How to Think Positively

Adopting a positive mindset is a conscious decision. You can choose to think in a way that boosts your mood, provides a more constructive outlook during tough times, and infuses your day with a bright, hopeful approach to work and life. By seeing life through a positive lens, you begin to shift negative moods and start viewing challenges as opportunities filled with solutions and potential. If you want to learn to think more positively, follow the steps below.

Take Responsibility for Your Attitude. You are fully responsible for your thoughts and how you choose to view life. If you tend to think negatively, that is your choice. Through practice, you can shift towards a more positive perspective.

Understand the Benefits of Being a Positive Thinker. Choosing to think positively not only helps you take control of your life and makes each day more enjoyable, but it also improves your physical and mental health as well as your adaptability to change. Being aware of these benefits can encourage you to adopt a more positive mindset regularly. Here are some of the benefits of maintaining an optimistic outlook:

• Increased lifespan
• Lower rates of depression and distress
• Enhanced resistance to common colds
• Better physical and mental health
• Improved problem-solving abilities during stress
• Stronger natural ability to form relationships and connections

Keep a Journal to Track Your Thoughts. Writing down your thoughts can help you reflect and evaluate your thinking patterns. Jot down your feelings and try to identify factors that lead to both positive and negative thoughts. Spending 20 minutes at the end of your day to review your thought patterns could be a helpful way to spot negative thoughts and create a plan to shift them to more positive ones.

• Your journal can be written in any format you prefer. If you don’t want to write long paragraphs, simply list 5 typical positive and negative thoughts from the day.
• Make sure to set aside time to review your journal. If you write daily, consider going over it at the end of the week.

Recognize Unconscious Negative Thoughts. To prevent negative thoughts from affecting your positive outlook, you need to be more aware of "unconscious negative thoughts." When you identify them, take action and command yourself to push those thoughts out of your mind immediately.

• An example of an unconscious negative thought is when you know a test is coming up, and you think, "I’m going to fail the exam." This is an unconscious thought because it’s the automatic response when you hear about the test.

Handling Negative Thoughts. Even if you’ve spent much of your life thinking negatively, you don’t have to continue doing so. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negatively, especially unconsciously, stop and evaluate whether those thoughts are true or accurate.

• One way to handle negative thinking is with optimism. Write down the negative thought and think about how you would respond if someone else shared it with you. It’s like presenting positive evidence to counteract the negative thoughts of others, even though it may be harder to do it for yourself.
• For instance, if you think negatively by saying, "I always fail my exams," consider the fact that if you were truly failing, you wouldn’t be able to continue studying at school. Review your grades or transcripts and look for exams where you scored average marks. You may even find exams with scores of 7 or 8, which will help prove that your negative thought is exaggerated.

Replace Negative Thoughts with Positive Ones. Once you feel confident that you can recognize and manage negative thoughts, you're ready to proactively choose to replace them with positive ones. This doesn't mean that everything in your life will always be optimistic; experiencing different emotions is normal. However, you can take action to replace unhelpful thoughts with those that promote growth.

• For instance, if you think, 'Maybe I will fail the exam,' stop. You have just identified a negative thought and assessed its accuracy. Now, try replacing it with a positive thought. This doesn't have to be blind optimism, such as 'I'll definitely get a perfect score without studying.' Simply think, 'I'll take the time to study and prepare to do my best on the exam.'
• Use the power of questions. When you ask yourself questions, your brain will work to find answers. If you ask yourself, 'Why is life so difficult?' your mind will search for reasons. The same happens when you ask, 'Why am I so lucky?' Ask questions that shift your focus to positive thinking.

Minimize the Impact of External Negative Triggers. You may notice that certain types of music, video games, or violent films influence your overall attitude. Try to minimize exposure to violence or stress-inducing stimuli and instead, spend more time listening to calming music and reading books. Music is good for the mind, and books focused on positive thinking can provide valuable insights to help you become happier.

Avoid 'All-or-Nothing Thinking.' This type of thinking, often referred to as 'polarization,' leads you to see situations as either right or wrong, with no middle ground. This can make people feel that their actions must be either perfect or pointless.

• To avoid this thinking, embrace the nuances of life. Instead of thinking in terms of two outcomes (positive or negative), list all possible outcomes in between, so you can see that things are not as bad as you might think.
• For example, if you're about to take an exam and feel uncomfortable with the material, you might want to avoid studying or even taking the test. However, if you fail, it’s not because you didn't try. You've overlooked the fact that you could have done better with proper preparation before the exam.
  • Also, avoid thinking that your exam result is either a good grade or a failure. There are plenty of grades in between a good score and a failing one.

Avoid 'Personalization.' Personalization occurs when you assume you're to blame every time something goes wrong. If this thinking becomes extreme, you might develop paranoia and feel that no one likes you or wants to befriend you, and that every small action of yours disappoints others.

• People who personalize may think, 'This morning, Van didn’t smile at me. I must have done something to upset her.' However, it’s more likely that Van is just having a bad day, and her mood has nothing to do with you.

Avoid 'Filtering.' This happens when you choose to focus only on the negative aspects of a situation. Most situations have both good and bad elements, and you can recognize both. If you think negatively, you won’t be able to see the positive side of any situation.

• For example, you might take an exam and score a 5, with the teacher’s feedback saying it's a much better result than last time. Filtering would make you only focus on the negative aspect of the 5 and forget that you’ve actually made progress.

Avoid 'Catastrophizing'. This happens when you always assume the worst possible outcome will occur. Catastrophizing is closely linked with worrying about performing poorly. You can deal with this by thinking more realistically about the expected results.

