There is always that one overconfident, overly optimistic friend who finds the good in everything. However, looking for anything to cheer you up is unrealistic when you're going through a difficult time. The question still stands: Why is it so hard to think positively when everything in life seems to be falling apart?
The brain is the source of this issue. Your brain's constant focus on improving survival means that it is not made for happiness. Dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin—the chemicals that cause happiness—are retained for use when it is necessary to preserve human life.
Although all this is true, you can still train your mind to be optimistic so that you can find the bright side amidst life's greatest trials.
You Can't Stay Positive All the Time
Before we discuss how to do this, you must understand that it's not expected to be positive all the time; you are human, and life is full of challenges.
Have you ever set a solid plan but failed to achieve it? Don't worry; sometimes, feeling depressed, furious, or negative is necessary. However, the trick is to ensure these feelings don't control you for too long, as frustrating emotions may temporarily fulfill a need but eventually degrade your quality of life.
Many people misunderstand positivity. Being positive doesn't require you to sing in the rain or smile all day, every day of the week. Your appreciation for the simplest things can work wonders for your mind. Over time, you start programming your mind to anticipate and seek out more good things.
This reflects the power that comes from modeling an attitude of gratitude in your actions. Research has shown that gratitude improves overall health and safety, increases resilience, strengthens social relationships, and reduces stress and depression. So, the happier you get, the more grateful you are.
Three Ways to Train Your Brain to Adopt Positivity
Your brain trains itself to think and behave in particular patterns through repetition, just like any other habit. As a result, if you establish daily routines that support positive thinking, you will eventually reenergize and retrain your mind to be more positive. In this regard, we offer you these tried-and-true techniques:
1. Confront Negative Thoughts
Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool that you can fill with either positive or negative thoughts. The average person has thousands of thoughts daily, 80% of which are negative and 95% of which are the same thoughts as the previous day. If you're like most people, you are an overthinker, which allows your inner critic to step in, tell you that you're not good enough, and force you to consider the factors that contributed to your failure. It makes sense that if you allow annoying, pessimistic ideas to race through your mind constantly, you will eventually come to believe them.
People get into trouble when they let their ways of thinking define their personalities. You shouldn't believe everything you think because you are not your thoughts. For this reason, it's critical to confront your negative thoughts.
The next time you have an unhelpful thought, pause and consider whether it is accurate or not. Once you identify where the mistake in your thinking lies, review and ask yourself: Does this thought improve me, or does it make me despair and push me towards pessimism?
If the latter is your response, recast the negative thought as something that strengthens you. Since altering your thinking is the quickest path to changing your life, even seemingly insignificant changes in your way of thinking can profoundly impact how you perceive the world, other people, and yourself.
This tells us that happiness is a choice we have to make every day and will not always be our automatic response.
2. Surround Yourself with Positive People
Your surroundings have a big impact on your success in life. Therefore, if you want to be optimistic, you must surround yourself with positive people.
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with," as Jim Rohn famously stated.
Think for a moment about your close friends and associates. Are they motivated, inspiring people who encourage and uplift you in life? Or are they pessimistic and indolent?
It's time to make new friends if the latter is the response.
You are more likely to acquire strong beliefs and believe that life is working in your favor rather than against you when you are surrounded by positive people. Decide who you want to be, then find others who share those characteristics. When you raise your standards, the people around you change, and so does your life.
3. Prioritize Your Mental Health and Well-Being
Mental health problems have increased unprecedentedly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological distress results from the problems that people have faced globally, including isolation, fear, doubt, and economic turmoil.
There has never been a more crucial moment to prioritize our mental health and well-being than it is now, given the current world's state.
However, the question remains: “How do you stay positive when everything is going wrong?”
It all depends on your perspective. The body and mind are closely related, and neglecting one will have an equally negative impact on the other. According to research, maintaining good physical and mental health can positively impact our happiness and gradually train our brains to think positively.
Developing regular self-care routines that include eating well, exercising, meditating, maintaining social connections, journaling, reading, and repeating positive affirmations is essential to taking care of your mind and body.
Anything that helps you control your stress and stay in the present moment is beneficial. Even in the darkest moments, there is always something to be grateful for. Concentrating on the positive aspects of your life and your happiness can make you more resilient in the face of difficulty.
In Conclusion
Your thought process is crucial. Just as vital as your abilities or skills is your positive mindset. We need to build a solid inner world because we have no control over the outside world.
How you handle adversity will determine how successful you are in life. Therefore, think positively and have faith in your abilities. Good things come to those who think positively.
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