To train your mind to think positively, consciously reframe negative thoughts by finding positive spins, practice gratitude daily, use positive affirmations, surround yourself with uplifting people, and maintain a healthy lifestyle, incorporating mindfulness and recognizing your thought patterns to build awareness and shift your focus toward solutions and good things.
Instead of thinking or speaking negatively, make a mental list of three things you are grateful for. Replacing your negative thoughts for positive ones can train your brain and help you move away from negative self-talk. Over time you will be able to catch yourself in the moment and make the mental switch.
Lerner (2009) described PYD as a process that promotes the “5Cs”: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Lerner (2009) also described thriving young people as individuals who actively nurture, cultivate, and develop positive qualities.
Specifically, the three Ps, a framework known as Learned Optimism: Permanence, Pervasiveness and Personalization. These three areas are key to how we perceive ourselves. Self-criticism can turn self-destructive if you focus on the wrong thing in any of these areas.
These five Cs—COMPLAINING, CRITICIZING, CONCERN, COMMISERATING, and CATASTROPHIZING—serve as a foundation for understanding how certain patterns of thought can inadvertently foster cycles of counterproductive negativity, thereby constraining our potential and efforts.
Negative thinking often takes root in childhood, stemming from traumatic experiences, neglect, or negative reinforcements. If you grew up in an environment where criticism, blame, or pessimism were common, you might have internalized these behaviors, leading to a habit of negative thinking.
One way to train your mind to be more positive is by setting aside a bit of time each day to write down some things you're grateful for. You might find this difficult at first, but over time it gets easier, and then it can become automatic, and you'll be more attuned to recognize positive experiences in the moment.
Steps and strategies to help you reframe unhelpful thoughts
You are the captain, the master, the foreman, the general, you're the head. Don't give away your power to anyone, especially the devil.
Breaking the cycle of anxiety and racing thoughts
For some people positivity requires more effort. If life is going great it might be easier to be positive. However, when life is hard you need to make a conscious decision to be positive… Add in disorders like depression or anxiety & it becomes even harder.
Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was an American Protestant clergyman, and an author best known for popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking (1952).
Following are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:
Visualise what you want.
As Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Visualising what you want, setting a mental picture in your mind, and then believing this mental picture can be one of the best ways to trick your brain into believing something.
Sometimes, negativity is a learned behavior. If you were raised in an environment where pessimism, criticism, or negativity were prevalent, you may have internalized these behaviors. People who are around consistently negative influences may also develop similar patterns of thinking over time.
“I had high blood [pressure], this thing called Sjögen's [syndrome] which is an immune disorder,” Harvey told the former NFL star.
Short motivational quotes
The Three P's: Harvey introduces the concept of the "Three P's" – Profess, Provide, and Protect – as the fundamental roles that men traditionally play in relationships.
The 3 C's of CBT, Catching, Checking and Changing, serve as practical steps for people to manage their thoughts and behaviors. These steps help you to recognize and alter negative patterns that contribute to mental health issues and substance abuse.
How to stop being negative and be more positive
Negative thinking can have several causes, including personal factors such as undergoing a traumatic experience. That said, scientists are finding evidence that certain mental health disorders play a critical role in the habitual formation of dark or negative thoughts.
Center Founder Richard Davidson shares nine ways to stop being negative, whether it's noticing the good in ourselves and others or noticing our environment and emotions.