You must understand that how you think, interpret life's circumstances, and choose to see the world shapes your emotions daily. You can improve your life with positive thinking! Focus on the good things in your life and avoid negative self-talk. When you do this, you will have more energy to deal with the challenges that come your way. So strive to become the most positive person. But don't take our word for it. You'd be surprised to know that even science has proven that positive thinking helps optimize an individual's quality of life and potentially adds years to their life. However, it is also true that being positive all the time isn't something everyone can do, nor are they born with that capability. But striving to be more positive can help you notice those things you're grateful for, live a happier life, and improve your self-esteem.
Top 4 Ways to Become a More Optimistic Person
We're about to dive into some of the best ways you can start to think positive thoughts, the benefits you can enjoy by staying upbeat, and how you can stop yourself from being overtaken by negative emotions. But first, let’s understand how to be amongst the positive ones.
Summon Positive Thoughts in Conversations
Your words can change how you and others feel, so choose them wisely. By practicing positive thinking skills, you'll find it easy to start conversations with uplifting statements that reflect your positive thinking. When you're at work, and a co-worker comes up and asks how you're doing, try responding to them by sharing your recent positive experiences. For example, if you had a great lunch, tell them about it. Just see things from an optimistic perspective and avoid harsh self-criticism.
Practicing Positive Thinking Every Day
You'll be amazed at how much better you feel when you practice gratitude daily. As per a research report of a prospective cohort study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP), scientists instructed volunteers to maintain a gratitude journal, writing a couple of sentences every six to seven days. After 2.5 months, scientists were able to determine that the people who were asked to write what they were grateful for showed increased signs of optimism, and they appeared much more content and happier than the participants in the second group.
A systematic review of this report shows that anyone can combat stressful situations while being positive. In addition, having better coping skills can help you stop negative self-talk, reduce stress, and promote happiness. So, be sure to practice gratitude!
Perform Small Acts of Kindness for Others
Being kind to others creates a ripple effect. So many positive moments can result from just that positive thought of helping someone else. Your act of kindness doesn't have to be anything big. It could be working at a charity for a couple of hours per week, caring for your elderly neighbors, or donating used clothes to the thrift store. Doing positive things for others goes a long way to refilling your positivity tank, helping you embrace positive thinking, and reducing stress.
Don't Be a Harsh Critic of Yourself
Instead of beating yourself up every time something goes wrong, stay positive. Keep gratitude journals, exude positive energy, and refuse to succumb to negative emotions.
Remember to practice mindfulness for at least 10 minutes every day. Besides encouraging personal growth, these acts help you perceive things from a different perspective.
What are the Attributes of Positive Thinking?
Don't get us wrong; life is not all roses. Sometimes, the negative aspects of life overwhelm you, even as you work towards being a more positive person. It's normal to occasionally experience negative feelings such as sorrow, loss, anger, and disappointment when the past year or month didn't turn out how you hoped it would.
But what distinguishes positive people from negative people is that the former have a more positive outlook on life while the latter does not. Ready to find out what type you are? Let's list some of the characteristics of both positive and negative people.
Characteristics of Positive people
- Positive thinking
- Being happy in the face of adversity
- Value relationships and connections with others
- The ability to seek solutions
- Better stress management
- Being compassionate and forgiving
- Being happy in the face of adversity
- Practicing gratitude
- Staying motivated
- Good sense of humor
- Upbeat conversationalist
- Have positive emotions
- Dream big and work hard to make those dreams come true.
- Positive attitude
- Greater life satisfaction
Characteristics of People with a Negative Mindset
- Negative self-talk
- Not being content and thankful for what they have in life.
- Constantly overthink life's problems.
- Over-the-top cynicism
- Too negative about their abilities, the world, and the future.
- Allow the negative aspects of their past to overshadow the present moment.
- Will never extend a helpful hand
- Growing levels of apathy
- See themselves as victims of circumstances or other people's actions.
- Will always be unhappy
- Believe that they can't change their situation or circumstances, even if they try hard.
- Avoid difficult situations or tasks that might bring failure or rejection.
- A gloomy outlook on life
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Advantages of Positive Self-talk
Optimism is the best attitude to have when you are facing a challenge. Plus, harboring positive feelings will help you to look for solutions and discover healthy ways to conquer your problems. It can also make you feel more hopeful about your future. More concretely, an optimistic outlook can bring many physical and mental health benefits. Let's check them out, shall we?
Good psychological health
Positive people show signs of improved psychological health because they shut out negative thoughts. As a result, they have more room in their minds to practice positive self-talk.
They tell themselves that they can do anything they set their minds on doing, resizing obstacles to make them smaller instead of letting fear and self-doubt consume their subconscious. Consequently, they have lower chances of developing symptoms associated with anxiety, stress, and depression.
Happiness
Research suggests that one can link a positive mindset to an individual's happiness and overall well-being. And positively-minded people see the bright side of every situation, no matter how stressful or dull.
Enhanced Physical Health
Studies show that positive thinking improves physical health. However, constant pessimism may also cause specific mortality. Fortunately, people who think more positively are less likely to die from heart disease or serious cardiovascular complications. They are also better able to manage their stress and anxiety levels in the face of negativity and more likely to eliminate negative thoughts because they can replace them with motivational self-talk.
Better relationships
People with a positive mindset seldom get into conflicts and prefer to maintain healthier and livelier relationships with their friends, family, and significant others. Staying positive will allow those around you to feel good as well! If everyone around us is upbeat about life, we can enjoy being around them even more than usual! Here are two no-fail tips for cultivating terrific relationships with a positive mindset:
Get out into nature
Spending time outdoors enhances your ability to motivate yourself and find other positive people to boost your self-esteem.
Guard your confidence
With confident self-talk, managing stress becomes easier. Of course, it's hard to feel confident when life is kicking you down, but when you keep a positive outlook, it becomes a breeze to find reasons why your life is amazing and why you deserve the best of everything. After all, it's when you're optimistic and happy that you'll be able to think more clearly and make smarter choices.
The Problems Associated with Negative Self-talk
While considering things you are grateful for come with many physical and mental merits, it is just as important to understand that harboring negative thoughts comes with adverse health and social consequences. These include:
Emotional and Physical Illness
Negative thinking may lead you to develop symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. When a negative emotion clouds your heart, you inadvertently stop focusing on physical, mental, and emotional self-care.
You neglect healthy habits like eating a balanced diet, going out for a walk, physical activity, and many other things. And then, as if things can't get any worse, you cultivate that negative thought until it sprouts into illness, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or social anxiety. You might not even get enough sleep!
Unachieved Goals
A negative outlook on life will never help you pursue your life goals. Besides, staying negative will also eventually make you forgo your life's ambitions and give up on your dreams because you stop caring.
Social Isolation
Pessimistic people are often difficult to talk with and are generally uncomfortable around people. They tend to engage in negative self-talk, and it can be hard to forge close relationships with friends or family members. In addition, when you're the only negative one in your social circle, they will respond more negatively to your negativity. As a result, you may suffer from greater loneliness, depression, isolation, and other problems.
Bottom Line
The benefits of a positive outlook are many. For instance, a positive mindset promotes physical and mental health, strengthens your character, and enables you to build more satisfying relationships with others. It also helps you achieve your goals and become happier. So next time negative self-talk comes knocking, don't open the door. Instead, practice positive self-talk to spread more positivity to those around you.
