EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES TO FOSTER A POSITIVE MINDSET: REASONS TO ADOPT IT IN OUR LIVES

Just like the head and tail of a coin, our mind also has positive and negative thoughts, as it’s two facets. Positive and negative feelings come and go as we indulge in different kinds of experiences in our day-to-day lives. Balancing these emotions is very essential to keeping ourselves on the right path. Since life is shrouded in mysteries, setting a positive frame of mind holds great importance for our overall well-being.

WHAT IS A POSITIVE MINDSET?

What do we mean by the term ‘mindset’? Mindset refers to the mental state of a person that reflects his overall perspective, viewpoints and attitude towards various daily and worldly issues and situations in life. In simple words, mindset can be described as how a person thinks, feels and behaves in a given situation. The mindset of a person is a predetermined set of beliefs influenced by the culture, values and ideology in which he has been brought up.

A positive mindset is an optimistic outlook where people only pay attention to the brighter side of any situation. It doesn’t mean that they are ignoring their problems and challenges, but instead trying to solve them without allowing them to overpower their lives. People with a positive mentality always credit themselves for their successes and blame others for the negative outcomes. Moreover, a positive mindset helps us to see the better qualities in people and acknowledge ourselves and our skills positively.

WHAT IS NEGATIVE THINKING?

Negative thinking, or pessimism, is a mental condition where people have a tendency to place emphasis only on the negative aspects of their lives. They also firmly believe they will face such negative situations in the near future that will last for a prolonged period of time. They often hold themselves responsible for their failures and undesirable outcomes in their lives without giving themselves credit for the successful ones.

THE EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE THINKING ON OUR LIVES

Although negative thinking overall seems harmless, frequently harbouring negative thoughts can have serious detrimental effects on our lives:

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• High Level of Stress- In the fast-paced world of today, life has become quite stressful. But people with negative thinking are prone to getting stressed, even with the smallest issue resulting in mental illness, since stress is one of the most common aspects of such illness. Thinking about past, present and future failures only increases their stress levels.

• Panic Attacks and Anxiety- Excessive negative thinking gives rise to panic attacks and anxiety, where an individual, under certain circumstances, becomes extremely insecure and irrationally anxious. Such panic attacks can negatively impact your performance, e.g., when you are giving a presentation at your office, giving a speech or interview, etc. You tend to forget your lines or be unable to give a proper reply when an interviewer asks you a question or your speech slurs. The feeling of failure makes you anxious, leading to excessive sweating, light-headedness and nausea.

• Depression- Depression has become a very common mental illness among people nowadays. Feelings of sadness, void, frustration and dissatisfaction take control of the mind when someone falls into depression. Sadly, negative thoughts are directly related to triggering depression in people. As a result, people get disillusioned with life, become unsociable, lose motivation and often get prone to suicidal thoughts.

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• Lack of Self-confidence and Low Self-esteem- Negative thoughts make you feel incapable of performing your tasks, i.e., they force you to focus on your weaknesses instead of your strengths and possibilities, due to which your self-confidence deteriorates. The fear of failure and shame caused by negative feelings hinder your growth by preventing you from participating in various activities and events. Negative thoughts lower your self-esteem as you become overly conscious of your looks, weight, figure and abilities, start comparing yourself to others and end up feeling worthless.

• Relationship- Lack of confidence and self-esteem and continuous self-criticism arising due to negative thoughts can tremendously hamper your relationships and love life as you misjudge yourself and feel that you are unworthy of your partner. This may create misunderstandings and affect your relationship.

• Decreased Efficiency, Productivity and Energy- Negative thinking brings self-doubt due to which you start doubting your abilities, e.g., before giving a presentation or sitting for an exam you begin to imagine the possible mistakes and bad feedback you might receive at the end. With this comes self-accusations and demotivation that gradually decreases your efficiency, productivity and energy in your work.

• OCD- OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is one of the mental imbalances that often comes with negative thinking as you obsessively try to become a perfectionist, whether it’s your looks, appearance, work, or skills. Thinking negatively about yourself generates persistent beliefs in your mind that you are not perfect in your abilities, which range from household work to your career and gradually it may turn out to be a mental disorder.

• Instant mood swings- Experiencing instant mood swings can be attributed to constant negative thinking. People with mood swings can be found in a withdrawal state instantly from a cheerful demeanour, even when they face minor issues. This kind of unusual behaviour often leads to depression.

• Addiction- Alcohol and substance addictions are one of the most common outcomes of people suffering from depression and disappointment caused by negative thoughts. In the search for temporary relief and satisfaction, many times people suffering from depression resort to alcohol and substances, which later turn into addictions that ruin their lives and futures.

THE ADVANTAGES OF A POSITIVE MINDSET

Have you ever wondered why your elders, your friends, or your doctor tell you to think positively when you feel anxious about certain issues in your life? Because a positive mindset comes with numerous advantages:

• Better Handling of Stress- People with a positive attitude can handle stressful situations in a much better way than people with a negative mindset since they have the ability to manage their anxieties and insecurities while going through such situations. Being perfect examples of “Survival of the fittest,” they never give up in any situation but rather devise new ways and take advice and help from people to manage their stress at any cost.

• Preserves Cardiovascular Strength- Our hearts suffer the most when we have issues like anxiety, extreme stress and anger. However, people with a positive mindset are quite less likely to have cardiovascular problems due to the following factors:

1. Optimistic people generally follow healthy eating habits, avoid smoking and drinking and workout daily. Their concern for good health keeps them away from cardiovascular diseases.

