It’s the new year! Time for a new attitude!
Sometimes, for things to go right for you, you just have to change your mindset. It’s been said that what you put out there comes back to you and what you think is what you are. So why not look for the positive aspects in your day to day life, rather than allowing the negative ones to take your focus?
Here are six things you can do to to create a new mindset (and a better mood):
Stop watching the news. 99% of the news that is reported is negative, speculative, and/or doesn’t pertain to anyone other than those who are on the news. If you are trying to bring more positivity into your life, then stop allowing yourself to be bombarded with tragedy and misfortune. Keep in mind that if something major happens that you really need to know about, you will hear about it from friends, family or co-workers and can investigate it on your own, if necessary.
Shift your focus. Things happen all the time that the brain immediately sees as “negative,” but they actually aren’t so bad when the focus is shifted to look for the “positive.” For example, if you had to park in the furthest parking space from the door to your office building, you could see that as a negative circumstance; however, when you consider that you got in some extra activity by walking further, then the focus is on the positive aspect of the experience.
Know that others’ attitudes aren’t your own. No one can make you feel a way that you don’t choose to feel. Just because someone else may be having a bad day, does not mean that you have to have a bad day. This one can be tricky. It isn’t easy when someone wants to complain in your ear or yell at you when you haven’t done anything other than be the first person they came in contact with. Just keep in mind that you don’t share a brain with anyone else and don’t have to take on anyone else’s thoughts or feelings as your own.
Use a diary, journal, or notebook. Having a diary, or “journaling,” has become more mainstream in recent years. If you don’t want to write down all of your thoughts, try just focusing on the positive ones. And if you don’t know how to start or feel like this could be a daunting task, then just write down three things that happened during the day that you thought were nice. I say “nice” because sometimes the thought of coming up with three things that made you feel “happy” might seem difficult but finding things that were pleasant is easy. Every little bit helps and is a shift away from negative thoughts towards positive ones. Here are some examples:
- I got in some exercise walking to the door today.
- Someone held the door open for me.
- My children didn’t argue with each other today.
- I enjoyed hearing the birds singing this morning.
- The sun felt nice on my face.
Have a positivity jar or baggie. Keep a jar accessible (on your nightstand or desk) where you can put positive notes or cards that you’ve received. These include thank you and congratulatory cards or notes from others or random positive thoughts that you may have written on a piece of paper. Just pull a random note or card from the jar and read it to feel better. I used to keep thank you and congratulations cards in my jar. Now, I keep fortune cookie messages that I find inspiring. Some days, it’s just nice to have a little mental pick-me-up. To keep it portable or make the notes accessible only to yourself, put those messages in a baggie and carry that with you or keep it in a drawer nearby where it’s easily accessible.
Use apps. Another way to keep a positive mindset on the go is by using gratitude apps on your phone. You can set most of them up to send daily notifications displaying uplifting messages, which help keep a positive mindset throughout the day.
These are just six ways to start shifting your mindset to the more positive aspects of life. What works for you? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.
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