The Power of Positive Thinking!
We all talk to ourselves and that's not a bad thing - it just depends on what we are saying!
Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head everyday, and can be positive or negative. Practicing positive self-talk will improve your outlook, and enable you to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. But it takes time to turn negative thinking into positive thinking.
Here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive way:
- Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.
- Be open to humor. Give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings and you will feel less stressed.
- Follow a healthy lifestyle. Exercise at least three times a week to positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people, those who believe they have no power over their lives, may increase your stress level and may make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.
- Practice positive self-talk. Follow one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about yourself.
Examples of typical negative self-talk and how you might apply a positive twist*:
| Negative self-talk |
Positive spin |
| I've never done it before. |
It's an opportunity to learn something new. |
| It's too complicated. |
I'll tackle it from a different angle. |
| I'm too lazy to get this done. |
I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule but can re-examine some priorities. |
| There's no way it will work. |
I can try to make it work. |
| It's too radical a change. |
Let's take a chance. |
| No one bothers to communicate with me. |
I'll see if I can open the channels of communication. |
| I'm not going to get any better at this. |
I'll give it another try. |
*From MayoClinic.com
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