As Norman Vincent Peele said, “Change your thoughts, and you will change your life.” If you think negatively, you will get passive results; if you think positively, you will get positive results. The philosopher William James wrote, “The magnificent discovery of my generation is that humans can change their lives by changing their attitudes.
If you want to be rich, you will be. If you want to learn, you will learn. If you want to be good, you'll be good.”
Thinking helps you plan, make decisions, and imagine your future, but negative thinking can lead to stress, depression, and paranoia. Negative thoughts drain energy and prevent you from enjoying the present. The more you leave negative thoughts unchecked, the stronger and more influential they become for you because if your ideas are confused and full of fear and suspicion, your life becomes full of fear, anxiety, and doubt.
In fact, most fears are acquired and not innate because the only innate fears are the fear of loud noises, bright lights, and the fear of falling.
Love, self-esteem, and courage are elements that help you overcome fears. Fortunately, scientists have discovered what's called neuroplasticity -the brain's ability to change its structure and function based on the results of your experiences, behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. This means you can change your passive thought patterns by being aware and making some effort.
Tips to Help You Get Rid of Negativity
1. Develop a positive mental attitude
One must have a positive spirit that affects others, making everyone who meets them feel good about themselves, their abilities, and their circumstances. It is also helpful to choose a specific word each year to guide your daily life. For example, if you choose “hope” this year, your plan should include spreading hope through your thoughts, words, and actions.
2. Surround yourself with positive people
Jim Rohn once said, “You are the product of the five people you spend the most time with.” Some people are inherently passive, looking at half the empty cup of life, so try not to spend too much time with them, and then replace their negative impact on your thinking by spending time with positive people. If it seems like you can't shake off the impact of negative people, reach out to a specialist to help you gain a more positive perspective.
3. Avoid listening to negative news
Violent news, crime-filled movies, politics, and negative social media posts reinforce negative thoughts, so you should avoid this type of news, feed your mind with positive and helpful stories, and choose what to read and follow wisely.
4. Make a plan to not give in to negative thoughts
You have to make a plan for the application as soon as you have negative thoughts. The plan may be simple, such as saying “no,” grabbing your chin, taking a deep breath, or turning negative thoughts into positive ones. A fine example of preplanning is Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, who, while racing for his eighth gold medal, filled his glasses with water when he dived into the pool to start the race.
He activated his plan and began counting his hits. He knew exactly how many hits he needed to get to the other side of the pool. He kept calm and focused, winning the gold medal without letting negative thinking stop him.
5. Sing, dance, do yoga, or go for a walk
Movement can help you think positively by activating morphine-like endorphins, which can reduce stress, improve sleep, reduce pain, boost self-esteem, and reduce depression, so listen to your favorite music and enjoy dancing to the beat.
6. Gratitude
Feeling grateful for the people and things in your life can turn negative thoughts into positive ones and fill your heart with appreciation, so think daily about five people and things you're grateful for.
7. Seek help from a professional
Life is short, and you deserve to live it to the fullest. So, if your negative thinking persists, consider professional help and cognitive-behavioral therapy that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive ways of thinking that negatively affect behavior and emotions.
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