Do you ever feel this way?
“Nothing I try seems to work.”
“It seems to work for other people but not for me.”
“These are not the results I expected.”
If you’re someone who tries something new, creative, or challenging but it doesn’t ever seem to work, did you stop to ask yourself why? It may be because you’re stuck in a “nothing ever works” mindset.
Negative Thinking
Negative thoughts or feelings are normal when you’re trying to achieve a goal or trying to break a habit and it seems like there’s a long road ahead. That’s why it’s called a journey. When you’re beginning a path to self-improvement, sometimes effort alone isn’t enough. It must be followed by a belief in the efforts you’re making. The simple act of negative thinking is exactly what will block your progress.
Examples of challenges when negative thinking could occur:
Overcoming fatigue: Feeling overwhelmed can lead to fatigue, and when this occurs everyday, the mind starts to believe you “don’t have time to rest” and you just continue running on empty. Sound familiar? Then that’s the time you need to rest most! Negative thoughts about things going wrong if you do take a break is not sustainable. Take a breath and schedule in some self-care time to recharge your batteries.
Trying to quit smoking or drinking alcohol: Trying to quit anything, including addictive junk food, always comes down to strength and willpower. Not only due to temptation and old habits, but because of the real withdrawal symptoms one experiences. Therefore, to truly avoid consuming, avoid negative thoughts about whether you can do it or not.
Trying losing weight: You’ve been following a new meal plan exactly as stated but you have a disbelief as you’re preparing the meal, then this confuses your cells because your thoughts don’t align with your actions. You’re in the middle of preparing and eating healthy, exactly the change you want to create, yet as you digest, it doesn’t ‘process’ that way, physically and metaphorically.
Dealing with a chronic disease: Any diagnosis can be a scary one, from diabetes to cancer. Since our cells feel the difference between positive and negative thinking and vibrate accordingly, then thoughts of hope and success can only increase the chances of overcoming illness.
The way we speak to ourselves is so important for mental and physical health. If your inner dialogue is imbalanced, your body can tell... As Bruce Lee said:
“Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells, that's why it's called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.”
― Bruce Lee
Only until one realizes their inner dialogue is negative and works towards changing their words, can they truly see a change in their life. And it is only commitment that makes true change happen. Commit to catching yourself, the same way you catch yourself with bad posture and then correct it by changing your rounded shoulders, is the same way you catch your words and correct them for something more positive or productive.
Build Your Positive Thinking
To build your positive thinking is to build your resilience against negative thinking. This means that when you notice you want to react with a negative emotion like anger, frustration, or worry, that you stop to notice the negative, then try to see a silver lining. Once you see a brighter side, extract a positive reaction with more calm, compassion, patience, and kindness.
Other ways to naturally gravitate towards positive thinking includes regularly scheduled stress-reduction methods. This too must be part of your commitment, as mentioned above. These methods will renew your energy, and we all feel more positive when we have lots of energy!
Consistent stress-reduction methods include:
Yoga
Meditation
Breathwork
Journaling
Walking outdoors
Hot/Cold exposure
Reciting mantras or affirmations
Regular visits for bodywork, such as massage therapy, osteopathy, acupuncture, and Reiki.
Some of these methods can be practiced daily, while others might be weekly or monthly. Whatever you can do will get you into a routine of feeling good. Finally, here’s why it’s so important to schedule it in... because a routine of feeling good means you know this relaxation time is coming up, so you start to feel less pressure. You start to see a change in your thinking. You start to get closer to your goals. Then suddenly, you’re in a “this could finally work” mindset.
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