Negative thinking is as common a problem as it is easily solved. It can be the enemy of health by increasing stress and can prevent you from seizing personal and professional opportunities to improve your life. By curbing your habit of pursuing negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones, you can achieve that mental shape that allows you to achieve full happiness.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Eliminate Negative Thinking
Step 1. Identify your negative thoughts
Some might immediately spring to mind, but if you have trouble pinpointing them, consider journaling. Write down a sentence or two describing the negative thoughts whenever you have them.
- Blame yourself or feel ashamed for things you have no responsibility for.
- Considering small mistakes as symptoms of personal failure.
- Seeing little problems bigger than they are.
Remove too negative words from your vocabulary. Extreme terms like "terrible" and "disaster" should not be associated with minor hassles and problems. Reducing the tone of your language can help you put negative experiences into a better perspective.
Step 1.
- Write a list of the five most negative words you use most often.
- Try to recognize the times you use them throughout the day.
- When you find yourself using one of those words, immediately replace them with something less extreme. "Terrible" can become "unfortunate" or "not as good as I hoped." "Disaster" can become "nuisance" or "challenge", depending on the context.
Step 2. Practice identifying positive elements within seemingly negative experiences
Few situations are entirely good or bad. Finding the good in an unpleasant situation helps make negative experiences appear less bad.
For example: imagine how your computer stops working, forcing you to replace an internal component. While it's a hassle, this experience gives you the opportunity to learn something new or practice something you haven't done in a long time
Method 2 of 4: Create a Positive Day
Step 1. Start the day by identifying five good things
They don't have to be big things. They can be simple things like the smell of a good coffee or your favorite song. Thinking about these things, listing them aloud, makes you start the day by focusing on the positive things. This creates an encouraging foundation for the day, making it harder for the negativity to take hold.
- As you go about your daily routine, mentally make a list of five positive things.
- List them aloud, explaining one by one why they are positive.
- Finish by listing them all in a row.
Step 2. During the day, take some time to have a laugh and relax
Even if you're busy, small things can help keep your spirits high and give your mind less reason to get lost in negative thoughts.
- If you are feeling stressed, take a short break and think about something else that is not the source of your stress.
- Try to socialize.
- Find ways to control your environment. Listening to music, dressing in layers so that you never have to be too hot or too cold, and adjusting the light are some small steps to combat the sense of helplessness caused by stress.
Step 3. At the end of the day, take some time to decompress
- Find a comfortable, quiet place.
- Take at least fifteen minutes to relax.
- Mentally review your day and identify five positive things you have experienced.
- List every single positive thing out loud.
Method 3 of 4: Seek Outside Help
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your negative experiences, talking to a psychologist might help a lot in addition to exercising positive thoughts.
Step 1. Find a psychologist you can trust
- Ask your doctor for a few names.
- Ask a friend who has already gone to a psychologist for advice.
- Use an internet search engine to find one for yourself.
Step 2. Make an appointment
Consider it a check-up of your mental form. You don't have to stay there if you don't feel comfortable, and you don't even have to go to a psychologist more than once if you don't feel comfortable.
Step 3. Describe your negative feelings to the psychologist
Remember that the consultation is confidential and safe, so you can be totally honest. The more honest you are with your therapist, the more he or she will be able to help you.
Step 4. Determine if further appointments may or may not help you
Don't be discouraged if your first experience with a psychologist is not productive. You can look for another one until you find the one you are completely comfortable with.
Method 4 of 4: A Healthy Life
Negative thinking and stress reinforce each other. In addition to negative thinking, other habits can also create stress.
Step 1. Eat fresh, nutritious foods whenever possible