• For instance, you might think you will fail the exam even though you have studied. Someone who tends to catastrophize might take this a step further, imagining that failing the exam will lead to being expelled from school, unable to find a job, and living a life of struggle. If you think more realistically about a negative outcome, you'll see that failing an exam once doesn’t necessarily mean failing the entire course or being expelled.

Go to a Quiet Place. A private space can be very helpful when you want to improve your mood. Many people find that taking a short walk can boost their mood.

• If your workplace has an outdoor area with benches and picnic tables, spend some time outside each day to refresh your mind.
• If you can’t go to a quiet place, try sitting in meditation and focus on imagining a peaceful place with beautiful weather.

Give Yourself Time to Change. Developing a positive outlook on life is like learning a new skill. Like any other skill, it takes time and requires practice, with gentle reminders to avoid negative thinking.

Be Physically Active. If you change your physical habits or the way you treat your body, your mind will follow. To feel happier, approach your body in a positive way. Stand tall, keep your shoulders back and open. Disappointment can make you feel more negative. Smile often. Don’t wait for others to smile at you—your own smile will make your body feel happier.

Practice Mindfulness. Paying closer attention to your actions and life will make you feel happier. When you go through life on autopilot, you forget to find joy in your daily tasks. By being more aware of everything around you—your choices and daily activities—you’ll have better control over your life and happiness.

• Consider meditation as a way to center yourself and focus more clearly. By meditating for just 10 to 20 minutes each day, whenever it’s convenient, you can enhance your self-awareness and stay in the present, helping you distance yourself from negative thoughts with greater control.
• Join a yoga class. Yoga can also improve your awareness of the world as you practice deep breathing.
• Even taking a moment to stop, breathe deeply, and clear your mind can increase your sense of happiness.

Explore Your Creative Side. If you haven't had the chance to discover your creative abilities, now is the time. Spending time with hands-on art or exploring your most primitive thoughts can work wonders, giving you the strength to think creatively and, as a result, positively. Even if you don't think you're naturally creative, there are plenty of ways to express yourself and become more positive.

• Take a class in something you’ve never tried before, such as pottery, painting, collage art with mixed media, poetry, or woodworking.
• Try learning crafts like knitting, sewing, or embroidery. Craft stores and online tutorials are great resources for beginners who prefer not to attend classes.
• Practice drawing daily. Look back at your old sketches and transform them into new, creative pieces.
• Become a creative writer. Try writing poetry, short stories, or even a novel. You could also attend a poetry reading during an open mic night.
• Experiment with acting, dressing up as a favorite TV or cartoon character, or get involved in community theater.

Surround Yourself with Optimistic People. We are often influenced by those around us. If you find the people around you tend to be negative, seek out spaces where more positive individuals gather. This will nurture positivity within you. If your close family or significant people around you tend to live negatively, encourage them to join you on the journey to positivity.

• Avoid people who drain your energy and motivation. If you can’t avoid them or don’t want to, learn how to protect yourself from their negativity and limit your interactions.
• Avoid dating people with a negative outlook. If you're struggling with negative thoughts, it’s easy to fall into this trap. If you begin a relationship with someone actively working on thinking positively, the best approach might be to seek professional guidance together.

Set Meaningful Goals. Whatever your goals may be, it’s important to work towards them and trust the reasons behind your pursuit. Once you achieve your first goal, you'll feel motivated to tackle the next ones, setting new targets in your life. With each goal you accomplish, no matter how small, you’ll build more confidence and self-esteem, which will fuel positivity in your life.

• Working towards achieving your goals, even in small steps, can make you feel happier.

Don’t Forget to Have Fun. Those who regularly allow themselves to enjoy life tend to be happier and more optimistic because life isn’t just about work and endless monotony. Humor can alleviate the stress of work and challenges. Remember, fun looks different for everyone, so make sure you carve out time to find an activity that excites you.

• Always make time to laugh. Hang out with people who make you laugh, visit a comedy club, or watch a funny movie. It’s hard to think negatively when you're enjoying yourself.

• "Positive attracts positive" is similar to "negative attracts negative." If you are a kind, approachable person who always helps others, you can expect to be treated in kind. On the other hand, if you are rude, behave improperly, and lack kindness, people will not respect you, will avoid you, and will look down on you due to your unpleasant attitude and disregard for others.
• While you can't always control the situations in your life, you can control how you think and feel about them. You can choose to view things positively or negatively. You are the one who decides.
• Live a healthy life and eat nutritious foods. These are essential foundations for a positive outlook on life. It will be hard to feel positive if you are not in good physical and mental health.
• Laugh often. Laughter and the positive emotions you get from comedies, entertainment, jokes, and fun activities play a crucial role in maintaining a fresh spirit. It's okay to laugh even during a tough time; sometimes humor is exactly what you need to start addressing your problems.
• If you feel that your day hasn't been joyful, think about the good things that happened during the day, consider how things could have been worse. You'll be surprised at how happy your day can seem when you look back from this perspective.
• Being aware of your ability to control your life is an important aspect of having a positive outlook.
• Acknowledge how easy it can be to view things more positively.

• Sometimes, worrying about the past or the future can hinder positive thinking. If you are haunted by the past, let those sad or bad memories guide you toward present experiences. Learn to acknowledge what happened without letting them affect your current thoughts and perspective. If focusing entirely on the future negatively impacts the present, try to worry less about what's to come and live more in the present.
• If you are contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. Not only is life worth living, but you deserve to live it fully. Many people are willing to help you through difficulties and despair.
• Anxiety and depression are serious conditions that require care. They are not just ordinary negative thoughts, although such thoughts may contribute to prolonged anxiety and depression. Seek treatment for these mental health issues as soon as possible—the sooner you receive help, the faster you'll return to a normal and healthy life.