2. As optimistic people don’t get stressed easily, levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol remain lower in their bodies. Thus, their vital organ systems, like the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular, function better. Positive feelings also keep your blood pressure at a normal level.

• A Rise in Immune Response- Positive thinking can increase your immunity against certain diseases. It gives you a better defence against the common cold and flu, as you won’t get sick often and will experience fewer symptoms. Optimistic people are more likely to get cured of life-threatening conditions like cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, infections, etc. They have a better tolerance for pain as well. Generally, optimistic people have a longer lifespan.

• Boost Mental Strength- It’s very common to face anxiety and sadness at certain stages of life when you are going through difficult situations. However, when you are inclined to negative thoughts during these difficult phases, extreme fear and sorrow take control over your mind, and as a result, you may suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. But optimistic people always get past these trying times without getting any mental disorders since a positive mindset generates awareness and positive feelings and thoughts among them.

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• Professional Growth- People who are psychologically strong can cope with any situation in their professional lives since they are always hopeful, optimistic, resilient and efficient. As a result, they are capable of exhibiting their full potential in terms of creativity, output and productivity in their work, due to which they are applauded by their bosses during the assessment of their work. Moreover, optimistic people usually get success in their work and make more money.

• Successful Relationships- Optimistic people create a peaceful and delightful atmosphere and thereby everyone loves to be around them. Thus, they are experts in building strong relationships and a unified and harmonious social circle.

THE STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP A POSITIVE MINDSET

Sometimes, when you go through extreme adverse situations, you lose control of yourself. Despite your best efforts, negative thoughts manage to seep into your mind. However, by adopting some mindful ways, you can certainly develop a positive mindset:

• Read your Mind- First and foremost, you should read your mind carefully. Observe what kind of thoughts you have, positive or negative. Are you leaning more towards negative thoughts? For example, why are you overreacting when your mother tells you to organize your things properly in your closet? Is it due to your feelings of insecurity that she doesn’t love you like your other sibling? Or do you feel sad that you are not good enough at these things? Now, don’t you feel that you are acting pessimistic? Why couldn’t you think that your mother simply wants to guide you in every aspect of your life? It’s high time that you think about your mindset and choose positive thoughts.

• Live in the present- Stop dwelling on your past and worrying about your future. Instead, pay attention to your present moment, i.e., the qualities you possess, your strengths and weaknesses at present and how you can upgrade yourself to the next level. Make an effort to find contentment in your current circumstances. Concentrate on a single task at one time, finish it and then head on to the next one. Make a routine where you will start your day with positive affirmations, followed by your work. Take refreshing breaks in between. You should also include your hobbies as part of your life.

• Dream of a Bright Future- Try to vizualize a bright future ahead in terms of your career, your personal life and relationships and your hobbies. Always imagine that you are doing well at present and will be blessed with a great future.

• Adapt to unwanted circumstances- Everyone faces unwanted circumstances in their lives. But the important thing is how well you adjust yourself in such situations. In other words, when you find yourself in undersirable circumstances, try to find out the good things or advantages that are present in that situation. For instance, recently you got a better job with a high salary in a new city but are facing difficulty adjusting to a rented apartment in an awful locality. Just think how lucky you are to be able to bag such an opportunity among so many other desirable candidates. With a good income, you will definitely move to a better place in the future.

• Utilize your Strengths- Identify your strengths and qualities like kindness, organizing aptitude, self-control, discipline, originality and creative skills. Work on these qualities to enhance them and chalk out a plan for how to apply them in your professional and personal lives. As a result, you will understand the right path to follow, which will gradually give you the satisfaction you deserve.

• Maintain a Gratitude Journal- Maintaining a gratitude journal has a great impact on our lives. Make it a habit to write down notes every night about how thankful you are for certain experiences in your life. It gives you a sense of happiness and satisfaction at the end of the day, despite how much you are suffering at the moment. It also gives you good sleep. People who write gratitude journals daily remain more optimistic and thankful in their lives.

• Exercise Regularly- Regular exercise has an immense contribution to our overall mental well-being. People who exercise daily enjoy good sleep, remain energetic throughout the day, have improved memory and feel very positive in any given situation. Exercise removes negative thoughts and keeps your mood cheerful. It acts as a cure for common mental illnesses like anxiety, depression and ADHD. The practice of yoga, breathing exercises and meditation daily helps to release stress and anxiety from your mind.  

• Be Humorous- There is a saying, ‘Smile is the best Medicine’. It’s absolutely true since frequent smiles, hearty laughs and humorous conversations, even at your worst times, keep your negative thoughts and anxiety away.

• Take Failures as Stepping Stones- Failures are not the end of your life. Rather, failures are lessons you receive as treasures that will help you reach your goal in the future.

• Take Rejections in Stride- Rejections, whether it’s love, job applications and friendship, are part and parcel of your life. Don’t let the pain of these unwanted rejections overwhelm you. Analyze the situations, find out why you were rejected and try your best to avoid getting rejected like this in the future. Such practices will make your mind stronger to fight any challenges, aiding in your further progress in life.

CONCLUSION

Emphasizing a positive outlook has a great impact on our lives. However, it doesn’t mean having an overly positive attitude. Harbouring unrealistic positive expectations in your relationships, career, health, etc. actually paves the way for negative outcomes. Taking into account the real-world scenario, people with a positive mindset practice a mindful, optimistic attitude and learn from their experiences to progress in their lives and reach their goals instead of getting affected by adverse circumstances.