ourselves off from the negative of others. That is to say, to dare to redirect certain negative conversations. For example, when someone has been complaining non-stop for the last 15 minutes, we can say this to them: “I am really sorry. I understand that it is not easy for you. But, are there things that are going well at the moment, things that make you feel good or even one or two pieces of good news, tell me.” Do you see how this could change the conversation? So, will you do it?
And if it is not possible to redirect some negative conversations, then find an excuse and move away from this conversation. Indeed, you are not obliged to receive the negativity of others, you have the right to protect yourself from it and therefore move away from it.
In conclusion, to overcome negativity is not to deny the presence of challenges or suggest that everything is sanguine. Rather, it denotes the constant work of being able to respond differently to various situations in a way that attends to growth and opportunities. Practicing gratitude, surrounding yourself with positivity, challenging negative thoughts, looking after mental and physical health, and being self-compassionate are suggested steps to mentally condition yourself toward a healthier mindset. Patience and consistency are needed in changing perceptions, but when fueled by resolution, self-training of the mind to see chances instead of setbacks can easily become a reality. Start incorporating these five tips today as a first step toward happiness and a more positive life.
Read also: Happiness – The 7 Habits of Happy People
