There are so many advantages in adapting to positive thinking, for instance, your self worth rises, your attitude towards a difficult situation becomes better, and your health improves, the more you practice the easier it gets! According to the Mayo Clinic, an individual has automatic thought running through their head, (self-talk), some are positive and some are negative that come from logic and reason, other self talk comes from misconception that we create because of lack of information or expectations, other people’s ideas can influence one’s thoughts.
Here are some negative self-talk; say you got a compliment on being creative, being funny or how good you look, then you focus on being more creative, funny or looking good and forget the compliment, that can cause negative thinking because you feel it is expected all the time, giving you more stress, another one is when something bad happens do you automatically blame yourself, assuming it is your fault? do you automatically anticipate the worst is going to happen, for instance you wake up late and you automatically think it is going to be a bad day, another one is blaming others for your mistake, you avoid being responsible for your own thoughts and feelings, do you think of all the things you should do then blame yourself for not doing them?, do you make a big deal out of a minor problem? if you are trying to be perfect all the time and keep impossible standards you may be setting yourself up for failure, and do you see things as good or bad with no middle ground?
We have the ability to turn negative thinking to positive thinking, with practice a little bit at a time each day, one, look and see where the areas need to be changed such as work, relationships, life changes, start focusing on one area to approach it more in a positive way, think of a positive thoughts that helps in managing your stress, during your day stop and analyze what you are thinking about, if they are negative, try to find a positive spin on it, look for humor in situations laughter helps in your stress level, create a routine of exercise for at least thirty minutes, taking breaks during that time, follow a more healthy diet, make sure you get enough sleep, and learn strategies to manage stress. Try to surround yourself with positive people that can support you, negative people can increase your stress level and practice positive self talk by talking to yourself like you would talk to someone lose, and keep being thankful for things that you are thankful for in your life. The health benefits for having a positive outlook are; longer life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress and pain, a better resistance to illnesses, better psychological and physical health, reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke, reduced risk of cancer, reduce risk of respiratory conditions, reduced risks from infections and better coping skills during challenging situations (Mayo Clinic, 2023).
Love to hear your thoughts on examples of negative talk and how you cope!
w
Leave a Reply