I must admit, I love my little notebooks which is why my techniques always involve them, however, they do work!
Challenge yourself by raising the quota by one each day. Wow, you will end up with a lot of smiles! Where’s the bad in that? Exactly!
It’s time to start seeing these things again, and enjoying them as they happen.
This exercise for positive thinking involves purposely seeking out and recording the positive aspects of your day.
These 2 exercises for positive thinking are wonderful because when I sit down at the end of my day and recall both the smiles and the positive events, I feel great! The images of the smiles and the happy times flood my mind leaving no room for anything else. Needless to say, I sleep like a log.
However, if you don’t do these positive thinking exercises daily then be assured that you are either going to just stop after a few days, perhaps a week or the effect is not going to be significant enough for you to become full-time positive. Tip those scales back in favor of positivity, happiness, joy, any of those are better than a mind constantly switching back and forth between negativity and positivity.
Don’t think about it, just do it. Your mind will try to dissuade you from doing these exercises for positive thinking and that would be your habitual mind, the one that is used to being mediocre or negative. Therefore, just go out and buy the books, and do it. Then after 2 days you’ll notice that you wake up feeling great and looking forward to the challenge of beating yesterday’s positivity quota!
Avoid Negative Thinking
You may have to deal with people who don’t support or encourage your long term goals. Remember, you are choosing to move for your health and not to please others. If finding support in your immediate circle is difficult, look in other unlikely places, such walking clubs, or online support groups. You will be surprised where you find sources of strength.
You can use this technique to stop negative thinking the exact moment it begins. As negative thinking is a habit and our brains are filled with pre-programmed negative thoughts; one or more for each situation, if we can rein it in by stopping the negative thoughts as they occur, in time the thoughts will stop altogether.
Next time you find yourself in a queue, don’t allow those thoughts to run free, “Why is this taking so long?” “I always get stuck in queues!” stop thinking negative thoughts as they materialize and mentally shout “stop” with as much mental force as you can muster. Once you have done that, move on to a more positive thought, a thought that will serve you in some way. Your mind is your own personal space, the outer world doesn’t have power to enter it unless you allow it to do so.
Protect your inner sanctuary, and build it up with good thoughts. Be Patient. It takes time to learn how to stop negative thinking, but once learned you will be a much happier person.
This can be used immediately after the “dismissal” technique and creates a potent combo to help you stop negative thinking hopefully for good.
As the human brain can only concentrate on one thought at a time, an effective way to control your thoughts is to replace them with their direct opposite as soon as they appear. Going back to my earlier example, if you were stuck in a queue and this thought popped into your head, “God I hate queues!” you could replace it immediately with, “This is useful, now I can give my friend a call,” or “It’s alright, this will only take 2 or 3 minutes.”
It’s up to you what you use, as long as it is positive. The subconscious mind relies on you to give it the input it needs to form and regulate habits, therefore its quite alright for you to take away the negative input and replace it with positive, the subconscious will just form a positive thinking habit instead.
Stop negative thinking by reprogramming your subconscious.
At first, like anything new, it will feel fake and rather absurd to be treating your brain like a child, but essentially it is a child, it needs you (mind) to feed it, teach it and reward it. If you teach your subconscious correctly, you will find that you eventually stop thinking negative thoughts, probably without even noticing.
I have given you two good techniques to assist you, so now it is up to you to put them to good use and utilize them to stop negative thinking. Remember, be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day but when it was built all the hard work was most certainly worth it!
Remember – stop negative thinking+start positive thinking= happiness and a good life!
Making small changes one at a time is the best strategy. It’s not overwhelming and it results in a slower, steadier positive physical change.
– Don’t engage in other activities while eating such as watching T.V. driving, reading, or talking on the phone
– Concentrate on the pleasures of the food you eat – the sight, the smell, and the taste. Don’t allow eating to be a mindless, unconscious behavior.
– Choose one room for eating, and don’t eat while standing or walking around.
– Spend at least 20 minutes eating your meals to allow your brain to trigger a fullness sensation to your stomach. Take small bites, chew your food completely, set fork down between bites.
– Don’t always leave a clean plate. Pay more attention to your hunger. It’s OK to leave something if you feel satisfied before you’re finished. Put it away for tomorrow if you want.
– If you can’t eat “just one” of certain foods, don’t buy that food. Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you’re having.
– Try at least one new food every week. If you’re bored with what you’re eating, you’re more likely to give up
– Don’t go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Shop from a prepared list.
– Buy foods that require preparation. Ready-to-eat foods have little to no nutritional value.
– Incorporate small bouts of exercise into your daily routine. Aim for 30 minutes a day. Try taking the stairs, parking further away, walking to the grocery store, hand-washing your car, playing an sport with your children, or simply go for a 10 minute walk three times a day.