In honor of Positive Thinking Day on September 13th.
As a pessimist, I often find it hard to think positively. In honor of Positive Thinking Day on September 13th, I thought I would share three ways I sometimes get myself into thinking positively.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
#1: Reminding Myself That It Could Be Worse
Growing up, my parents often told me that I "had it good" and things "could be worse." Those words reside in the back of my mind and resurface in memories when I am not feeling great.
When things seem bad, especially when my depression kicks in, I tend to think to myself, 'I am more fortunate than some others in the world today. Things could be worse.'
#2: Write A Daily Affirmation
Every night I write a line of something good about that day. On some days it is easy to identify at least one thing I want to write down and remember for as long as I have my journal. However, there are other days when I struggle to think of anything good.
Writing a daily affirmation encourages me to think positively about the day. It gets me to think positively more often and get past negative thoughts. It is a simple thing that helps me feel better about the day and myself before I go to sleep.
#3: Expose Myself To Positive People
I am fortunate to have positive people in my life who make the days worthwhile. Some members of my family and my two great friends are supportive, funny-ish, and manage to make me feel good about life and myself. I know this is not easy for them when I have low self-esteem and cannot see what they claim to see in me.
With their support and encouragement, I am slowly learning about self-care, how to enjoy the little things in life, and identifying positive things in the darkest of times.
Dad specifically taught me to make light of bad situations. When things seem to go wrong, corny Dad jokes are never in short supply. He reminds me not to take things too seriously because I will get past it eventually. After all, it could be worse.
My Thoughts
Although I try to think positively every day, it is difficult to do sometimes. When a chain reaction of bad things happens or negative thoughts fill my mind, the last thing I want to do is identify something positive when things seem so bleak.
However, I always try to identify something good when all else is bad. This is usually when I identify having my dogs, family, and friends in life as the highlight of my day.
If I struggle to think positively, I take time to clear my mind. There are Ways I Personally De-Stress to feel a little better. At the very least, I can end the day thinking positively about the stress-relieving activity I did before I ended the day with sleep.
What's Next?
Today is a great day to think positively by first identifying all the good things and people in your life. Take a moment to reflect on the highlights of your day, the people that helped you get through the day, and what you can do to make tomorrow even better!
Comment below to share your tips for thinking positively.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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