As I sit here I am running a list of people I know through my mind. I have a list of people that are more optimistic, sweet and joyful and a list of people that tend to be the OPPOSITE. I think we all know both categories of people. Take some time and think about your circle of interaction. Are you surrounded by positive conversation and circumstances or negativity?
My life used to be filled with a lot of negativity. I got used to it and it became normal and I adjusted but I was emotionally down a lot. The interesting thing is I did not realize it until I got away from that environment. I think this happens a lot in this world. Take some time and think about your work environment, think about the conversations you and your friends center around the majority of the time. Are the mostly negative or mostly positive? I got away from the negative parts of my life I did not have to be around anymore. I suggest others do this in areas they can as well. But we can't get away from every circumstance that is negative. So in these moments I focus on myself and how I think. I learned the hard way when we allow ourselves to sit in negativity for long periods of time our chemicals can actually adjust and you can start becoming a negative person chemically when you really aren't that way. This can become a circle no one wants to be trapped in. Stress chemicals like cortisol are released in these times that actually can weaken our immune systems and puts our chemicals in a mode of chaos. This is very harmful on our health overtime. Mastering how we think is not only important to our mental well-being but also our physical well-being. I really feel like if we can master our minds and how we think in every circumstance, we can have joy and peace no matter what we have to face. Here are some simple things I have done to help me become a more positive person in every circumstance. 1. When I face hardship I decide to discover what I can learn from the situation or how I can better myself. Instead of suffering just because, I suffer for a cause. This mindset helps me to not have to endure a painful or hard situation without meaning and it does make me feel better during the hardship. To make sure this really makes a difference you have to keep reminding yourself of this as you endure the situation and even after you get through it. 2. Instead of letting myself dwell on the negative in the situation I force myself to think about 5 things I am thankful for or focus on something positive or uplifting. This helps me take my mind from the negative and it allows me to feel positive. I also go through and look at photos I enjoy even if it is 30 seconds. Another thing I do is sing a song or listen to uplifting music. I NEVER let myself dwell on the negative. 3. When I wake up in the morning I decide to do my best in every circumstance. I make sure I am focused. Then I really do make sure I do my best that day in everything I do. If I end up doing something I could have done better in, I don't let myself get down on myself. I choose to forgive myself and move on. I don't let myself feel guilty. I just let myself learn and become better. 4. I realize I am responsible for myself. If someone else is grumpy and rude to me I can choose to let that effect my day or not! I choose not to give anyone else the power to direct my mood or how I feel. I have not always been this way. I used to get upset when someone was rude to me or mistreated me out of the blue. Now I realize they are obviously hurting and I choose to not let it effect me. This has been a great principle to apply! How many times have you woke up in a good mood and someone else snaps at you and it ruins your day? I had to tell myself I am the only one that is responsible for me and my actions. I can't blame others or pass the responsibility of my behavior to anyone else. 5. I stopped expecting to have a good day and started realizing things might come up but I am not going to let anything keep me down that day. I feel like on the days I woke up and hope everything went perfectly were the days I always got the most disappointed. One day I realized I was setting myself up for disappointment when I did this and stopped thinking this way. Since then, I don't expect everything to go perfect. I expect things to go wrong, and things to happen, and make sure I am ready for anything. This way if something does happen I am not completely caught off guard and disappointed and can focus on how I respond and handle that moment. There are also days I have that go great and I can really enjoy the blessing instead of feeling entitled on those days. I realized I can appreciate the good and bad days a lot more! Reprogramming our minds is possible. It takes time and dedication and persistence. Our minds are like computers. It takes in a lot of information. Some of this information is good and necessary and some things are harmful. We can correct the wrong information and glitches. We don't have to choose to stay hurt or in a suffering mindset. I have put these five tips into practice and I have become someone I never imagined I would have been. These things really work! Of course, there are so many things we can do to help steer clear of the negativity. I would love to hear what you do! I look forward to hearing more tips and tricks! What do you do to help pull yourself out of a bad or negative mood? Please leave your tips in the comments below! Be blessed!
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