6 Tips to Retrain Your Brain for Positivity

Yesterday I posted about the power of positive thinking. Today, I provide you with some tips for making positive thinking a way of life.

Before you can switch your thinking from negative to positive, you must first increase your mindfulness. To do this, you need to be aware of what your thoughts and feelings are, when you're having them and why. Here are some activities you can engage in that will help raise your thought awareness:

Journaling
Meditation
Conduct regular "thought checks" throughout the day
When you're feeling negativity creep in, unplug and take a time out to evaluate your thoughts and feelings
Engage in morning and evening reflection

Once you've become more mindful of your thoughts and feelings, you can then work to "retrain your brain" for positive thinking. Here are six ways to do just that:

Stop and regroup. When negativity is creeping in, stop what you're doing, evaluate the situation and why you're thinking/feeling the way you are, then determine how you can look at the situation in a more positive light.
Surround yourself with positive people. Your environment plays a role in how you think and feel, and the people you surround yourself with play a large part in that. Surround yourself with positive people and you'll be more inclined to think and feel positively.
Engage in uplifting and empowering activities. When you take part in activities that lift your spirit and empower you, it's much harder to think negative thoughts. When you feel good, you're more likely to think good.
Practice positive affirmation. As I discussed in yesterday's post, Turn Impossible Into Possible, the stories you tell yourself have a profound effect on your life - mentally, emotionally and physically. It takes a minimum of 3, and a recommended 5, positive thoughts to offset every negative thought. Since about 80% of our daily thoughts are negative, a little proactive positive thinking can go a long way! Start each day by standing in the mirror and telling yourself (out loud) at least 5 positive things each day.
Change your self-talk. Remove words and phrases such as worthless, not good enough, and can't do that from your vocabulary. Change those can'tsinto cans and won'ts into wills. Positive self talk can increase your health and happiness, improve your self confidence and help you accomplish your goals.
Focus on accomplishments, not failures. We are all bound to fail at some point in time. It's part of life. We also all have wins - big and small - each and every day. Instead of focusing on your downfalls, focus on your accomplishments. Forgive yourself for your failures and focus on what you were able to conquer.