It’s challenging to be positive in such a hostile world, and becoming pessimistic is easy. How do you stay optimistic and encourage positive thinking when it seems like everyone around you is struggling to keep their sanity?
It can be exhausting mentally when dealing with world news, tragedies, and thoughts of impending doom. The good news is that you can take control of your life and your mind, as you have the power to inject positivity into yourself and those around you.
Have you ever seen a person that doesn’t seem phased when the sky is falling? These individuals can be balanced no matter what’s going on around them. What you don’t know is that this person has mastered the art of being positive, and you can do it too.
Fifteen Ways To Encourage Positive Thinking
If you want to help your positive thought process but don’t quite know where to start, here are fifteen tips to help you out.
1. Exercise More to Encourage Positive Thinking
You’ve probably heard a million times that exercising can affect your mood. It’s true that when you’re moving and getting your blood pumping, your body is producing those feel-good hormones that increase your mental wellbeing. According to the National Library of Medicine, one of the best ways to improve your outlook is working out.
2. Live in the Moment
When you learn to live in the moment, you become mindful. If you know anything about self-help, you will notice these words are plastered everywhere. Interestingly, when you practice mindfulness, it’s a powerful tool that you can use to reduce your stress levels and help you think positively.
It’s hard to have negative thoughts when you’re considering the beauty all around you. Living in the moment will keep you grounded and teaches you not to worry about things that you can’t control and probably won’t happen anyway.
3. Smile and Laugh More
If you want to be more positive, then you need to smile and laugh more. Laughing is like strong medicine to your body as it can help improve your mood, lower anxiety, and stress levels, and keep depression at bay.
You don’t need to go to a comedy club every week, but you can enjoy jokes, memes, and other online funnies. Additionally, you can find things to laugh about each day with your spouse or family.
4. Practice Meditation to Encourage Postive Thinking
If you want to learn practical tools to help you purge negativity and bring in positive vibes, you need to learn how to meditate. In the previous decades, meditation in this country was seen as something the hippy-new age crowd would engage in. However, the full benefits of this powerful method are widely known, and it’s an art that’s become commonplace.
There’s no mysticism around it, and all the negative connotations have fallen, by the way. Not only can it encourage positive thinking, but it can enhance your emotional clarity and make you more aware of your thoughts and feelings.
5. Cut Toxic People Out of Your Life
If you want to be happy, you must surround yourself with joyful people. The toxic folks who never have a kind word, and are always down, are not good influences for you. It sounds like something your mother would tell you, but you are known by the company you keep.
6. Regulate Invasive Negative Thoughts
When you have negativity running through your mind, it can be very persuasive to you. It’s hard to shake off those evil thoughts and feelings, but you can do it once you retrain your brain. Negativity will hold you back, but positivity will propel you forward.
While you will find that countering those negative thoughts is one of the most challenging things to master, it can significantly impact your outlook and life.
7. Develop Healthy Eating and Nutrition Habits
Would you believe that your diet can control and encourage positive thinking? Don’t get involved in fad diets that promise you to lose massive amounts of weight that’s only short-lived. You need to fuel your body with good, wholesome foods. Your brain needs these foods to function correctly.
When your body is dehydrated and doing crash diets, you’re not going to feel good. With a more balanced diet, you will maintain both better physical and mental health.
8. Spend Time in the Great Outdoors to Encourage Positive Thinking
It’s hard to be negative when you’re out in nature. Being surrounded by Mother Earth and all her splendor can increase your mood. If you’re constantly behind a desk and inside of four walls, it can be suffocating.
If you feel down and negative, you can encourage positive thinking by getting out in the fresh air. The next time you’re outside and feel the tranquility of nature, take your shoes off and walk around barefoot. Sure, it’s something children love to do, but do you know why they do it?
The earth has vibrations and energy and helps to ground you. When you feel negative and like your entire world is shattering around you, try walking barefoot. Many say that it’s just the natural medicine they need.
9. Keep Things Fresh in Your Life
Life can become mundane if you don’t switch things up. You can’t live by a rigid schedule too much without it affecting you. The good news is that you can try a new hobby or experiencing something new that can shake things up a bit.
It’s easy to feel negative and like you’re on a downward spiral when there’s never any spontaneity or adventure in your life. Some hobbies you might want to try are gardening, bird watching, stargazing, and calligraphy.
10. Deal With Rejection Appropriately
Nobody likes feeling the pangs of rejection. Sadly, you can experience this in all aspects of your life. Rejection can affect every part of you, including your thought processes.
If you’ve been rejected, keeping a positive outlook can be challenging. Try always to see the upside to any rejection, whether it is romantic, professional, or a social situation.
11. Build Upon Your Optimism
If you’re wondering how to be more positive, you should know that building on your optimism can help. The pessimistic folks view life as unfavorable and think that things that happen to them are from forces they can’t control. However, the optimist believes that they can attribute to success and turn their failures into life lessons.
The Dalai Lama XIV once said that when you choose to be optimistic, you will feel better. According to Psych Central, your natural disposition can also play a significant role in your outlook. Is one of your parents a naysayer?
If you grow up in a hostile environment, then you’re likely to have such an outlook. The good news is that you can change how you look at things, though it won’t be easy.
12. Express Thankfulness and Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude can change your entire outlook. Stop crying about the things you don’t have and start being thankful for your blessings. The Universe hears every time you murmur and complain, and it knows that you don’t need anything else until you are grateful for what you have.
When you express thankfulness, your emitting positivity into the atmosphere. When you are envious of others, compare yourself to folks, you’re putting negativity into the air. Having the right attitude can make you a more optimistic person, bringing more bounty your way.
13. Start a Bucket List
It’s hard to encourage positive thinking when you feel like you’re in a rut. Everybody needs goals and things that they aspire to in life. Do you currently have a bucket list?
Maybe you want to climb the Eiffel Tower or swim with the dolphins. Whatever you want to do, make sure that you make time to cross off some of your goals. It’s easy to feel downtrodden when you’re in a rut, but you can pull yourself out through the power of positivity and adventure.
14. Set Aside Time To Read
Reading may not be your thing, but it’s certainly something you should consider. It’s very cozy to cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and a book. You’re probably wondering how this could help your positivity, but you can choose encouraging material that can add fuel to your fire.
Why not join a book club and engage with others about an author or series? It’s a social activity that can help you learn and be entertaining.
15. Practice Self-Care to Encourage Positive Thinking
Last but certainly not least, if you want to encourage positive thinking, you must take care of yourself. Self-care means different things to each person, but it’s always about taking care of your needs. One person might feel that self-care is a movie night out and a nice dinner.
However, another person might believe self-care is about getting a massage and having their hair done. When you take time to nurture yourself, you will feel better. It’s hard to be upbeat when you feel bad about yourself. So, make sure to schedule a time to do all the little things that make you happy, as it will significantly boost your attitude.
Final thoughts on ways To Encourage Positive Thinking
You should know that you’re not going to wake up one day and get rid of all the negativity in your life. It’s a process that’s going to take time and effort. Thankfully, you can encourage positive thinking by utilizing these and other methods.
