We’ve all heard it before when going through a difficult situation - “try to look on the bright side”. Not everyone is naturally optimistic, nor is it necessary to have irrepressible optimism or toxic positivity. Even though it may seem impossible in the moment, adopting a positive mindset can actually help you handle stress and manage life’s challenges in healthier ways. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that positive thinking can increase life span, decrease rates of depression, lower your risk of death from serious illness like cardiovascular disease and cancer, improve overall psychological and physical well-being, and arm you with better coping skills to endure hardships and stress (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2023). Learn more about the many benefits of having a more optimistic attitude and tips you can use to cultivate a positive mindset today.
What is a Positive Mindset?
According to Kendra Cherry at Very Well Mind, positive thinking means “approaching life’s challenges with a positive outlook. It does not necessarily mean avoiding or ignoring the bad things; instead, it involves making the most of the potentially bad situations, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light” (Ackerman, 2018).
Optimism is the characteristic of a positive mindset that most commonly comes to mind, but there are many others that should not be overlooked. Acceptance, resilience, gratitude, and mindfulness are all topics covered in Acknowledge Alliance’s Project Resilience social emotional learning lessons for K-8 students associated with cultivating a positive attitude. Our resilience consultants share that:
“Our brains are wired to think negative thoughts first, to keep us alive and safe. It’s harder to think positive thoughts, so we have to work at it. We have to practice thinking positively more often...do you find yourself focusing on things that didn’t go well more than things that did? When you find yourself focusing on things that aren’t going right, what can you do to notice the positive?”
7 Tips for Building a Positive Mindset
1. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences
The way you feel and view things can be greatly influenced by who you choose to surround yourself with and what kinds of media content you consume. Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who truly want to help you, and avoid doomscrolling by trying to include uplifting content in your feeds.
2. Acknowledge All Your Emotions and Avoid Toxic Positivity
Recognize all your feelings, whether they feel positive or negative, without judgement. Forcing yourself to be positive or ignoring your true emotions can be unhealthy. As calm.com says, “all emotions, including the not so positive ones, have value and are natural. Feeling sad, frustrated, or angry is okay, because these emotions tell us about our experiences or needs so we can learn from them and take appropriate action” (2023).
3. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle
Being healthy physically can significantly improve your mood and ability to manage stress. Research shows that “exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood by improving self-esteem and cognitive function” (Sharma, Madaan & Petty, 2006). Maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough sleep similarly have been linked to improved mental wellness.
4. Recognize and Reframe Negative Self-talk
Positive thinking often starts with self-talk, the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2023). If your self-talk tends to be negative, your mindset will likely be negative as well. Try to reframe your negative thoughts into more positive ones. Mayo Clinic shares the following examples of negative self-talk and how you can put a more positive spin on them:
5. Check in with Yourself
Make it a daily routine to evaluate how you are feeling and what your needs are. Taking this time out can help you notice when you are having negative thoughts and encourage you to instill some positivity into your life when helpful.
6. Practice Gratitude
During challenging times, practicing gratitude is a skill that may help us cope with great stress, sadness, anxiety or depression. Recognizing and expressing things you are grateful for, big or small, can help shift your focus away from life’s negative aspects. You can practice gratitude by keeping a gratitude journal, or by sharing your gratitude with others by writing, drawing, or sending a message.
7. Focus on Your Strengths
During Project Resilience lessons, our resilience consultants teach students that “character strengths are positive parts of who you are. They help you bounce back when something hard happens. Kind of like a superpower!” We all have strengths, and focusing on these instead of your weaknesses will help build your self-confidence and resilience.
References
Ackerman, Courtney. (2018, July 5). Positive Mindset: How to Develop a Positive Mental Attitude. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/positive-mindset/
Calm.com. (2023). How to be more positive? Try these 10 positive mindset tips. Retrieved from https://www.calm.com/blog/how-to-be-more-positive
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2023, November 21). Positive Thinking: Stop Negative Self-talk to Reduce Stress. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950
Sharma A, Madaan V, Petty FD. Exercise for mental health. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;8(2):106. doi: 10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a. PMID: 16862239; PMCID: PMC1470658.