Positive thinking can change the way you live your life. It does not mean you will be happy or smiling all day. It means you focus on the good in any situation. Also, it means believing in yourself and your strength to overcome. Most people underappreciate how powerful their thoughts are, but positive thinking can heal the mind and create peace and confidence.
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What is Positive Thinking?
Positive thinking is being positive, or looking at the positive side of things. This does not mean ignoring challenges. It means facing challenges with hope. It means saying, “I can try” when everything seems unmanageable.
Also, it means looking for lessons, not just pain to endure, which makes you even stronger. For instance, if you fail a test, you don’t say to yourself, “I am dumb,” you say, “I’ll do better next time.” This small shift in thinking does make all the difference. You empower your mind to move forward.
Why Is the Mind So Sensitive?
The mind is a listener to our thoughts; each thought is a message that it hears. These messages can sway our emotional feelings as well. If we keep thinking negative thoughts, the mind believes them and begins to feel tired, sad, and weak. However, the reverse is also true. If we feed the mind with positive thoughts, it becomes happier. It begins to feel calm and healthy. The mind needs good food just as the body does. And positive thoughts are the best food.
How Negative Thoughts Damage It
Negative thinking brings about fear and doubt. It tells you that you will fail; that a better person will do it. It tells you to focus on your mistakes instead of your successes. Eventually, your self-worth starts to falter, and your confidence will wan. Also, negative thinking will place a lot of stress on you. Stress will take its toll on your sleep, your mood, and even your health. You will feel anxious all of the time. You may feel a sense of quitting. Over the long run, this will lock your brain into the dark clutter. It will seem harder and harder to find a sense of hope.
What Happens When You Think Positively?
Positive thinking has the opposite effect. It calms your nerves and also makes you feel safe on the inside and tells your brain, “You can manage this.” That one simple message can change your bodily response. It lowers your stress levels. Your brain starts to release happy chemicals. Specifically, dopamine and serotonin. This helps you to feel more relaxed and joyful. And improves your ability to focus. So, you begin to perform better in life.
When your mind has a sense of safety, it becomes creative- you can discover possible solutions with more ease, and you become more compassionate and kind to yourself and others, and this builds better relationships.
The Science Behind Positive Thinking
Many studies demonstrate the healing properties of positive thinking. It improves the function of our brain. It aids in brain memory and decision-making. Positive-thinking people tend to live longer and tend to recover faster from a bout of illness. Doctors will tell you that the brain has neuroplasticity, which means the brain can change. Positive thoughts can create or build new pathways in the brain. So even if an individual lives decades with no or little positive thoughts, it can change.
Your brain responds to whatever you repeat. So if you repeat hope, you make hope stronger. The same is true with peace; you begin to repeat peace, and it develops into a habit.
Positive Thinking for the Day to Day
You can be a positive thinker every day. Feel free to start small. Look in the mirror and tell yourself something kind in the morning. You could say “I am trying my best.” That one statement will set off a chain reaction. You also need to recognize the good things happening all around you. Maybe someone smiled at you. Maybe the sun is shining. Those little joys are that keep you positive. You will start to feel grateful.
When you mess up or make a mistake, remind yourself that’s ok. We all fail at times. What you do next is what matters. You don’t need to dwell on a mistake. Tell yourself “I will try again.” That is a very powerful healing act.
Change the Words, Change your Mind
The words we use create our minds. So, use words of hope. Instead of saying “I can’t”, you can use “I will try.” Instead of saying “It’s too hard”, use “I will do my best.” Say kind things to yourself. Be your friend. Encourage yourself like you would a beloved friend. Positive words are not lies, they are seeds. When you plant them every day, it becomes a mental garden with strong thoughts that grow in your mind.
Gratitude and Positive Thinking
Gratitude creates a positive mind. It simply means being thankful for what you have. Think of three good things at the end of each day. Write them down. They can be very simple. Examples might include “I had a yummy lunch, or I got a message from my friend, or I completed my work.” These thoughts help keep your brain in the light, rather than letting your mind drown in darkness. When you feel grateful, your brain stops worrying. It starts to feel full instead of empty.
Positive Thinking Changes the Way You Relate to Other People
When your brain is calm, you are more patient. Also, you develop better listening skills. You don’t so quickly judge others. You offer people more love and respect. This changes how you value friendships and family members. You talk more softly and you forgive quickly. You are thankful and do not keep anger for long. Also, people feel more safe with you. They like being around you. Positive people attract love. They value other people.
Affirmations Bring Positive Change
Affirmations are simply short positive statements. You repeat them back to yourself each day. They help guide your thinking. You can tell yourself things like:
“I am enough.”
“I am stronger each day.”
Or maybe, “I choose peace.”
Repeat these regularly. You can say them in front of a mirror. You can also write them down in a notebook. Over time, your brain will start believing them. These small statements change your frame of mind. They create momentum for your day.
Pain is Hard to Avoid
Even the most positive people experience pain at times. They choose to focus on healing instead of hurting. They cry, if necessary. Then they rise again. This approach to pain gives you a sense of control. It serves to remind you that pain is not forever. It tells you that you can change. Instead of saying, “Why me?” you can say, “What can I learn?” That shift in thinking can change the course of your journey.
How to Remain Positive in Difficult Times
Difficult times will happen. Life will test you. Hope can still exist.
First, take nice deep breaths. Breathing helps the brain calm down. Second, talk to someone. A friend or family member may help you see things in a more positive light.
Third, avoid negative media. Consuming too much negative news is bad for your peace of mind. Read something positive.
Fourth, help someone else. Kindness generates peace. Being kind to others always helps you remember you are valued. Fifth, don’t be so hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can. That is enough.
The Role of Faith in Positive Thinking
Faith can help individuals be hopeful. It gives meaning to life. For many people, prayer brings strength. Others use meditation. Faith teaches patience. Faith teaches trust. You believe that there are better days ahead. And that belief brings clarity to your mind. Even when it seems like you don’t have answers, faith helps you to keep going. It adds hope to the peace inside your heart.
