How To Keep Positive Thoughts Every Day

InspirationAugust 1, 2017

The world is full of negative news every day. The cruelty of the world and the discouraging words from naysayers may make a person pessimistic and doubt one’s abilities and strength. In fact, it is easier for one to feel discouraged and demotivated because of the negativities faced every single day. But guess what? Too much negativities can strip you of happiness and contentment. If you do nothing about it, you are doomed to fail and be depressed.

How can you overcome the negativities in your life and keep positive thoughts? Here are some to keep you optimistic every day.

“Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up hope. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.” — Tena Desae

Start with your posture: sit up straight! It’s more than etiquette

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

On hearing about being positive, the first thing that hits the mind is one’s mental mindset. While it is true, keeping positive does not just limited to one’s mental state. Your physical aspect can uplift your mood and make you positive.

It all starts with your sitting posture. Sit up straight and lift your head up. Research shows that people are more likely to generate positive thoughts and recall positive memories when they are sitting up straight.

Have a teaspoon in your pocket

Whenever people are stressed and depressed, they often seek comfort in a beverage. Some tea or coffee soothes one’s mind and relaxes the body. As such, if you are feeling stressed, depressed, or just having some negative thoughts, take a teaspoon out of your pocket.

The principle behind this is that the brain becomes preoccupied, depriving it of resources to allocate to negative thoughts. Instead of entertaining these pessimistic thoughts, your attention will be diverted into preparing a delicious beverage. Before you know it, the negative thoughts will be gone.

Instead of news, read something uplifting in the morning

For most people, watching morning news is a daily routine. They do so because they want to catch up with the latest events and updates, including international occurrences. However, if you are such a person, this is the wrong way to start your day. Imagine seeing a pool of dead bodies lying on the ground after some accident the first thing in the morning; that is a great way to kill your day.

If you don’t want to start your day with negativity, divert your attention from morning news to something else. We recommend that you read something uplifting first thing in the morning. It may be a motivational quote, a meme, or just a small message intended to brighten your day. We assure you that it is going to be worthwhile and your positivity will surge exponentially. Here are some suggested books that you could read:

Tuesday with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio.
Heaven is for Real! A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo.

List At Least Three Things You’re Grateful For Every Day

Kristina Kokhanova/Shutterstock

In the modern world, most people are now focusing on getting the things they want. They tend to forget all the things they already have. As such, they can never be contented in life because instead of being thankful for all the blessings they have received, they only take them for granted. This leads them to focus more on the negative things than the positive ones.

If you are one of them, you can change this mindset by listing at least three things you’re grateful for every day. This is also a good alternative to watching the morning news. Before you do anything, grab a pen and paper and list down the blessings you received the previous day. This will remind you of all what you have and what you should be glad for.

Celebrate Small Wins and Progress Every Day

Another way to kill your positivity and enthusiasm is being too hard on yourself. When your goal is to finish reading a book, you might see your progress as your end goal, which should not be the case. By doing so, you will only end up getting frustrated. Instead, you need to celebrate every progress you make no matter how small it is. If you finish reading one chapter, go ahead and celebrate. Pat yourself for a job well done. This will inspire you to keep going until you finally achieve your goal.