Having a positive mindset during tough times is not easy, but it’s doable.
A few days ago, I watched a TV program where a woman, her daughter-in-law, and her two grandchildren were being relocated from Ukraine to the USA. This was happening right in the thick of the Russia-Ukraine war and they weren’t even sure they would make it to Poland.
The family members who were waiting for them in the US were very worried. But they kept a brave front because there really was nothing to do.
Listening to the immigrants recounting their journey from Ukraine to Poland where they got onto a flight to the US was heartbreaking. For one, they left other loved ones behind including the woman’s husband and son. They also learned that a town they passed through safely was bombed the day after they passed through it.
What impressed me is that they were all very positive and full of gratitude. They chose to focus on the positive instead of everything that has gone wrong or could go wrong due to the war.
We cannot control everything in life
Many life situations are beyond our control, and some are unpredictable and unavoidable. However, you have 100% control over your mindset.
With practice, you can change your mindset into whatever you choose it to be. This is a powerful skill that, coupled with some patience, will help you overcome nearly any situation.
Try these techniques to maintain a positive mindset regardless of the situation
1. Identify a solution
Focusing on the challenge all the time will only drag down your mindset and mood. You will also have a negative impact on those around you, thus creating a negative ripple effect.
Looking for a solution creates more optimism and is much more effective than wallowing in a problem. Those with a positive mindset expect to find solutions to their problems.
2. Remember that your mindset is a choice
Only you can choose and control your mindset. You have your own unique view of the world right now. But you can choose to have a new mindset that better serves you and the situation you’re in right now.
By choosing a different mindset or view of your world and situation, you will direct your focus in a different way. This will in turn produce different solutions.
3. Try laughter…the universal cure
Life is short and has no guarantees. At the same time, there is humour to be found in many negative situations that don’t involve grief. If all seems lost, try laughter. A good laugh isn’t going to hurt. It may also not solve the problem, but it might help diffuse the negativity.
4. Use self-talk to your advantage
What you say to yourself silently and loudly matters. Additionally, the images you view in your mind and the words you say to yourself influence your thoughts and mindset. Positive self-talk and internal imagery lead to a positive mindset.
5. Fill your mind with positivity
People who have cultivated positive mindsets don’t indulge in negative media. This is because a lot of the media we are bombarded with is negative. Such media includes the news, videos, books, articles, social media, and internet feeds just to name a few.
Negative input leads to a negative output. It’s also easy to feed your mind with negativity and hard to get rid of it once it sticks in the mind.
- Choose positive media to put into your brain so that you don’t fill your mind with negativity and fear.
- Think positive thoughts.
- Fill your mind with positive ideas, self-talk, and images.
- Avoid toxic people.
- Get out of online and offline forums that a full of negativity.
- Find positive-minded people to hang out with.
- Hang out with children. Their unadulterated joy and energy will uplift your mood.
6. Practice constant and never-ending gratitude
Gratitude is a big part of building and maintaining an effective positive mindset. You can’t be grateful when your mind is full of negativity. You have to be in a positive frame of mind to feel gratitude. Next time you’re feeling frustrated or upset, try listing things that you’re grateful for. This will immediately shift your mood.
Gratitude is also a great way to start and end the day. For example, I go to sleep listing out the things I am grateful for that day. Because of this, I find myself waking up while listing the things I am grateful for each morning. This habit alone has changed my sleep patterns and I have uninterrupted sleep most days.
7. Stay present
Many people live in the future or past. They’re either remembering past glories and pains or anticipating the future. The past is done. You can’t undo it but can only remember and learn from it. The future is not yet here. You can only anticipate and plan for it.
Keep your focus on making progress in this very moment. Avoid worrying about the future or dredging up the past. Focus on your now so that you create a better future.
8. Volunteer to a worthy cause
Volunteering creates a mindset shift because it provides perspective. Putting your attention on someone else or a cause you believe in is a nice break from focusing on your own challenges. Volunteering is also a good way to feel gratitude, too because you are helping others.
Over to you…
Negative mental habits can be hard to break and it’s easy to become reactive rather than responsive. Your mindset is one of the few things that are fully under your control. All that is required is for you to make a conscious effort to control your thoughts and inner self-talk.
You can’t always control what happens to you or the events and circumstances around you. But you can control your reaction to the things that happen to you. By controlling your mindset, you gain far more control over your destiny. You’ll also enjoy life a lot more.
Additionally, your mindset influences your happiness and success. While a positive mindset doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing through life, it’s a tremendous help. In contrast, having a negative mindset guarantees that you will have many challenges in life!
Try one or more of these strategies to cultivate and maintain a positive mindset no matter the situation you’re in.
(Photo Courtesy of Unsplash)
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